5 Golf Drills to Refine Your Technique
ArticleUneekor
05/20/2024
You already know it’s important to practice golf at home, but do you know how to do it right?
With these five drills, you'll refine your skills, save some strokes, and make your golf game more consistent.
1. The Gated Tee Drill
Designed to help you ‘groove’ your putting stroke to hit straight and in the center of the putter face
The goal is to strike the ball without hitting the tees. Set up - place your putter on the green and putt a tee 1/2 to 1 inch away from the toe and the heel of the putter. Practice making strokes between the tees without hitting the tees. Next, place a ball in the center of the tees and practice hitting putts through the gate. Advanced setup - once you are confident with the initial setup, move the tees closer to the heel and toe to make them less forgiving.
2. The Coin Drill
Master your transition and putting stroke tempo to improve your speed control
The Coin Drill involves placing a coin in the flange of the putter can help you build a nice tempo to your stroke. If you are too quick on the backstroke, the coin will fall off. If too quick on the forward stroke, the coin will fall off. A smooth tempo will keep the coin in place throughout the whole stroke.
3. The Takeaway Drill
Ensure a one-piece takeaway by keeping your arms, hands, and shoulders moving as one unit
You can use a basketball, beach ball, or even a range bucket. Whatever you decide to use, hold it between your hands and take your normal setup over the ball. Turn your shoulders (not your hips) until the basket is at your rear hip. If done correctly, you shouldn’t have to twist or rotate the object as you take it away. This will ensure that your hands are not too active during your takeaway and that your upper body is turning as one unit.
4. The Towel Drill
Build speed on the way down
Holding a golf towel, make your backswing to the top and stop. Wait to feel the lagging towel land on your trail shoulder before starting your downswing.
While in the downswing, try to create as much “snap” in the towel as you can. You can achieve this by unwinding from the ground up, and allowing your hands to “snap” the towel at impact…unwinding your downswing in the proper sequence is the best way to build speed.
5. Upper Body Rotation Drill
A full shoulder turn will help you generate power
First, take your normal setup and place a club across your shoulders so that the butt end of the club points towards the target. Then, take your normal backswing and feel your shoulders turn until your ‘target-side’ shoulder is under or near your chin and the butt end of the club is pointing toward the ball.
Your hips should turn less than your shoulders and your legs should remain stable. A weight shift should take place that transfers 60% of your body weight into the instep of your trail foot so you feel like you are ready to push off your trail side and move toward your target.
Practice Makes Perfect
These essential golf drills will make your game more consistent, precise, and confident. Try them out at home with the help of a simulator to measure your progress, view them in a mirror or on camera for added consistency, and bring your a-game to the course!