What’s most important in golf? Yes, your precise swings and putts are important, but ball striking should come first, don’t you think? Take Tiger Woods, for example. Back in February this year, golf.com revealed that he hated ball striking but still continued to practice for hours. To have a perfect ball striking, numbers might not be that important, but how you do it makes the difference.
Here are five drills for you to improve your ball striking:
1. The Gary Player Drill
After turning pro back in 1953, Gary Player has been one of the most consistent golfers with nine major wins to his name. What’s the secret behind it? Well, this ball-striking drill, named after him, has the answer. What you need to do is, as soon as you make contact with the ball, take your trail leg and walk towards the target.
Although the drill might sound simple, it can be tricky. You need to time the contact with the ball and your trailing leg. Yes, there will be stutter steps at the start, but it will get better with practice. It will also serve as a light warm-up and ready your muscles to strike with perfection. Now that you are pumped up, it’s time for a perfect strike.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 11: Golf legend Gary Player looks on during the first round of men’s golf on Day 6 of the Rio 2016 Olympics at the Olympic Golf Course on August 12, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
2. Line Drill
The specialty of a line drill is that it can make you rehearse the correct positions so that you execute the perfect strike. First, start with a tee to etch a line into the ground and practice some swings. However, as you are swinging, pay attention to where the club meets the turf, as the clubhead should brush through the line. The good thing is that the execution of the line drill will tell you if you’re doing good or you need improvement.
If you hit behind the line, it could be due to shifting your weight backward during the transfer. So, how do you fix that? Keep your pressure moving forward, and you’ll make contact with the ground in front of the line. Keep practicing until you get a perfect strike.
3. Bag Drill
Bag drill is specially designed for those who struggle with fat and thin strikes. It happens because golfers usually hang back because of the impact. However, your golf bag is your practice buddy. Just keep the bag on the ground and rest your trail foot on top of it. One can say it puts you in an awkward situation, but it’s actually to help overall. In this case lead knee has more weight, so flex it properly and get comfortable first.
Now, focus on applying forward pressure through impact and begin with some half swings. However, be sure to strike the ball before the ground with a downward angle of attack. It will be tough at the start, but stick with it, and when you go back to normal ball striking, you will know the difference.
Some golfers might like to monitor their practice digitally, and there is a drill for that as well.
4. The Motorcycle drill
Just like you are using your wrists a lot while riding a motorcycle, this drill aims to provide the best wrist action and impact drills. There is an app named HackMotion for it.
First, start by setting up HackMotion by wearing it and using the Motorcycle Drill tab in the app. After that, just do a normal swing, but here is the twist. While going from backswing to downswing, feel like you’re “revving” a motorcycle handle with your lead wrist. As it happens, you will get a pop-up where the app will tell you about your wrist angles and whether they are correct. After repeating 5-10 times a day, one can notice the difference in their swing.
5. Tee peg drill
Control is something a lot struggle with while striking the ball. Understanding the proper pressure and angle plays a huge role here. Thanks to the Tee peg drill, you will know about controlling the low point in the arc of your swing. Start by teeing up a ball, and then try to clip it away cleanly. Next, place another tee at the same height, approximately a clubhead’s width behind it. What you need to do is miss the rear tee and clip the ball cleanly off the other one.
Next, place a third tee at the same height, a clubhead’s width in front. Your goal is to avoid the rear tee, strike the ball off the middle one, and make contact with the front tee. Thanks to this drill, golfers can understand that moving the body in the right direction will keep the precision.
Having a perfect ball strike demands patience; as they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” So, be patient. From the aforementioned drill, which one did you like the most? Do let us know in the comments below!
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