Instruction
Nail your swing path with this drill
In my article Practice the Nail Drill to improve your swing without thinking about it, I explained a drill that I’ve found to help resolve swing issues in an instinctive and external way. In this article, I want explore this concept more in depth as it pertains to hitting golf shots so you can expand your skill set even more.
Swing path
All swing paths are not created equal. It’s not uncommon for me to see a player with a swing path of 10 or more degrees from either outside or inside (as measured by Trackman).
While most people are busy focusing on the symptoms of a poor swing path by focusing on things such as elbow movements, shoulder movements, club plane, etc., I find a lot of these things can clear themselves up with a proper understanding of impact. Wild changes in technique are not necessarily better, of course, but I can quite readily make vast improvements in people’s swing paths. I have seen 15-degree shifts in one swing just by having students focus on what I am about to tell you. I’ve also found that most of the body pattern symptoms immediately dissipate as a result.
Just yesterday, I took a golfer who had been struggling with a chronic slice for 15 years and allowed him to hit his first draws using this idea by shifting his swing path from 10 degrees left to 4 degrees right of the target. As a result, he:
- Tucked in his right elbow better on the downswing.
- Showed more external rotation of the right arm on the downswing.
- Shallowed his club plane dramatically.
- Improved the sequencing of his entire body.
- Improved his weight shift.
- Improved his release.
He had spent years trying to work on these swing issues directly to no avail, and in one lesson we were able to improve them with only a single thought!
Intention
Movement responds to our intention. This is one of the reasons golfers can make the movements they desire in practice swings, as the swing is the intention, but put a ball in the way and they go back to their old habits — because their intention has changed. So what better way to improve movement than to change our intention with our strike directly. Using the visual of a nail through the ball, we could angle the nail more to the right or more to the left depending upon which swing path we desire.
For example, if you want to feel like you swing more in-to-out, why not angle the nail as shown below?
If you suffer with a slice, this idea can certainly help you get to a more neutral swing path.
If you suffer with hooking the ball, or if you want to work on fading the ball more, you could visualize the nail as shown below:
Try not to overdo these ideas too much, as wildly offline swing paths can cause issues. Most pros will be within about 6 degrees of their target (swing path) when hitting different shape shots. I recommend, however, that golfers explore extremes in practice to improve their creativity and procedural understanding.
An important note: To hit a fade or a draw, the club face needs to be pointed between the nail direction and your target at impact. For example, if you swing 6 degrees in-to-out, your club face needs to be about 3 degrees to right of the target hit a draw, and vice versa for a fade.
Ball position and swing direction
Swing direction changes will also have an affect on where our club first contacts the ground. As a result, when you change the angle of the nail in your mind, you may need to change the ball position correspondingly.
As a general rule:
- If you are trying to hit the nail more to the right, place the ball more right (back) in your stance.
- If you are trying to hit the nail more to the left, place the ball more left (forward) in your stance.
With some practice, you will probably discover this out instinctively. You’ll probably also see that it is very difficult to hit a nail angled to the right when the ball is really far forwards in your stance. Test it yourself.
Calibration
After a bit of experimentation, try and go back to calibrating a square swing path, as shown in the picture below. Use the feelings gained from your experimentation to guide your way to your ideal swing path.
Start slow, build up
Start the drill by hitting chip shots, before moving to pitch shots and gradually adding more speed. Higher handicappers might want to even tee the ball up slightly so it allows them to experiment without fear of the strike.
The most important thing to remember is to keep your intention on the nail and not so much the mechanics involved. We all instinctively know how to hit a nail in different directions, and when we go back into our old thought patterns and think about positions and mechanics our old habits often creep back in — especially on the golf course!
Adam discusses these principles and much more in his book, “The Practice Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Golfers,” which is available on Amazon.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Jayw
Jul 6, 2015 at 4:01 am
Adam, thank you for this practice drill. I personally like to see the different ideas that are presented to help us golfers improve. I recently took some video lessons and they were teaching me to exaggerate the inside out swing in practice. I like your idea to visualize the nail. I’m going to us it in my practice. Thank you.
Steve
Jun 28, 2015 at 10:01 am
I love that the site is deleting the negative comments. And only allowing positive comments. Like Matt’s comment that Tom Duckworth responded too, mmm what happened to Matt’s comment? Good way to see all opinions.
May be typos
Jun 28, 2015 at 9:15 am
I need a nail drill for cleaning the grooves
raj
Jun 28, 2015 at 3:22 am
Great article. It’s useful to have something simple to think about on the course other than body mechanics.
Adam Young
Jun 28, 2015 at 5:41 am
Definitely Raj – One simple thought that you can keep consistent throughout the round, rather than searching for the secret every other shot.
Ben
Jun 27, 2015 at 9:51 pm
Great article Adam. Take no notice of the haters, for those of us that coach day in day out we know what works well with golfers and what doesn’t and this intuitve style that you talk about here certainly works. With statistics showing these days that scores are getting worse and more people are giving up the game, maybe more people should be open to trying a different approach for improving their golf.
John Grossi
Jun 27, 2015 at 6:48 am
Adam, that drill you reminded us of a few weeks ago has helped me greatly. I’m now reading your book and find it very helpful. Thank you for your articles. I understand they help promote your new book, but I think they are helping many others on this site.
I like it , this makes sense to me
Jun 26, 2015 at 10:57 pm
This is great, easy to follow.
Tom Duckworth
Jun 26, 2015 at 9:13 pm
I get it, nice drill. Why all the hate mail hey Matt if you don’t like something just shut up and move on.
Steve
Jun 26, 2015 at 10:29 pm
I quess your advice, doesnt apply to you.
Al
Jun 26, 2015 at 2:42 pm
I’ve struggled so long with all golf instruction until I threw it all out but the most basic fundamentals in favor of “feel” and just getting the f out of the way of letting my brain do it instead of trying to make it happen.
I struggled to drive it 220 from the Whites (in ANY direction), last week I hit the longest drive of my life (cold, a few practice swings), a pretty little draw, 257, close as I could tell.
I played the hardest side of my course in 3-over a couple weeks ago when I usually feel like breaking bogey is a pretty good round for me.
I remember telling my club pro when I started golf I’d be happy to shoot bogey, to which he instantly replied, “Wanna bet?”
Steve
Jun 26, 2015 at 1:39 pm
Is this guy serious? You just wrote an article about nails that shanked big time. http://www.golfwrx.com/308896/practice-the-nail-drill-to-improve-your-swing-without-thinking-about-it/.
Now you are writing another one about nails. Maybe you should be a carpenter. Again stealing from other teachers, Nick Bradley, without giving credit. We get it you love Nick Bradleys book. Have a original thought, not someone elses idea that you rehash over and over. What a joke
Adam Young
Jun 26, 2015 at 3:07 pm
Hi Steve – which book is this from by Nick Bradley?
I actually got this drill when I worked at the Cranfield Academies 8 years ago. Not sure who those guys got it from.
Steve
Jun 26, 2015 at 4:41 pm
7 laws of the golf swing.
Adam young
Jun 30, 2015 at 7:09 am
Not sure if you have read the book steve. I purchased it to make sure. There is nothing in it about hitting a nail.
There is a picture of a grip with a nail through the hands, showing unity of the hands. Maybe that is what you saw.
cb
Jun 26, 2015 at 11:48 am
Hey Adam, great two articles on this drill. I came across this drill in golf forums a few years back and will always go back to it. One thing I did to help with the transition from hammer to golf club is I found an old adams 1 iron on ebay and bent it even more strong so it was around 12 degrees. I know its not 0 degrees like a hammer, but I have found that it helped me with the transition from drill to golf swing.
Adam Young
Jun 26, 2015 at 3:09 pm
Great stuff CB. There is a training aid out there called the Golf hammer – it’s a mallet with a golf grip attached. Although your 1 iron is a nicer transition to real golf.
Christosterone
Jun 26, 2015 at 11:04 am
Yall are super into nails…
Steve
Jun 26, 2015 at 4:43 pm
This guy is fo sure