Golf drills with reps, cues and targets

Setup, posture and alignment

Most swing faults are setup faults that the body then has to rescue. Fifteen minutes here changes everything downstream.

• Two-Club Alignment Station

  Lay one club on your toe line and one pointing at the target. Hit 20 balls with a 7-iron, resetting the feet every shot. Cue: feet, hips and shoulders parallel-left of the club on the ground. Target: 18 of 20 setups you'd be happy to be photographed in.

• Tilt and Hang

  From standing, bend from the hips until your arms hang straight down, then flex the knees. 3 sets of 10 rehearsals, then 10 shots. Cue: chest over the toes, weight in the arches. Fixes: slumped, rounded posture that kills rotation.

• Grip Check-In

  Take your grip, look down, count knuckles on the lead hand — aim for two to two and a half. 20 rehearsals, then 15 half-swings. Cue: pressure in the last three fingers of the lead hand, soft trail hand.

Path, face and the slice

A slice is an out-to-in path with an open face. These drills change the path first, because the face follows.

• Headcover Gate

  Place a headcover a foot outside and just behind the ball. 20 driver swings that miss it. Cue: feel the club exit left of the target after impact. Target: 8 of 10 clean misses of the headcover with a right-starting ball flight.

• Tee Gate Strike

  Two tees a clubhead-and-a-half apart, ball in the middle, 7-iron, 20 half-speed swings. Cue: hands lead the clubhead into the ball. Target: 15 of 20 without clipping a tee.

• Closed-Stance Draw

  Drop the trail foot back six inches and hit 15 shots. Cue: swing out to right field. Fixes: an over-the-top transition — the ball should start right and curve back.

Strike quality and low point

Better contact is worth more strokes than more speed. Feedback is everything here.

• Foot-Spray Face Map

  Spray the clubface, hit 10 shots, read the pattern. Cue: adjust distance from the ball, not your swing, for heel and toe strikes. Target: 7 of 10 inside a coin-sized centre area.

• Towel Behind the Ball

  Lay a towel a hand's width behind the ball, hit 20 wedges. Cue: chest turning through, pressure in the lead foot at impact. Target: 17 of 20 without touching the towel.

• Feet-Together Centre Strikes

  Feet touching, 8-iron, 15 three-quarter swings. Cue: smooth tempo, balance held to the finish. Fixes: lunging and sway.

Putting

Start line, speed, and a routine you trust. Every drill here gives you a number to beat.

• Gate Putting

  Two tees just wider than the putter head, 3 feet from the hole. 20 putts. Cue: eyes over the ball, shoulders rocking, head dead still. Target: 18 of 20 through the gate and holed.

• Ladder Speed Drill

  Putt to 15, 25 and 35 feet in sequence, each one finishing past the last but inside 3 feet of the next marker. 5 rounds. Cue: length of stroke controls speed, not hit.

• Circle of Six

  Six balls at 4 feet around the hole. Cue: pick a specific blade of grass as your start line. Target: make all six twice before leaving.

Chipping and pitching

Around the green is where handicaps really move. Land spots, not hope.

• Landing Spot Towel

  Put a towel on your chosen landing spot, chip 20 balls with a 9-iron and 20 with a 56°. Cue: weight forward, handle ahead, chest turns through. Target: 12 of 20 land on the towel.

• Clock Pitching

  Lead arm to 8, 9 and 10 o'clock, 10 balls each, note the carry number. Cue: same tempo, different lengths. Result: three reliable wedge distances.

• One-Hop Check

  Chip to a hole 25 feet away, 15 balls, count how many finish inside a putter length. Target: 10 of 15.

Bunkers

Sand is technique, not strength. Hit the sand, not the ball.

• Line in the Sand

  Draw a line, no ball, and take 20 swings entering the sand exactly on it. Cue: open the face first, then take the grip; splash sand forward. Target: 15 of 20 divots starting on the line.

• Dollar Bill Splash

  Ball on the front third of a dollar-bill-sized patch, 15 shots. Cue: keep turning — the club must not stop in the sand. Target: 10 of 15 on the green.

Tempo, rotation and balance

Speed you can repeat comes from sequence and balance, not effort.

• Three-to-One Count

  Count "one-two-three" back, "one" down, 20 swings with a 7-iron. Cue: the change of direction is smooth, the ground does the work. Target: 18 of 20 finishes held for three seconds.

• Step-Change Drill

  Feet together, step into the lead foot as the downswing starts. 3 sets of 8. Cue: pressure moves before the hands do. Great for seniors keeping speed with a shorter turn.

• Finish and Freeze

  20 shots, hold the finish until the ball lands. Cue: belt buckle at the target, trail toe down. Fixes: falling back and thin strikes.

Adjusting the drills for you

• Youth golfers

  Short sessions, games and scoring targets. Tempo and balance before positions — and never more than 30 focused minutes.

• Adult golfers

  One swing thought per session. Split range time 50% full swing, 50% short game, and track the drill targets you actually hit.

• Women's golf

  Speed from sequence and width, not effort. Lighter shafts and correct lie angles matter more than swinging harder.

• Senior golfers

  Let the lead heel lift, allow more hip turn, and use step drills to keep pressure moving. Width beats depth.