There is one name you are most likely familiar with: Ben Hogan. The reason I am mentioning him is the swing plane. He held the importance of swinging on or under the plane very high. That way your ball hitting improves and makes the swing better. The golf swing plane drills below will help you to get there.

You might be wondering what the plane is. Hogan imagined it as a glass surface that goes parallel with your golf club shaft at the initial swing setup.

If you pay attention to professional golfers, all of them swing on the plane or under the plane. When you swing above the plane, the results are usually not the best.

The main benefit of swinging on or under the plane is better contact with the golf ball. It also means that you have shallowed your club on the downswing.

If you are swinging that way already, you are doing the right thing. In case you are not, some of these drills could help you to get there.

Swing Under the Alignment Stick Drill

When you are looking for swing plane drills there is no other one that shows up as often as this drill. It is a simple and efficient drill that will help you both shallow your club on the downswing and swing from the inside out. All you need is an alignment stick with or without a pool noodle on it. Another option can be placing one of your club headcovers on the stick.

Nonetheless, there is a downside to this drill. To do it properly you need to place the alignment stick in the ground. That means you have to be at a driving range where you hit the balls off the grass. No artificial turf will work in this case. Assuming that you do have access to such a practice facility, here is how you do the drill.

1. Put the stick into the ground at a 45 degrees angle, facing you
2. It should be placed parallel to the outside of your trail foot
3. The end of the stick (pool noodle or headcover) should be about your wrist high
4. When you make a swing your club should go under the stick
5. You will get instant feedback while doing the drill
6. If you hit the stick on the downswing, it means you have to adjust your swing

Two Golf Balls Drill

This drill can be done with another golf ball or any object that you can place outside of the golf ball you are hitting. Just make sure the object is light enough so it does not break your club or hurt you if you hit it. The main objective of this drill is for you to check if you are swinging from outside in so you can fix it.

If you are swinging on or under the plane you either have a neutral swing path or you are swinging from inside out. This way you can find that out and make the necessary adjustments. The drill can be done anywhere where you can swing a club. In case you are doing it at home make sure you are hitting foam or whiffle balls and have room to swing a club.

1. Place another golf ball about two inches outside of the ball you are hitting
2. Make sure you have enough room for the club to hit your ball without hitting the other one
3. Swing and hit the golf ball without touching the other one
4. In case you hit the other golf ball in the process, some adjustment is needed

Swing the Club Loosely Drill

Unlike the other drills, for this one, you do not need anything except your club. It is a very simple drill designed to give you a feeling for your club’s natural swing motion. That way you can see what the natural swing path looks like so you can transfer it into your full swing. You can do it anywhere you want.

1. Grip your club more loosely that you usually do
2. You can set up in your regular swing position
3. Start slowly swinging the club in one single motion
4. Do shorter swings with the club continuously swinging from your trail to your lead side
5. Repeat that more times to get the feel of the club path

Do the Same Groups of Drills at a Time

When it comes to golf practice the most efficient way is to do related drills at a single time. That way you are focusing only on one area you want to work on. It will help you to improve faster since you are not mixing different types of drills. Make a practice plan and stick to it in order to maximize the results.

Practicing with a purpose will always generate better results compared to just going to the range and hitting balls. Whenever you do go to the range choose one part of your swing you want to work on. No matter which types of drills you are doing, it will take some time to see proper results. Have some patience, be persistent, and your hard work will pay off.

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How to Practice Golf Effectively – Make the Most of It

Here is a fact. No matter how you swing your club at the end of the day the most important part is contact. Don’t get me wrong, you should still pay attention to how you deliver the hit. Otherwise, even with good contact your ball can end up anywhere. Here we will focus on golf swing impact drills you can do to improve your ball striking.

How you hit your ball and where on the clubface you hit it can make a difference between a great shot and a bad one.

Another thing that will improve with solid impact is distance. More distance usually means better chances for lower scores.

I am sure you know exactly when you hit a good shot. There is no feeling like the one when you know you have hit that ball purely.

That gets even better when that ball does exactly what you wanted it to and goes the distance you have envisioned.

Granted, even professionals do not do it every single time. However, the drills below can help you do it more often.

Impact Bag Drill

This is one of the most popular impact drills you can do. To perform it as intended you will need an impact bag. If you do not have an impact bag you can use something that will serve the purpose. That could be a regular duffel bag or even a backpack you can fill up with something like towels to make it firmer.

1. Place the bag just ahead of where you would place the golf ball
2. Start with shorter swings at first then work your way to longer ones
3. Every time you hit the bag make sure you move it forward
4. Keep your position at impact for a few moments so you get the feel for it
5. It is important that you keep the wrists quiet through impact without flicking the club

The drill will help you to get the sensation of your body motion at impact. More importantly, the way the impact bag is designed will show you the golf club position once you strike the ball. It might be different from what you are used to so it might be weird at first. There is a reason this drill is so popular among golf instructors.

Tee Peg Behind Golf Ball Drill

All you need for this simple drill is a tee peg. It will help you make better contact with the ball by forcing you to shift your weight forward. Besides that, it will help you strike the ball while you lean the club shaft forward. You can do it at the driving range, at home, or anywhere else where there is enough room to swing a club.

1. Place the tee peg about one clubhead length behind the golf ball at the setup
2. Start with shorter swings and gradually work toward a full swing
3. The goal is to miss the tee peg in order to hit the ball first then the ground
4. It will give you instant feedback depending if you miss or hit the tee peg

Press Clubface Against Object Drill

The main purpose of this drill is to get you used to the impact position. It will help you get the feel of the moment when you strike the golf ball. You can do it anywhere as long as there is a firm object you can use to press your clubface against. It is a drill you can easily do at home or anywhere else.

1. Find a firm object like a wall, a desk, a bookshelf, or even a sofa
2. Place your golf clubface against the object and assume the impact position
3. Now press your clubface against the object to get the feel of your body in that position
4. Make sure you are in the right position in order to get the right sensation

This might feel different from what you are used to. It might feel a bit odd, but the objective is for you to feel the right impact position. You will see which muscles activate during the impact and how your body has to be positioned.

Short Swing Drill

This is a drill that is straightforward and self-explanatory. The goal is to feel the proper impact position while actually hitting the ball. It is a good way to get used to the feeling of delivering the club in a solid manner. Because it is a shorter swing it will help you slowly build up your impact sequence in your swing.

1. Set up for your regular swing
2. Bring your club until parallel to the ground in your backswing
3. Pause briefly before swinging
4. Swing until your club is parallel to the ground in the downswing
5. Make some dry swings until introducing the golf ball

Don’t Forget to Play

Drills are a great way to improve or sharpen your golf skills. I would always recommend them even as occasional reminders when it comes to technique. They can help you with straightening your game and take you to the next level. This is especially the case with basics which should always be learned thoroughly.

On the other side, sometimes you could get caught up in too many drills and too much time spent practicing. You have to remember that golfing on a course is something entirely different from practicing. Go out and golf as much as you can because that is the only true way of experiencing different situations.

While you might enjoy going to the driving range, nothing compares to playing. It will put you in all sorts of scenarios that are hard to replicate in a controlled environment. You will only truly improve by golfing more. Do drills and practice, but try to golf more in order to see real improvement.

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