Use a Visual Cue on the Range to Practice Your Swing Path

Watching Justin Thomas warm-up for his first tee shot of the 43rd Ryder Cup taught us a great drill. We all know he’s nervous and needs to hit the fairway. Thomas’ signature tee shot is a small fade or left to right shot as a right-handed golfer.

In his warm-up routine, Justin takes a ball and places it in front of his tee ball and outside the target line. The position of that obstacle forces him to swing slightly from outside to in. The preferred path of his tee shots. The sixth-ranked player in the world knows the importance of seeing the correct path leads to swinging on the correct path.

This is a great drill because it works both ways. PGA Coaches would recommend starting with an iron and working your way up to the driver. Place that ball in front and to the side, you wish to avoid with your follow-through path. Swing slow with a couple of practice swings the first time you try it. Avoid the second ball and you’ll begin to feel and see your path take place.

The best drills involve visual keys along with a kinesthetic feel. Thomas’ ability to connect sight and feel just before a big moment is extremely powerful.