Tired of poor ball striking plaguing your game? You’re definitely not the only one dealing with this. I’ve been teaching golf for nearly 30 years—16 of those as a PGA pro—and here’s what I’ve learned: most people make their swing way more complicated than it needs to be. The real fix? Three drills that tackle the basics of making solid contact. Nothing fancy. Just proven drills that get to the core fundamentals that actually work when you’re standing over an important shot, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been playing for years.
Drill #1: Fix your low point
The first drill is designed to help you stop hitting fat and thin shots. Your low point is where the club bottoms out in your golf swing. If it’s not perfect, you hit inconsistent shots. For this drill, you’ll need some baby powder and a little bit of practice time on the range. While this is a drill, feel free to use it as a way to warm up before your next round of golf.
Step-by-step:
Set up your practice station: Place a golf ball on the ground and create a horizontal line of baby powder just in front of the golf ball. I’d recommend making the line about six inches long and easily visible.Take your stance: Set up to your ball as you normally would but keep the powder line in your peripheral vision. Start with a short iron to give yourself better results in the beginning.Execute the swing: The goal here is to hit the ball and ensure your divot starts at the powder line (not before the golf ball). Focus on making contact with the ball first, then the ground. The fun part of this drill is that if you do it correctly, you’ll see a puff of baby powder.Focus on feel, not results: Don’t worry about distance or direction initially. This is just a test to help you control your strike quality. Do it for about 15 minutes and get the feel down.
Drill #2: The impact bag drill
The second drill is designed to help you stop flipping your hands through impact and create proper shaft lean. Hand flipping creates weak contact and unpredictable ball flight. Proper impact position with hands leading creates solid, consistent strikes. For this drill, you’ll need an impact bag (or heavy pillow/stack of towels) and any iron.
Step-by-step:
Set up your practice station: Position
the bag where a golf ball would normally be in your stance. Take your normal address position and focus on hand position relative to the clubhead.Practice the motion: Make slow-motion swings into the bag, concentrating on having your hands ahead of the clubhead at contact. Your left wrist should be flat or slightly bowed, not cupped backward.Build the feel: Feel the shaft leaning toward the target as you strike the bag. Start with half swings and gradually build to three-quarter speed. Focus on driving the handle toward the target with the clubhead trailing behind.Focus on consistency: Keep that hand-forward position even as you increase swing speed. This builds muscle memory for proper impact position and creates the solid contact you’re looking for.
Drill #3: The transition sequence drill
The third drill is designed to help you learn proper downswing sequencing that starts from the ground up. Starting the downswing with hands and arms creates over-the-top moves and weak contact while proper sequencing creates effortless power and consistent ball striking. For this drill, you’ll need space to make practice swings and any club.
Step-by-step:
Create the pause: Take your normal backswing and pause at the top for a full second. Feel your weight settling into your front foot while keeping your upper body coiled.Learn the sequence: From the paused position, push off your back foot gently while keeping hands and arms passive. Feel your hips begin rotating toward the target while your shoulders stay back.Practice the proper order: Focus on the correct sequence: Feet → Knees → Hips → Torso → Arms → Hands/Clubhead. Feel the separation between the lower and upper body – this creates effortless power.Add the ball: Once you’ve grooved the motion, try it with a ball. Maintain that same patient transition and focus on letting your body work in proper sequence rather than forcing it with your hands and arms.
Putting it all together
These three drills address the fundamental building blocks of consistent ball striking:
