Keep It Simple: A Smarter Approach to Golf Drills

Drills
When it comes to coaching tips—especially online—we’re often bombarded with complicated drills recommended by players and coaches. But are these drills really suitable for the average golfer who only plays once or twice a week?

It's easy to fall into the trap of watching endless YouTube videos or searching for technical fixes to problems we think we have. More often than not, this approach can actually hurt your progress rather than help it.

So what should we do instead? Which drills are actually useful?

For most club golfers, drills should be simple and focused. One of the most valuable areas to practice is strike location—where the ball makes contact with the clubface. Improving your strike consistency is crucial, because it directly affects the direction and flight of the ball. Clubface control influences whether your shot goes left, right, high, or low.

“A common issue in the swing is dropping the body, arms, or head during the transition from backswing to impact. This can lead to fat shots, thin shots, and other mishits.

One drill I highly recommend is hitting a ball off a high tee—about twice the height of a normal driver tee. Use an iron and practice striking the ball cleanly off the high tee. This encourages you to maintain posture and height throughout the swing and helps you find the centre of the clubface more consistently.

This is also a great warm-up drill if you're hitting balls at the driving range, or the nets using the fixed high rubber tees. The drill teaches the feel needed especially useful in wet conditions when it’s difficult to make clean contact off soggy or muddy ground.

Drills can absolutely help, but ideally they should be recommended by a coach to ensure they’re addressing the specific needs of your swing.

In the meantime, keep things simple. Focus on tempo, posture, and swinging with a relaxed, smooth, and consistent rhythm. That alone can help reduce errors—and your scores.”