The main reason I see golfers struggling with consistency is all down to the club path they are swinging their club on. In fact, a lot of golfers out there do not understand their own swing path and often do not know the direction of their own swing path.
Firstly, there are three swing paths you need to understand:
- OUT-TO-IN PATH
This is when a right-handed golfer is swinging their golf club too far to the left. If you imagine on a clockface, if the target is straight at 12 on the clock, then this golfer is swinging their club towards 11 o’clock to the left of their intended target. - IN-TO-OUT PATH
This is the opposite to the Out-to-in swing path. If a right-handed golfer is swinging in-to-out then they are swinging towards 1 o’clock or to the right of their intended target. - IN-TO-SQUARE-TO-IN
This is the swing path we all seek to help us to hit every fairway and green in regulation. This path is when a golfer is swinging the club right down the centre of the fairway or towards the green centre. In relation to the clockface, they would be swinging towards 12 o’clock or straight ahead towards the target.
So here is a practice drill I use that helps me to practice swinging with a neutral swing path which helps me to hit more fairways and greens in regulation. I use this method mainly on the driving range but sometimes I go and play a few holes by myself and I use the same method around the course.
I remember years ago at Dromoland, I struggled with two tee shots in particular on the 4th and 8th tee boxes. When I used my alignment sticks on the golf course, I knew immediately why I had been struggling with these two tee shots — I had been aiming too far left on both of these tee boxes, but I hadn’t realised it until that evening when I used my two alignment sticks on both tee boxes.
This practice method is quite simple. Like in the image attached, simply place two alignment sticks on the ground like a train track about 10 inches apart at the start. Basically, you are pointing both of these sticks straight towards your target. Then place a ball in the centre of both of the sticks and practice swinging your clubhead straight through the centre of both of the alignment sticks.
As you improve your swing path, then test yourself more by moving both of the sticks closer together until they are eventually only 4 inches apart. If you don’t swing straight with a neutral path, then you will initially glance off one of the sticks. However, you will learn from this and you will eventually learn how to improve and you will find a more neutral path, which will inevitably lead to you hitting more fairways and greens in regulation.
Give it a go yourself and learn what your current swing path is and how you can straighten it up by swinging down the centre of the fairway for the rest of this season.
