Follow these instructional videos for key drills to get you started, but the list is limitless. Long game, short game, bunkers, putting. Indoors or out. Set up, swing, adjust, repeat, improve!
Stryper Key swing drills
The Three Key SwingMate Drills: Plane, Path, Hand Path and Rotation
SwingMate is built around three core drills: the Hand Path Drill, the Swing Plane Drill and the Rotation Drill. Together, they give golfers visible references for the movements they are usually told to “feel”:
- swing more in-to-out or out-to-in
- stop coming over the top or stop getting stuck underneath or coming from the inside
- keep the hands lower, higher, closer or adjust club handle address position
- rotate through instead of stalling
- 'complete' the swing
- 'get through the ball'
SwingMate is not designed to force every golfer into the same swing. A slicer may need a draw-biased feel. A hooker may need a fade-biased feel. A player who gets steep may need one reference; a player who gets too shallow or stuck may need the opposite.
The point is not to build an exaggerated opposite fault. The point is to use visible references to feel the correction - even exaggerate it when needed - then work back toward a more neutral, repeatable delivery.
ALL PLAYERS should watch the "Taming your Slice" video first. It goes into detail about the three different drills.
TO HIT A DRAW / FIX A SLICE, think of it as "taming your slice", you don't HAVE to hit a draw because other people do. Follow the "Setup for a Draw" video and diagrams below.
TO HIT A FADE / FIX A HOOK ("taming your hook"): Follow the "Setup For A Fade" video and diagrams
You don't need to start with all drills together. Start with Swing Plane, then add Hand Path. We do highly recommend always using the Plane and Hand Path drills together once you have the hang of things. Why? Whenever you make one change it will affect other parts of the swing, and 90% of people move off a good hand path while trying to fix the club plane/path.
Start with 50% swings for 10 reps. Build into 90% over the next 10. The results will amaze you. It's exactly how a coach would set you up to address the ball and where they would get you to swing.
See bottom of page for diagrams on how StanceMate and SwingMate work together.
FIX A SLICE / HITTING in to out / setup for a draw
FIXING A HOOK - HITTING out to in / setup for a fade
| Your current pattern | Typical miss | SwingMate setup to try | What to rehearse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Out-to-in / over the top The club path works across the ball from outside the target line. | Slice, pull-slice, pull | Use the DRAW ground-path rods. For a right-hander, start with the RH DRAW holes on the base plate. These ground rods give you a visual club-path reference for rehearsing a more in-to-out delivery. For a left-hander, mirror this with the LH DRAW holes. Add Hinge 2: Swing Plane Drill. Start with base angle 0° and rod angle 60°. This raised rod gives the club a swing-plane reference so you can see if the club is getting too steep or working above the intended window. Add Hinge 1 if your hands throw out. Start with base angle 45° and rod angle 40°. This hand-path rod helps you see whether the hands are moving out and over instead of staying in the intended delivery window. | Rehearse the club moving under the swing-plane rod while the ground rods remind you of the club path you are trying to feel. The draw-side setup is an exaggeration cue for a slicer or over-the-top player. It is not meant to create a permanent exaggerated draw swing. |
| Too far in-to-out / stuck underneath The club path gets too far from the inside, or the club gets trapped behind the body. | Hook, push-hook, block, stuck block | Use the FADE ground-path rods. For a right-hander, start with the RH FADE holes on the base plate. These ground rods give you a visual club-path reference for rehearsing a less inside, more neutral-left delivery. For a left-hander, mirror this with the LH FADE holes. Use Hinge 2 as the main swing-plane reference. Start with base angle 0° and rod angle 60°. If the club keeps dropping too far underneath the plane, adjust the raised rod so it acts as a boundary against getting buried too low and inside. Use Hinge 1 to monitor hand path. Start with base angle 45° and rod angle 40°. If your hands get trapped behind you, use the hand-path rod as a checkpoint so the hands work more in front of the body. | Rehearse a less trapped delivery. The goal is not to cut across the ball forever. The goal is to feel the club more in front of you, reduce the excessive inside club path, and then work back toward neutral. |
| Steep but left The club is steep and the club path is still moving left across the ball. | Pull, wipey fade, weak slice | Use Hinge 2 first: Swing Plane Drill. Start with base angle 0° and rod angle 60°. This gives the club a raised plane reference before you start chasing club path. Then add Hinge 1: Hand Path Drill. Start with base angle 45° and rod angle 40°. This helps you see whether the hands are throwing out, lifting, or pulling across the body. Use the DRAW ground-path rods only if needed. If the club still exits sharply left, add the RH DRAW holes for a right-hander or LH DRAW holes for a left-hander to add a visual club-path cue. | Do not assume the answer is only “more in-to-out.” First rehearse the club under the swing-plane rod and the hands under the hand-path rod. Once the delivery window improves, use the ground-path rods to fine-tune club path. |
| Too shallow / under plane The club gets too low, too inside, or buried behind the body. | Hook, push, stuck block, heavy inside delivery | Use the FADE ground-path rods. For a right-hander, start with the RH FADE holes on the base plate. These ground rods give you a visual club-path reference for rehearsing a less inside, more neutral-left delivery. For a left-hander, mirror this with the LH FADE holes. Use Hinge 2 as the swing-plane boundary. Start with base angle 0° and rod angle 60°. If the club keeps disappearing underneath, adjust the raised plane rod so it acts as a boundary against getting trapped too low and inside. Add Hinge 3 if the body stalls. Start with base angle 75° and rod angle 30°. The rotation rod gives your body a checkpoint so the hands do not have to save the shot. | Rehearse the club staying more in front of the body instead of getting buried behind you. If the hook or block comes from a club path that is too far from the inside, the correction may need to feel more fade-biased, not more draw-biased. |
| Poor rotation / stalled body The body stops and the hands flip, save, or reroute the club. | Blocks, flips, hooks, inconsistent strike | Use Hinge 3: Rotation Drill. Start with base angle 75° and rod angle 30°. Use the rod as a body checkpoint. Use the knee-touch checkpoint. The basic drill is lead knee touches the rod on the backswing, then trail knee touches on the follow-through. Pair it with Hinge 1 or Hinge 2 if needed. If rotation changes your hand path, add Hinge 1. If rotation changes your club plane, add Hinge 2. | Rehearse turning through the shot without stalling at the ball. Start slowly. If your hands flip, the club gets stuck, or the club path changes too much, reduce speed and rebuild the movement. |
Important: these are starting references, not permanent swing prescriptions. A slicer may need a draw-biased club-path feel. A hooker or stuck-inside player may need a fade-biased club-path feel. The goal is to exaggerate the correction when needed, then work back toward a more neutral, repeatable delivery.
MORE QUICK DRILLS
Short game drill
Stop swaying drill
Low hands drill
Watch more swing change videos
Combine StanceMate and SwingMate for the ultimate setup.