Good drills with alignment sticks.

[Tex1986]

Wanted to get some ideas for drills at the range using alignment sticks.

 

My handicap is in between an 11-12. Score for 18 holes ranges from 81-87, with most rounds 85 or below. I'd really like to break 80 at least once in my life after shooting God knows how many 81s.

 

My biggest struggle seems to be really targeting that approach shot with mid-irons, long irons, hybrids.

 

Today I used an alignment stick to target a spot on the range and put the ball as close as I could to it(toe side) to get a base alignment and work on ball striking. Worked great for irons/wedges, but fairways/hybrids were a little hooky.

 

I laid a second stick down to do a bit of a gate drill with my wedges for striking on partial pitch shots at the end.

 

Greatly appreciate any ideas/feedback anyone has to offer! Thanks!

[Saltire]

There are loads of good drills you can do using sticks, depends what you are working on and what your miss is though.

[Tex1986]

There are loads of good drills you can do using sticks, depends what you are working on and what your miss is though.

 

My biggest miss is typically an overdraw with the long irons/hybrids. I've been able to correct the shape by having the "feeling" of having my hands higher at the top of the backswing, however I don't have as much faith in the accuracy or strike quality versus my standard 5-10 yard draw I've been hitting.

[Saltire]

There are loads of good drills you can do using sticks, depends what you are working on and what your miss is though.

 

My biggest miss is typically an overdraw with the long irons/hybrids. I've been able to correct the shape by having the "feeling" of having my hands higher at the top of the backswing, however I don't have as much faith in the accuracy or strike quality versus my standard 5-10 yard draw I've been hitting.

 

A simple drill would be to put a stick vertically in the ground a few feet in front of you and on your target line, start the ball left of the stick and aim to have it finish on or right of your target.

 

The following would be a drill to help with swing plane:

 

Place two Tour Sticks in the ground 6 feet apart on an angle consistent with the angle of your club shaft at set-up. You will now have a distinct point within your peripheral vision of where you want the club to be set at the halfway point of the backswing. Place a stick in front that will allow you to make the same check on your through swing, keeping your swing plane symmetrical.

 

Hitting the sticks with either the takeaway or follow through will be an indication that you are moving the club excessively from in to out or out to in.

[Petunia Sprinkle]

Paradiddle (B'Dum-Ching!).

 

Obviously, you can't use them during play, so what kinds of cues do you develop while using them that translate on to the course?

[Tex1986]

There are loads of good drills you can do using sticks, depends what you are working on and what your miss is though.

 

My biggest miss is typically an overdraw with the long irons/hybrids. I've been able to correct the shape by having the "feeling" of having my hands higher at the top of the backswing, however I don't have as much faith in the accuracy or strike quality versus my standard 5-10 yard draw I've been hitting.

 

A simple drill would be to put a stick vertically in the ground a few feet in front of you and on your target line, start the ball left of the stick and aim to have it finish on or right of your target.

 

The following would be a drill to help with swing plane:

 

Place two Tour Sticks in the ground 6 feet apart on an angle consistent with the angle of your club shaft at set-up. You will now have a distinct point within your peripheral vision of where you want the club to be set at the halfway point of the backswing. Place a stick in front that will allow you to make the same check on your through swing, keeping your swing plane symmetrical.

 

Hitting the sticks with either the takeaway or follow through will be an indication that you are moving the club excessively from in to out or out to in.

 

I've got to find a range that doesn't force you to use hitting mats for those. I could probably use the first one for sure since putting a stick out in front of the mat shouldn't be a huge deal at my usual range. That actually sounds like it could help with learning to shape the ball both ways with control.

 

The standard drill I've been using is a gate drill to work on strike and using a target as my left most boundary for a "failed shot" since I'm trying to avoid the big draw/hook.

[Forged4ever]

Wait a sec...

 

Seriously, you guys actually use these for drills, lmao???

 

I just always used two clubs-

 

I mean, I went to Home Depot, bought two fluorescent yellow sticks for $1.99/each and wrapped some Mizzy Blue tape around em, put that pink knit cover with the horizontal stripe on em, threw em in the bag and hell, I was just like all of the other sheep on the line, lmao

 

I hardly noticed anyone usin em, but damn, everyone had em, hahaha

 

Oh God, do I miss this game :)

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friends,

RP

[Tex1986]

Paradiddle (B'Dum-Ching!).

 

Obviously, you can't use them during play, so what kinds of cues do you develop while using them that translate on to the course?

 

Primarily strike is the big cue I've been using them for. Every now and then it seems like I'd get a phantom hosel rocket on a 50-100 yard pitch.

 

I've cured that ail and have been modifying the gate drill I've done for this to start working on setup and alignment to target for both partial pitches up to full swing.

 

I don't like the range so trying new "challenges" helps keep my attention and interest.