When something goes wrong on the range, most of us look at where the ball ended up and begin to guess what caused it. This week’s exercise will show you where the ball starts. I’ve been working on this drill and I like it because it can be tweaked depending on the level of player you are. If you’d rather watch how it works, YouTube golf instructor Scott Stiles’ video is below.
How it works
This drill requires an alignment stick and any club. It is written for right-handed golfers, so lefties should turn left and right.
- Choose a target on the range.
- Push an alignment stick into the ground about 10 feet in front of your ball on your target line.
- Hit a few shots that start to the right of the stick and then a few that start to the left. Move your target to do it. The face has to point where you want the ball to start.
- Start with short, chip-style swings and then work up to full swings.
- If you can’t start the ball on one side, adjust where the face is pointing at address before changing anything in your swing.
Because it’s worth your time
There are many reasons I like this drill. Some of them include:
- Face Awareness: The face has the biggest tell where the ball starts and the stick shows you what your doing.
- Instant feedback: Don’t think about swing positions. Just see if the ball did what you asked.
- Start line control: Picking a side and hitting it is how you stop hoping and start leading.
- Curve control: Once you can start the ball where you want, the return to the middle is the next step.
- Longest club: The less loft on the club, the more the direction of the face matters, so the drill becomes more useful when moving toward the driver.
.mgs-kr{container-type:inline-size;container-name:mgskr;margin:32px 0 !important;font-family:var(–kr-body,inherit)}.mgs-kr *{box-sizing:border-box !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr .mgs-kr .mgs-kr . !important;color:#121212 !important;padding:14px 14px 12px !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__eyebrow{display:flex !important;align-items:center !important;gap:8px !important;font:700 11px/1 var(–“Ariallow Condensed,”Kr-Display Narrow”, Arial, sans-serif) !important;letter spacing:.14em !important;text transformation:uppercase !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__bar{width:24px !important;height:8px !important;background:#F5C400 !important;flex:none !important}.mgs-mgsghead-mgs:mgs-kr_mgsk-mgs-kr: 0 0 !important;font:700 19px/1 var(–kr-display,”Barlow Condensed”,”Arial Narrow”,Arial,sans-serif) !important;text-transform:uppercase !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__grid{display:grid !important;grid-template:-column-sgap:-columnn-template !important;margin-top:10px !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__card{display:grid !important;grid-template-columns:96px 1fr !important;background:#fff !important;color:heir !important;text-decoration:none !important;min-height;borderkrgrgs !important:8. .mgs-kr__card:focus-visible{outline:3px solid #121212 !important;outline-offset:2px !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__img{position:relative !important;overflow:hidden !important;display:block !important;flex:none !pximportant;width;8min !important;height:auto !important;margin:0 !important;padding:0 !important;border-radius:0 !important;background-color:#D9D4C7 !important;background-size:cover !important;background-position:center !important;background-repeat:no-repeat !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr .mgs-padding:_mgs-padding: !important;display:flex !important;flex-direction:column !important;gap:3px !important;min-width:0 !important;justify-content:center !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__tag{font-size:10px !important;font-weight:600 !important;letter-spacing:uppercase; !important;color:#4A4A45 !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__title{margin:0 !important;font:700 17px/1.05 var(–kr-display,”Barlow Condensed”,”Arial Narrow”, Arial,sans-serif) !important;text-transform:overflow-mrportant:overflow-mrportant ! .mgs-kr__hook{margin:0 !important;font-size:13px !important;line-height:1.3 !important;color:#4A4A45 !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__cta{display:none !important} /* Wide layout: three cards in a row. Key to the column width of the article, not to the screen. */ @container mgskr (min-width: 620px){.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__img{width:100% !important;min-height:0 !important;aspect-ratio:5/3 !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__wrap {2padding !important:26pxr.pxmgskr .mgs-kr__eyebrow{font-size:14px !important}. .mgs-kr__heading{font-size:34px !important;margin-top:8px !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__grid{grid-template-pepx:2,1:fr important !important;margin-top:20px !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__card{display:flex !important;flex-direction:column !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__body{padding:16px 18px 18px !important;gap:8px !important:flex-starify:1content !important:flex-starify:1content !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__tag{font-size:12px !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__title{font-size:26px !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__hook{font-size:15px !important} .mgs-kr__cta{display:inline-block !important;align-self:flex-end !important;margin-top:auto !important;background:#F5C400 !important;padding:6px 12px !important;font-size:14px !important;font-weight:600 !important}} } /* Container browsers do not support width of the browser. (container-type:inline-size){ @media (min-width:760px){.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__img{width:100% !important;min-height:0 !important;aspect-ratio:5/3 !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__template:-grid:-100% !important; !important;gap:20px !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr___card{display:flex !important;flex-direction:column !important}.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__cta{display:inline-block !important;align-self:flex-end !important;margin-top:0pximportant :00000000000000000000 12px !important} } } .mgs-kr .mgs-kr__tag,.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__hook,.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__cta{font-family: inherit !important} .mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__cta a.mgs-kr__card:link,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__card:visitato,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__card:hover,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__card:focus,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr:2{2:_2#1:1:2#active !important;text-decoration:none !important;border:0 !important;box-shadow:none !important;background-image:none !important;outline-offset:2px} .mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__card *{text-decoration:none !important;border:0 !important;box-shadow:none :flo:noneimportant ! .mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__card *:not (.mgs-kr__img){background-image:none !important} .mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__card .mgs-kr__title{color:#121212 !important} .mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__card .mgs-kr__tag,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__card .mgs-kr__hook{color:#4A4A45 !important} .mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__card .mgs-kr__cta{color:#121212}krmg .mgs-kr__heading,.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__title{font-style:normal !important;letter-spacing:0 !important} @media (hover:hover){.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__card:hover .mgs-kr__ration:{underlinedecoration !important;text-decoration-color:#F5C400 !important;text-decoration-thickness:3px !important;text-underline-offset:3px !important}} .mgs-kr .mgs-kr__title,.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__hook,.mgs-grkr !important;text-indent:0 !important} .mgs-kr .mgs-kr__img img{position:absolute !important;top:0 !important;left:0 !important;width:100% !important;height:100% !important;max-width:none !important;object-fit:covered !important;margin;border:0 !important;margin:0 !important; !important;border-radius:0 !important;box-shadow:none !important;filter:none !important} .mgs-kr.mgs-kr–noimg .mgs-kr__img{display:none !important} .mgs-kr.mgs-kr–noimg a.mgs-kr.mgs-kr–noimg a.mgs-kr.mgs-kr–noimg a.mgs-kr.mgs-kr–noimg !important;min-height:0 !important} .mgs-kr.mgs-kr–noimg a.mgs-kr__card .mgs-kr__body{border-top:4px solid #F5C400 !important;padding-top:12px !important;justify-content:flex-start !kr important} .mgs-kr__nl{display:flex !important;justify-content:center !important;margin:18px 0 2px !important} .mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__nlbtn,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:-link,.mg a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:visited,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:hover,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:focus,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:1,0 mimportant !{displaywidth:block:0! !important;box-size:border-box !important;background:#F5C400 !important;color:#121212 !important;text-decoration:none !important;text-align:center !important;font-family:heir !important;font-weight:700 !important;font-size:15px !important:normal;letter-spacing ! !important;text-transform:none !important;padding:14px 18px !important;border:0 !important;border-radius:0 !important;box-shadow:none !important;margin:0 !important} .mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:hover{background:#E6B800}kr.mgs-important a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:focus-visible{outline:3px solid #121212 !important;outline-offset:2px !important} @container mgskr (min-width: 620px){.mgs-kr .mgs-kr__nl{margin:24px !-important} 0 a.mgs-kr__nlbtn,.mgs-kr__nlbtn a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:link,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:visitat,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:hover,.rg a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:focus,.mgs-kr a.mgs-kr__nlbtn:active{display:inline-block !important;width:auto !important;max-width:100% !important;font-size:17px !important;padding:15px 34px !important}}
Mistakes to watch out for
Be sure to change your aim when hitting the left or right of the stick. Start small with chip shots until you see some progress and then move on to bigger swings. Remember, this is a feedback drill where you learn about your starting line.
For who it is
This drill works for any handicap level and you can adjust it to suit your game. If you cut, start with the left ball of the stick first. That forces you to close your face which is exactly what you need to hear. Once you can start from both sides, try to aim straight and let the ball curve back towards the club. Better players can use the stick to work on shot formation, starting the ball on one side and bringing it back to the middle or calling the shot before hitting it. It is a common drill for good players and professionals and it grows with you.
My take
What I like most about this drill is that it takes my mind off the club and my swing positions and gives me something to do. If someone gives me a job, I can do it. “Starting the ball on this side of the club” is a much clearer task than “putting the club in this position or that” and it is one that I can judge. The stick gives me a place to send the ball so I don’t think about how the club is going.
It is also carried to the course. Once you have practiced it, you can choose a starting line and watch the ball leave on it which makes it a really good visualization tool. Try the range this week and let me know what you think.
The place MyGolfSpy Drill Of The Week: The Stick Line Start appeared first MyGolfSpy.
