The 9:00 Golf Swing Drill

Use this drill if you are a beginner learning the golf swing, or if you are employing a new grip, stance or set up position. The idea is that this is a miniature golf swing, focusing on the area through the hitting zone, that matters the most when we are impacting the golf ball. If the lower half of our golf swing is correct, then chances are the rest of our swing is not too far off.

Lay a dowel or shaft on the ground along your toe line to ensure that you are aligned correctly. I normally suggest using a tee for this drill, especially if the turf on your practice area is not so perfect. Use a short iron, perhaps a 9-iron with a standard setup and soft grip pressure.

Take the club back in a one lever motion, without hinging your wrists, rotating your body until the shaft is horizontal to the ground. In this 9:00 position, the toe of the club should be almost vertical, and the shaft of the club should be parallel to the toe line. It should feel as if you are turning to shake someone’s hand with your left hand. Your hands should be in a position where they could comfortably hinge vertically if we were to expand our swing.

On the downswing, rotate your body smoothly shifting your weight to your left side, maintaining soft grip pressure, and allowing the club to impact the ball squarely in a slight descending motion. While still maintaining our one lever posture, the toe of the club passes the heel as the club reaches the 3:00 position in the follow through. This position should be a mirror image of the 9:00 position in the backswing, with the toe of the club back up in the air and the shaft again parallel to the toe line.

Shots with this drill should only travel a maximum of 20 to 30 yards, as we are focusing more on technique than on power. As you gain a level of comfort and consistency, consider expanding your backswing to hit the ball increasingly further, as we discuss in the L to L drill.