The Infamous "Nail Drill" To Better Golf

While this is classic drill many of us used before the influx of video & data it remains one of the best in terms of visualization. My good friend Adam Young has a fantastic way of conveying the drill for everyone to understand and put into action, right away.

Golfers often have a hard time changing their club path, sometimes spending many years trying to go from an out to in path to hitting their first draws.

This easy drill bypasses a lot of hard work.

First thing's first - please understand that changing, or even neutralizing, your path is not going to guarantee great shots.

Path direction simply determines the SHAPE of your good shots.

in-to-out players will draw onto their target

out-to-in players will fade onto theirs

Changing your path shouldn't take long. In fact, in most of my lessons we see the path change in the first shot.

I usually start with the nail drill.

This is where you visualize a nail through the ball, and imagine using the club to hammer it

You can change the nail direction to change your path pretty quickly.

Want your path to be more in-to-out? Simply visualize the nail angled more to the right, and vice versa

To make this work, you often have to throw out the idea of "golf swing", and tap into pure instinct - as if you are literally hammering the nail.

Do lots of mini rehearsals, then hit the shot as if it's an extension of your rehearsals.

No "re-setting your position"

"but what about muh technique?"

The beauty of this drill is it taps into the body's natural ability to self organize.

Your swing technique will start to naturally (without conscious thought) evolve itself into what's needed to create your desired path

I use this idea all the time in my own game

When practicing with my launch monitor, if my path creeps too far to the right, I simply imagine the nail more left until the path neutralizes

If I need to hit a big shape around a tree, I can switch my path to +/- 15 deg instantly!!!

The nail drill can actually be used for a lot more than just changing path

improving face strike

angle of attack changes

swing plane

vertical strike

face consistency

I show you how to use the drill to achieve all of the above in my Next Level Golf program

Changing your path alone is not enough to hit your desired shot.

You also have to remember that overall direction is a combination of both path and face.

So if you've ever struggled to change your path through more internal/mechanical approaches, give this idea a try.

This is Golf as You've Always Imagined!

Daniel is the Head of Golf Instruction at IMAGEN Golf the area's leading golf instruction and advisory firm, host of the IMAGEN Golf Podcast and Best-Selling Author of "Unleash The Golfer Within".

For more information visit www.ImagenGolf.com or call 215-595-6299 Reach out to Daniel directly at:Daniel@ImagenGolf.com

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