STRAIGHT SHOTS, DRAWS AND FADES

Simply creating a channel like this and swinging through it will sharpen up your path by itself, but if you are finding progress slow – or simply want to improve your feel and awareness of path and how you can influence it – focus on your delivery position.

Neutral: Clubhead behind hands

Swing to the top, before moving down slowly to this position, the clubshaft level with the ground. A perfectly on-plane swing will see the shaft parallel to the ball-target line at this point, the clubhead directly behind the hands.

Going online

Of course you’ll be swinging fast through this position when hitting balls, but simply connecting with the ideal, on-plane position is a great exercise to improve your awareness of what a neutral position feels like. So hold the position for a while, absorb it… and look to move through it as you swing down and realease the club.

Draw swing: Clubhead ‘inside’ hands

You can perform a similar exercise to boost your feel for the subtle in-to-out path that promotes a draw… or simply to move away from an unwanted out-to-in path. Swing down to the same position, but this time work to point the shaft right of the target (right-handers), the clubhead back ‘inside’ the hands.

Fade swing: Clubhead ‘outside’ hands

Naturally your fade swing will have the opposite feel. This time get the shaft pointing left of the target by working the clubhead outside the hands as you swing down. Again, absorb the feel… and look to repeat it when you want to shape the ball from left to right.