Master these 5 drills and take your game to the next level!
- Low Point Control
- Stock Shot Drill
- Short Game Chipping Drill
- Speed Training
- Simulated Course Drills
Beginners in the game of golf often struggle to make solid contact, control the curve of the ball and have enough distance to play the course.
Over time, they may improve with enough practice, the right instruction and ensuring they have the right equipment for their game.
Many golfers spend plenty of hours at the driving range trying to get better. Unfortunately, too many stand on the range and hit driver after driver or aimlessly hitting irons, just trying to improve their contact.
The 5 drills below are excellent drills to build a foundation for beginners golfers to start their journey to being a quality player. One that strikes the ball consistently with a predictable shot pattern.
Golf Drills for Beginners (Top 5)
Update: This past season I arrived at the scratch level. I would attribute it to the following: an increase in driver swing speed from 98 to 108mph through overspeed training, a stock shot driver swing that included a regular swing and a “bunt” swing (less than normal speed) and my 100 yard and in game! Get to work and take your game to the next level!
Our top 5 drills are recommended based on the following 3 keys that we believe are most essential to a golfer playing quality golf and improving over the course of time.
- Key #1: A golfer must be able to control the low point of the swing. This leads to consistent ball striking where the golfer is able to strike the ball solidly.
- Key# 2: A golfer must be able to control their start line and have a predictable curve. Ideally this will be a slight push draw or a slight fade.
- Key #3: The golfer needs enough speed to play the game. Without enough speed, they lack distance and grow frustrated with their game.
Drill #1: Low Point Control Drill
This might be the most important drill when the golfer first begins the game. Without low point control in a golfer’s swing, they will chunk or top way too many shots. This leads to frustration and embarrassment. They fear shots over water and end up quitting the game. If we can get all beginner golfers to control their low point and hit a ball solid, we can figure out the rest.
The Drill: The Low Point Control Drill
- Take some yard paint and paint a 1-2 yard long line.
- Setup with 55% of your weight on your front side.
- Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully!
- Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to to this successfully in trials of ten.
- You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swings.
The quicker the golfer can master this drill, the quicker they will become a better golfer. HItting the ball solidly leads to maximizing swing speed, and hitting a ball a similar distance every time they hit a shot.
11 Golf Drills for the Driving Range
Drill #2: Stock Shot Drill
As the golfer progresses and gets better at hitting the ball crisp and clean, they will start to worry more about where they are hitting the ball. The best golfers are able to pick their start line and hit it 7 out of 10 times.
They also have a predictable shot pattern, which means the ball curves the way they are intending it to curve. Being able to aim right and hit a slight push draw or aim left and hit a slight fade, allows the golfer to eliminate one side of the course. The worse golfers aim down the middle and hope to hit a perfectly straight shot. This is the hardest shot to hit in golf.
The Drill: Stock Shot Drill
- At the driving range, set up an alignment stick about 6-8 yards in front of you, straight down your target line.
- If you have a second alignment stick, set the stick 3-4 feet right of the first stick (for a draw) or left of the first stick (for a fade).
- Complete your initial assessment see how many times out of 10 you can start the ball to the right or left of your target. Pick one side and measure your game at this point.
- The goal is to eventually get 7 out of 10 shots to start to the correct side and draw back towards the target.
11 Golf Drills for Junior Golfers
Here is the drill being explained by Kyle Morris:
The combination of solid contact (low point control drill) and the ability to hit a stock shot (consistent curve) is the first step in becoming a consistent golfer.
Drill #3: Short Game Chipping Drill
One of the secrets to breaking 100 in golf is to be able to get up and down from around the green in 2 shots or less 25% of the time. This is assuming you are in the 10-20 yard range from the role. The current leader on tour does this at an 80% success rate. The scratch golfer is successful just above 50% of the time.
The great part about chipping and putting is it doesn’t take high end club head speed or expensive equipment or lessons, but rather a simple technique and lots of practice. The game here is to take one ball and pick a spot from off the green.
- Go ahead and hit the chip shot and then see if you can make the putt.
- Pick 10 different spots around the green and track how many times out of 10 you were able to get up and down in 2 shots or less.
- You can also play a competition against another person at the green and see who can get up and down the most times out of 10 or play some match play.
- Once again the little competition will help prepare you for the actual course and the pressure that you may face.
Do this in sets of 5. So a total of 50 chip shots where you are trying to get up and down. You will be amazed how quickly your chipping can improve when you are focused on hitting a quality chip and making the putt.
Drill #4: Speed Training
I spent many years wondering how I can increase my swing speed. When I was playing junior golf, we weren’t fortunate enough to have some of the training aids and knowledge that is now available. Smart people have studied the golf swing and have created training aids and protocols to help all golfers increase their distance!
At around the same time, the statistics from the PGA Tour have become more clear and the importance of speed is acknowledged by many to be a key to being the best on the PGA Tour.
Within the past several years, there have been several products hit the market to make speed gains possible. While many people for many years waited for the latest driver to come out to gain an additional 5-10 yards, you can now do this even with your current clubs.
Did you know that with the SuperSpeed Training System you can gain 5-8% increase in swing speed as early as the first training session? This would allow you to gain somewhere between 10 and 30 yards depending on your current swing speed.
SuperSpeed Golf – Use Discount Code Golfjourney365 for some savings!
The SuperSpeed Training System is based on three different swing speed sticks all weighing at different weights. There is a green club that is 10% lighter than the average driver, the blue club which is 5% lighter and the red club which is actually 5% heavier!
Following their prescribed protocols the golfer completes the training every other day. The total time to complete most of their protocols is between 10-15 minutes. Most people can find the time to make this happen. The golfer will also need a swing radar to measure their progress.
The science behind the SuperSpeed Training System is based on overspeed training. Overspeed training has been around for several decades now and has been used by olympic athletics in the sport of Track and Field.
The science behind this overspeed training is based on the premise that your brain will only allow your body to move as fast as it feels it can stop safely! So, you get to work and swing the clubs as fast as possible, retraining your brain to allow you to swing your driver faster.
For more permanent results, the golfer should continue these training protocols for several months. The initial 5-8% is great and can become more permanent with the right length of training. The golfer can expect to continue to break down barriers every several months at a 1-2% increase.
My own experience has been an increase of 7-10 miles per hour on average from between 98-101 all the way up to 106-109. My goal is to hit the PGA Tour average of 113 mph in the coming months. I will continue to train every other day and watch in amazement as I am hitting drivers longer now than ever before!
Phil Mickelson (a senior golfer now) has been known to increase his swing speed in the past year or so and is close to 120 miles per hour in his swing speed. There are potential results for golfers of all ability levels and age!
Check the current price on SuperSpeed Golf System, here!
| Original Swing Speed | After 4-6 Weeks | New Carry Distance | Total Distance |
| 95 | 102 | 245 | 265 |
| 100 | 108 | 259 | 279 |
| 105 | 113 | 271 | 291 |
| 110 | 118 | 283 | 303 |
Drill #5: Simulated Course Drills
Once you have worked on contact, controlling your curve, the short game and having enough speed, if you are at the range go ahead and work on a simulated game.
My number one go to game, whether I am by myself at the driving range or with a friend, is to simulate a course that you have played or would love to play. Here is how it works:
- You start at the first hole and let’s say it is a 405 yard par 4 with a hazard to the left at 220 yards, but a slight bailout area to the right.
- Set the parameters with different markers out on the driving range. Go through your pre-shot routine and see if you can hit the targeted area you are trying to hit.
- Based on that drive, let’s say you have 165 left to the green. Pull the appropriate club, set the target with some parameters and go ahead and make that shot as well.
- Keep track of how many times you can hit your targeted area. Over time track your progress and see if you are getting better during your practice rounds.
This game puts you into real game-like situations when at the driving range. It keeps the golfer from just hitting 7 iron after 7 iron, hoping to find a feel that works. Instead, build some pressure, work hard and hit the shot that the course requires you to hit.
Skytrak Launch Monitor: The Ultimate Game Improvement Tool
Technology Recommendation: Launch Monitor
If you are serious about getting better fast, whether you are a beginner or have been playing for 10 years, I would highly recommend a golf launch monitor. The data you can receive includes the following:
- Carry and Total Distance
- Ball Speed
- Launch Angle
- Spin Rate
- Spin Axis
I would recommend the Skytrak or the Mevo+. Both devices provide quality data without being as expensive as a Trackman. The average amateur golfer can afford the golf launch monitor and use it at a net in the backyard or garage, at the driving, at the course or as part of a golf simulator setup.
It is a game changer to have this quality feedback and to be able to practice 365 days a year if you have the right setup in your garage or house.
Here are the top 3 options to check out. I purchased the Skytrak and have been impressed:
I would highly recommend Rain or Shine. The options, pricing, customer service and financing offers are difficult to beat! Check out our links below:
Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better
What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:
1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:
Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:
3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
4 – Practice Frequently
Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:
- Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator?
- What is the Best Golf Simulator?
- Golf Simulator Accessories?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000
- Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000
- Why Build A Golf Simulator?
- What Space is Needed?
- Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game?
- How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost?
- Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.