Maximize your practice by using feedback! In Part II of our three-part series, GolfTEC Certified Personal Coach Aram Hudson explains the Punisher Drill to eliminate fat shots with ball-first contact.
*To see Part I, the Three Tee Drill for improved path, click HERE.
By Aram Hudson
Who this drill is for: Those who struggle with fat or chunked golf shots because the shaft of the club is leaned away from the target at impact.
What you’ll need: An alignment rod or Tour Stick that can fit into the butt-end of a short iron.
What this drill will help you accomplish: Ball-first, solid contact with the shaft leaned more toward the target at impact.
How to do it:
- Put the alignment rod into the butt-end of your short iron, extending it a few feet out from the end of the club. We use an old iron shaft to help illustrate the drill in the video below, but an alignment rod attached to the end of the grip works extremely well without having to alter your golf club.
- Take your setup and keep the extended portion of the rod under your lead arm, resting lightly on your side.
- Without hitting a ball, take a few slow, short and deliberate practice swings while keeping the rod AWAY from your lead side in the through-swing, until you finish with your arms just above waist high. It’s key to understand you will ONLY ever take abbreviated swings with this drill for safety reasons.
- After successfully accomplishing this at will with your practice swings, move to hitting golf shots in the same manner.
*Tip: The more you’re able to keep the rod away from your body in the through-swing, the more you will eliminate the fat shots from your game. You may likewise see a lower trajectory, with added distance from the solid strike and piercing ball flight.
Watch the Punisher Drill in action below: