Instruction
5 drills that can ruin your golf swing
Let’s face it, struggling golfers will try any and every drill that’s ever existed; anything that’s ever been prescribed in magazines, on TV, or by their best golfing buddy. And while many of them are actually helpful, some are downright useless… and potentially harmful to your game.
In this article, I offer my take on the 5 drills that can ruin your golf swing.
5. The Feet Together Drill
I know this is probably the oldest golf drill in the world, but really, what does it do?
By putting your feet together, you can’t possibly use your pivot to move the club, thus you’re effectively grooving improper sequencing. I know the drill is supposed to work on your tempo and balance, but properly sequencing the way your body and club work throughout the swing is the only sure way to good balance. So don’t tear down sequencing when trying to fix your balance; it’s counterintuitive.
4. Left Foot Back Drill
This drill is often given to players working on “clearing their hips,” or “activating” their lower body. And while it can serve its purpose, it can also be extremely dangerous.
If you hit balls at a slower-than-normal speed, I will accept using this drill, but I never see anyone doing this drill at anything other than full speed. That’s detrimental because when you take a rip at it with your left foot back, you’re ensuring that your right shoulder fires forward first, causing you to come over the top almost instantly. Any golfer knows that engraining an over-the-top move is almost never ideal. So ditch this drill unless you have a special reason for using it, and keep your swing speed low.
3. The Pump Drill
How many people have you seen using this move to try and increase their lag or keep the right arm in front of the body? What people do not understand is this position is a by-product of a proper pivot motion, coupled with the proper external rotation of the rear shoulder. It’s not a position that can be manufactured, or trained in this manner whatsoever.
A better feeling would be to either lay the shaft down during the downswing — thus shallowing out your swing and getting the club to come from the inside — or rotating the bottom hand skyward on the downswing. If you want more information or drills on external rotation, I suggest checking out Joe Mayo a.k.a. @TrackmanMaestro.
2. Hook it with the Hands Drill
Before you cry foul and tell me that this drill has saved your life and stopped you from hitting slices forever, let me explain. Yes, we need to have the face left of the path in order to draw the ball. This drill trends to over-exaggerate this movement, though.
When people practice this movement without the proper understanding of the new ball-flight laws, they tend to over-rotate the face so it’s pointing left of the target at impact. This is not what we want, because that will cause the ball to start left and go farther left.
Remember, the club face is the main factor in determining starting direction. Therefore, to hit a draw, the club face needs to actually point right of the target line and left of the path, which creates the coveted push-draw.
1. The Split-Handed Drill
People tell me this drill helps them understand the feeling of “setting” the club, and how it “unloads” in the downswing. The feeling I get from swinging with a split grip, however, in no way mimics anything in the golf swing that’s normal, or in anyway useful. For hockey players, it could possibly help compare the golf swing to the slap shot, but that’s a stretch. To me, the split-handed drill teaches people how to use the left wrist as a fulcrum in the downswing, which is never a good thing.
Ben Hogan once said he “wished he had three right hands,” but that would be deadly for the average player. It would cause the right side to dominate the left side, leading to flipping in most golfers. That adds excessive loft during impact, creating higher than normal trajectories and reduced distances. Pass on this drill.
Have questions about your favorite drills? Ask me about them in the comments section, and I will do my best to answer as many questions as I can.
- LIKE127
- LEGIT36
- WOW8
- LOL13
- IDHT8
- FLOP22
- OB14
- SHANK360
Some call the image on the left laid off, but if you are hitting a fade, this could be a perfect backswing for it! Same for across the line for a draw! Stop racking your brain with perceived mistakes and simply match backswing to shot shape!
- LIKE0
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK1
My golf learning began with this simple fact – if you don’t have a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, it is practically impossible for your body to execute a fundamentally sound golf swing. I’m still a big believer that the golf swing is much easier to execute if you begin with the proper hold on the club.
As you might imagine, I come into contact with hundreds of golfers of all skill levels. And it is very rare to see a good player with a bad hold on the golf club. There are some exceptions, for sure, but they are very few and very far between, and they typically have beat so many balls with their poor grip that they’ve found a way to work around it.
The reality of biophysics is that the body moves only in certain ways – and the particulars of the way you hold the golf club can totally prevent a sound swing motion that allows the club to release properly through the impact zone. The wonderful thing is that anyone can learn how to put a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, and you can practice it anywhere your hands are not otherwise engaged, like watching TV or just sitting and relaxing.
Whether you prefer an overlap, interlock or full-finger (not baseball!) grip on the club, the same fundamentals apply. Here are the major grip faults I see most often, in the order of the frequency:
Mis-aligned hands
By this I mean that the palms of the two hands are not parallel to each other. Too many golfers have a weak left hand and strong right, or vice versa. The easiest way to learn how to hold the club with your palms aligned properly is to grip a plain wooden ruler or yardstick. It forces the hands to align properly and shows you how that feels. If you grip and re-grip a yardstick several times, then grip a club, you’ll see that the learning curve is almost immediate.
The position of the grip in the upper/left hand
I also observe many golfers who have the butt of the grip too far into the heel pad of the upper hand (the left hand for right-handed players). It’s amazing how much easier it is to release the club through the ball if even 1/4-1/2″ of the butt is beyond the left heel pad. Try this yourself to see what I mean. Swing the club freely with just your left hand and notice the difference in its release from when you hold it at the end of the grip, versus gripping down even a half inch.
To help you really understand how this works, go to the range and hit shots with your five-iron gripped down a full inch to make the club the same length as your seven-iron. You will probably see an amazing shot shape difference, and likely not see as much distance loss as you would expect.
Too much lower (right) hand on the club
It seems like almost all golfers of 8-10 handicap or higher have the club too far into the palm of the lower hand, because that feels “good” if you are trying to control the path of the clubhead to the ball. But the golf swing is not an effort to hit at the ball – it is a swing of the club. The proper hold on the club has the grip underneath the pad at the base of the fingers. This will likely feel “weak” to you — like you cannot control the club like that. EXACTLY. You should not be trying to control the club with your lower/master hand.
Gripping too tightly
Nearly all golfers hold the club too tightly, which tenses up the forearms and prevents a proper release of the club through impact. In order for the club to move back and through properly, you must feel that the club is controlled by the last three fingers of the upper hand, and the middle two fingers of the lower hand. If you engage your thumbs and forefingers in “holding” the club, the result will almost always be a grip that is too tight. Try this for yourself. Hold the club in your upper hand only, and squeeze firmly with just the last three fingers, with the forefinger and thumb off the club entirely. You have good control, but your forearms are not tense. Then begin to squeeze down with your thumb and forefinger and observe the tensing of the entire forearm. This is the way we are made, so the key to preventing tenseness in the arms is to hold the club very lightly with the “pinchers” — the thumbs and forefingers.
So, those are what I believe are the four fundamentals of a good grip. Anyone can learn them in their home or office very quickly. There is no easier way to improve your ball striking consistency and add distance than giving more attention to the way you hold the golf club.
More from the Wedge Guy
- The Wedge Guy: Golf mastery begins with your wedge game
- The Wedge Guy: Why golf is 20 times harder than brain surgery
- The Wedge Guy: Musings on the golf ball rollback
- LIKE88
- LEGIT14
- WOW6
- LOL1
- IDHT0
- FLOP4
- OB1
- SHANK8
Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?
- LIKE0
- LEGIT3
- WOW2
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK2
Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
John Daly stuns fans into silence with brutal opening tee shot on PGA Tour Champions
Things got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
Justin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
Tiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
Report: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
Report: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
Kris Kim WITB 2024 (May)
Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here....
Richy Werenski WITB 2024 (May)
Richy Werenski what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Houston Open. Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1...
Wesley Bryan WITB 2024 (May)
Wesley Bryan what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple...
Adam Scott WITB 2024 (May)
Adam Scott what’s in the bag accurate as of the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (10.5 degrees)...
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoJustin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
-
19th Hole3 weeks agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
-
19th Hole3 weeks agoReport: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
-
19th Hole3 weeks agoNeal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoBrandel Chamblee has ‘no doubt’ who started the McIlroy/LIV rumor and why
-
19th Hole1 week agoLET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you
-
Equipment3 weeks agoJason Day on his recent switch into Srixon ZX5 and ZX7 Mk II irons
Scott
Nov 22, 2016 at 10:53 am
Thanks Tom. The article says 5 drills that “can” ruin your game. Not “will” ruin your game.
I have swung with my feet together to slow my tempo down, but I agree, other than a few swings like that, the drill did nothing for me. Others seem to have benefited from the drills, which are great. I see a lot of people, including myself in the past, taking drills to an unnatural level, which can cause other problems.
stephenf
Nov 16, 2016 at 3:14 pm
Yeah. So ignore the drills that guys like Toski, Flick, and Leadbetter think might be good. Okay.
I mean, come on. Most drills are used to isolate certain aspects or elements of the swing, so that — for instance — the feet-together drill has nothing at all to do with pivot in the first place. And most aren’t intended to be full-speed or full-force. They’re for specific purposes, which some of the best teachers in the history of the game have identified.
Leftienige
Nov 13, 2016 at 6:01 am
Reminds me , next week sees the release of my new best-seller , the 3rd in the trilogy
“Another 5,000 things to remember during your Golf-swing”. Cheers all , Nige .
DaveT
Nov 11, 2016 at 8:52 pm
I expected to disagree with at least some of the examples. I was pleasantly surprised to find this article spot-on. At various times I have tried each of these drills. With the possible exception of #1 (feet together) I found it teaching the wrong thing overall for a good golf swing. And even #1 is only useful if you are working on balance pure and simple. If you’re working on anything else, it probably does more harm than good. Right on, Mr. Stickney.
You wrong
Jul 30, 2023 at 4:51 pm
Wrong. Split hand teaches rotation, weight shift, and in to out swing while staying in posture.
Ray Bennett
Nov 11, 2016 at 3:51 pm
Great stuff. Unfortunately the wisdom of this article will be lost on the multitude of golfers who will never understand or get to feel the real swing as a direct result of popular golf instruction . if it was that easy everybody would be able to do it.
Ronnie
Nov 10, 2016 at 8:37 pm
This article is not a complete shank, but I do have some issues with it. Every drill has a purpose when it is used correctly and explained. #1 is my favorite drill for multiple reasons, but if used incorrectly I can see how it can mess up your swing. That is the point of having a good golf professional. It is our job to simplify the drill and explain what the desired goal of that drill is. Not a single drill listed in this article will ruin your swing if used correctly and for the right purpose. I always instruct my students to not take any drill I give them to extreme measures.
Steven
Nov 10, 2016 at 2:20 pm
Wow, this seems to be one of the more contentious articles. I tend to agree with Tom. There are a few drills that are common that may help with 1 aspect of the swing but will cause a different problem. Some golfers, myself included, are good at over exaggerating parts of the swing, so a drastic drill like these cause me different problems. I think the key is to find drills that teach fundamental parts of the swing in a proper swing motion. I could be wrong though because each golfer does need slightly different instruction because we all learn differently.
pepperwhiteknight
Nov 10, 2016 at 10:50 am
My buddy has been using a few of the drills listed especially the feet together. He over swings, crosses the line at the top, has a loop in his swing, and sets up with his feet so close together. But the real problem is not the drill. It is the lack of knowledge and understanding of what he is doing. He doesn’t stick to one thing and is constantly changing because he wants instant results. Like he is fishing for the solution and hoping it works. If he goes and gets lessons from a pro they might give him a drill but chances are they will also make some tweaks to his setup and ask him to stop trying to smash the ball to the moon.
Ronald Montesano
Nov 9, 2016 at 11:14 pm
I use the feet-together drill to cure my high school golfers of excessive stack-and-tilt that was taught to them by underinformed golf teachers. I find it to be effective in this specific case.
Looper
Nov 9, 2016 at 11:52 pm
I guess you are the stack and tilt whisperer??? Every teacher good or bad has whatever knowledge they’ve learned, not one contains every piece of the puzzle. Tough to judge with such a broad stroke… I guess all your students are on tour???
Jack
Nov 10, 2016 at 4:51 am
Huh? He is more advising against stack and tilt rather than for it. Not sure where all that pent up hate is coming from. Not to mention he’s a contributor here, so someone with decent knowledge.
Smokin' Gun
Nov 10, 2016 at 5:49 pm
It’s called an opinion, that hate word gets thrown around way to much now… Who cares if he’s a contributor, or has decent knowledge… Wow, way to sensitive man…
justin case
Nov 11, 2016 at 10:05 am
too much
…and
too sensitive.
You wrong
Jul 30, 2023 at 4:52 pm
Wrong. Split hand teaches rotation, weight shift, and in to out swing while staying in posture.
Ronald Montesano
Nov 11, 2016 at 5:21 am
I believe that Stack and Tilt requires a fair amount of muscular strength, as you are working without the load-back and shift-forward of a traditional swing. One particular golfer is neither tall nor strong, so his stack and tilt was absolutely killing his chances at distance. I put him into the feet-together position and he started to understand how to shift weight a bit back, then forward (odd as that sounds.) It’s up to him to keep at it, but I would certainly opt for the adjacent-feet technique in similar situations, as a point of departure.
Smokin' Gun
Nov 12, 2016 at 1:04 pm
Agree completely, the one most important facet that stack and tilt reveals in bodi trak is that there still is a shift to right but COP remains centered. As a drill with the feet together, it will stimulate a steady head, plus a centered point of pressure…
Robert
Nov 9, 2016 at 9:10 pm
Rated Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, well Golf Magazine you just lost my subscription. wow
Grizz01
Nov 11, 2016 at 9:43 am
hahahahaahha… well put.
Rich
Nov 9, 2016 at 8:39 pm
Tell Rory McIlroy the feet together drill doesn’t work. He swears by it for his balance and I’m pretty sure he’s doing OK. To each their own.
John Yacobellis
Nov 9, 2016 at 8:19 pm
Tom,
Please stop using the term “new ball flight laws.” The laws of physics have not changed, even for top golf teachers. What has changed is that many teachers are finally admitting their past ignorance, and it took Trackman to do it. Ball flight laws are immutable, and consulting a basics physics book, if the PGA and all the gurus had taken the time or made the effort, could have set them straight and helped instead of hindered countless students the last 150 years.
Philip
Nov 9, 2016 at 9:12 pm
They are no different than scientists or doctors – fact is, no one likes to admit they were wrong as many see admitting mistakes as a weakness. But yeah, last I checked the laws of physics haven’t changed since I came into being.
Jim
Nov 11, 2016 at 12:52 pm
The ‘ancient’ ball flight laws still apply in a primordial sense. We knew about ‘face override’ before Trackman, and new golfers need to understand path & face. Unless someone has a significant lack or loss of mobility, I’m not teaching them an outside in or ‘pull swing’. You can replicate the “9 possible ball flights” faithfully by the described paths & face angles… and to move the club into impact with continued acceleration and power people need to at least ‘THINK’ it’s going inside out even if it ends up just square…I think it’s the “laws” part that leads to the conflicts…also, someone forgot to include “straight up in the air” as one 😉 if it’s on a tee
Rors
Nov 9, 2016 at 11:54 pm
Amen…
Jack
Nov 10, 2016 at 4:53 am
It’s not like humanity changes, but the laws governing them could change. That’s all he means. How else would you call it?
devilsadvocate
Nov 10, 2016 at 7:07 am
Really? Guess what there are NEW ball flight laws because what used to be taught has been PROVED incorrect by New technology. The term NEW ball flight laws could not be more applicable. Maybe do a little research before you decide to question a professional. It’s students like you that go take a lesson, listen to NOTHING the teacher says and disagree constantly. Then you go play 9 holes and play like (removed) and tell all your buddies that instructor doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
tom stickney
Nov 10, 2016 at 11:36 am
John–
It would have helped us all if you had published your ball flight law findings much earlier…
I'm Ron Burgundy???
Nov 11, 2016 at 11:13 pm
Gotta love keyboard Cowboys like “Big John”!
TonyK
Nov 9, 2016 at 7:03 pm
Feet together to me is the best drill that instantly works even during a round.
David M
Nov 11, 2016 at 9:57 am
Agreed 1000% – this article is crapola
Mitch Young
Nov 9, 2016 at 12:35 pm
i would say the pump drill is by far the worst drill you can do in golf. anytime a drill that focuses on establishing a static position from a dynamic movement is doomed for failure. it would be equivalent to teaching a quarterback through a foot ball by putting his throwing elbow in front of his head and have him throw it from that position. total nonsense.
GMatt
Nov 9, 2016 at 11:56 am
To each his own…..
Tim Schoch
Nov 9, 2016 at 11:32 am
I’m a sponge for exaggerated swinging. It always works its way into my golf swing, which is not a good thing. I wish I could soak up the feeling and movements of the real golf swing as readily. Ergo, I’m not a fan of swinging drills. I am a fan of position drills, hitting drills, and drills designed to focus on specific things, like keeping your arms close together. I think you need to find the drill that works for you, then don’t overdo it. Use it to get a feeling back, then focus on the whole swing and where your ball is going. So although this article is too all-inclusive for me, I think it is a good reminder that some drills, sometimes, could actually hurt your swing–especially if you do them incorrectly (which is probably a bigger problem).
Jim
Nov 9, 2016 at 11:25 am
All drills, like any exercise need to be done corrctly to produce the desired results. There’s a book of 1000. Some people have WAY too much time on their hands to even think up some of this crap. I use maybe 6, and only 3 of them on all students at some point.
The feet together – With the left foot 1/2 way back – DONE PROPERLY, with the least amount of body movement possible and literally ‘dropping the hands’ from chest high and learning to ‘steer with the lead hand’ while teaching the power hand to wait is incredibly successful, and 90% of the time it’s the “closer” on a first lesson that signs people up for packages. Gravity fed, NO ‘downswing’ hip turn, just learn to hit & release, then learn to speed up the hands – seperate from the hitting muscles…It will produce 70% of your total distance with any club 🙂
Christian Gau
Nov 9, 2016 at 11:07 am
The feet together drill allows you to work on your balance while swinging a club. In order to counterbalance the weight of the arm/club unit (actually it’s the gravitational force pulling on your shoulder sockets once you start swinging the club), you use your posterior. Sure you can train that with feet apart but some of us tend to sway and resist proper hip movement (that includes me). So this drill is very far away from being useless. Refer to Shawn Clement for further details.
Harold Bolzagna
Nov 9, 2016 at 11:06 am
The feet together drill is one of the greats for establishing rotation within the swing. Try swaying and make a swing with your feet together.
Sorry, you couldn’t be more wrong with that start to your brilliant article.
Matt
Nov 9, 2016 at 10:58 am
Feet together drill helps me a lot. I tend to slide my hips at the target instead of rotating around my body, and I’ve yet to find a better drill for that problem.
Pete
Nov 9, 2016 at 10:07 am
Shank. lol
Pingback: 5 drills that can ruin your golf swing – Swing Update
Alex Jackson
Nov 9, 2016 at 9:14 am
Feet together drill is great for players who have excess lower body action (too much hip slide, etc.). It’s a drill to get unstuck.
I wouldn’t say it’s a bad drill, rather a drill for the minority of golfers that have this problem.
steve kemlo
Nov 9, 2016 at 10:15 am
this drill worked for me as i had to much hip movement,starting striking my irons much more solid and knocked 2 shots of my handicap
Donald Quiote
Nov 9, 2016 at 10:18 am
I have a bad habit of at times my lower body gets way ahead of my upper body…there is one result for this every time…shank or you could call it the hosel rocket. The feet together drill is always a go to for me just to get things back under control. I definitely think this drill has a use.