1. Swing Plane Drill
Use the raised rod as a visible swing plane reference. This helps you see whether the club is working too steep, too shallow, above the intended window or buried too far underneath.
Key Stryper drills
These drills show how to use SwingMate and StanceMate as visible practice references for the movements golfers are usually asked to feel: stance width, ball position, swing plane/path, hand/handle delivery space and body sequencing.
The list is not limited to these examples. You can use the same practice station for long game, short game, bunkers, putting, indoor practice and range sessions. The aim is simple: create a physical reference, rehearse the movement, check the result and adjust from there.
For the full learning library, start from the Golf Training Index. For the complete setup-and-swing system, see How Stryper Works.
The Three Key SwingMate Drills: Plane/Path, Hand/Handle Space and Body 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 movement patterns they are usually told to “feel”.
2. Hand Path Drill
Use the hand-path rod as a delivery-space boundary for the hands and handle. In the standard setup it acts like a ceiling: if the hands throw out or lift, or if early extension / standing up through impact sends the handle higher and farther from you, the rod gives that movement somewhere physical to show up. Repositioned for a hook/fade drill, it can instead become an outer wall against the club and hands getting trapped too far inside.
3. Rotation Drill
The standard Rotation Drill is a positive body checkpoint: the lead knee moves toward the rod in the backswing and the trail knee reaches it through the finish. That helps distinguish turning from swaying, sliding or stalling.
There is also a useful longer-rod variation. Fit a 1.6 m rod in the same Hinge 3 position and the lower section can still be used for the knee checkpoint while the upper section reaches into the club-exit corridor. Rehearse slowly: if the upper body spins open and the club cuts left too early, the rod becomes an avoid-the-rod boundary. The goal is not to stop the club exiting left normally after impact; it is to stop that exit happening prematurely.
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, while a player who gets too shallow or stuck may need the opposite.
The point is not to build a permanent exaggerated opposite fault. The point is to use visible references to feel the correction, exaggerate it when needed, then work back toward a more neutral and repeatable delivery.
Start here
Watch the slice/draw setup first, even if you do not slice the ball. It explains the core SwingMate drill logic and shows how ground path, swing plane, hand path and body rotation work together. In the video the coach deliberately simplifies the rotation exercise by removing another rod first — a good example of using only the reference you need.
Start with slow rehearsals before adding speed, especially when a raised rod is being used as an avoid-the-rod boundary. When one movement changes, other parts of the swing can change with it, so use the references to check the whole pattern rather than chasing one feel alone.
The fault names golfers and coaches use
Several common swing faults describe what happens in the same delivery space, but they are not interchangeable. SwingMate is most useful when you know which movement you are trying to change and put the reference where that movement occurs.
Hand / posture faults
Early extension means the pelvis moves toward the ball in the downswing. It often goes with standing up through impact, loss of posture, a high handle or the hands moving outward as the golfer tries to create room. The Hand Path Drill can give that hand/handle movement a physical ceiling or boundary; it does not claim every case has the same root cause.
Rotation / sequencing faults
Stalled rotation or a stall-and-flip pattern means the body stops and the hands try to save the strike. At the other extreme, golfers may hear upper-body spin-out, shoulders opening too early, over the top, out-to-in or cutting across it. A longer rod in the rotation position can extend the checkpoint upward into the club-exit space for this second group of patterns.
Stuck / trapped delivery
Getting stuck or trapped behind the body usually describes the arms or club falling too far behind the body's rotation. In that case the hand-path or plane rod may be repositioned as an outer boundary, and the fade-biased ground references can help rehearse the club staying more in front.
Important: a good swing can and should move left after impact for a right-handed golfer. The problem is not “exiting left” by itself; it is a premature cut-across exit caused by poor path or sequencing.
Fix a Slice: Draw-Biased Setup for In-to-Out Practice
If your club path works across the ball from outside the target line, use the draw-biased setup as a visual rehearsal cue. You do not have to become a draw player. The drill gives you a physical reference for feeling the opposite of an out-to-in pattern, then working back toward neutral.
Right-handed draw setup
Left-handed draw setup
- Use the DRAW ground-path rods as the visual club-path cue.
- For a right-handed golfer, start with the RH DRAW holes on the base plate.
- For a left-handed golfer, mirror the setup with the LH DRAW holes.
- Add the Swing Plane Drill using Hinge 2 as the raised swing-plane reference.
- Add the Hand Path Drill using Hinge 1 if the hands throw out or move away from the intended delivery window.
Fix a Hook: Fade-Biased Setup for Less Inside Delivery
If your club path gets too far from the inside, or the club gets trapped behind the body, use the fade-biased setup as a rehearsal cue. 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 path, and then work back toward neutral.
Right-handed fade setup
Left-handed fade setup
- Use the FADE ground-path rods as the visual club-path cue.
- For a right-handed golfer, start with the RH FADE holes on the base plate.
- For a left-handed golfer, mirror the setup with the LH FADE holes.
- Use Hinge 2 as the main swing-plane reference.
- Use Hinge 1 to monitor hand path if your hands get trapped behind you.
Which SwingMate Setup Should You Try?
Use this table as a starting point. The right drill depends on your current movement pattern, not just the ball flight. If you work with a coach, use their diagnosis first and set SwingMate to rehearse that instruction.
| Current pattern | Typical miss | SwingMate setup to try | What to rehearse |
|---|---|---|---|
Out-to-in / over the top |
Slice, pull-slice, pull. | Use the DRAW ground-path rods. Add Hinge 2 as the swing-plane reference. Add Hinge 1 if your hands throw out. | Rehearse the club moving under the swing-plane rod while the ground rods remind you of the path you are trying to feel. |
Too far in-to-out / stuck underneath |
Hook, push-hook, block, stuck block. | Use the FADE ground-path rods. Use Hinge 2 as the swing-plane reference. Use Hinge 1 to monitor hand path. | Rehearse a less trapped delivery. The goal is to feel the club more in front of you, then work back toward neutral. |
Steep but left |
Pull, wipey fade, weak slice. | Use Hinge 2 first. Then add Hinge 1. Use DRAW ground-path rods only if the club still exits sharply left. | Do not assume the answer is only “more in-to-out.” First improve the plane and hand-path window, then fine-tune path. |
Too shallow / under plane |
Hook, push, stuck block, heavy inside delivery. | Use the FADE ground-path rods. Use Hinge 2 as the swing-plane boundary. Add Hinge 3 if the body stalls. | Rehearse the club staying more in front of the body instead of getting buried behind you. |
Early extension / loss of posture |
Thin shots, heel strikes, blocks, hooks, inconsistent strike. | Use Hinge 1 as a hand/handle ceiling. Pair with Hinge 3 if a body-turn checkpoint also helps the diagnosed movement. | Rehearse maintaining delivery space so the hands and handle do not have to rise or move out to make room. Treat the rod as feedback, not a diagnosis of the cause. |
Poor rotation / stalled body |
Blocks, flips, hooks, inconsistent strike. | Use Hinge 3 as the standard Rotation Drill: lead-knee checkpoint going back, trail-knee checkpoint through the finish. Pair it with Hinge 1 or Hinge 2 if the stall is also changing hand path or plane. | Rehearse turning through the shot without stalling at the ball. Start slowly and rebuild the movement before adding speed. |
Upper-body spin-out / cut left too early |
Pull, pull-slice, weak fade, glancing strike. | Put a 1.6 m rod in the Hinge 3 rotation position so the lower section remains a body checkpoint and the upper section extends into the club-exit corridor. Combine with Hinge 2 / DRAW references when the pattern is also over-the-top or out-to-in. | At slow speed, rehearse the sequence without letting the club invade the rod too early. The club can exit left normally later in the follow-through; this is about timing, not banning a leftward exit. |
How StanceMate and SwingMate Work Together
For the complete practice station, combine setup references from StanceMate with swing movement references from SwingMate. StanceMate gives you measured stance width, ball position and setup structure. SwingMate then gives you ground-path and swing-plane references, a hand/handle delivery-space boundary and a body-rotation checkpoint that can also be extended into the club-exit corridor.
Right-handed draw station
Left-handed draw station
Right-handed fade station
Left-handed fade station
Want the complete station?
The Stryper Plus Golf Swing Training System combines StanceMate and SwingMate so you can train setup, ground path and swing plane, hand/handle delivery space and body rotation from one practice station — with the same rods repositioned as the movement changes.
More Quick Drills
Once you understand the main setup logic, use the same idea for shorter and more specific practice sessions. Keep the movement slow enough that you can see the reference and repeat the pattern.
Short Game Drill
Stop Swaying Drill
Low Hands Drill
Where to Go Next
Golf Training Index
Return to the full Stryper training hub for setup, swing plane, ball flight, indoor practice and product support guides.
SwingMate Swing Plane Trainer
See the adjustable swing-plane/path trainer whose raised rods can become hand/handle boundaries, body checkpoints or club-exit references.
Stryper Plus Golf Swing Training System
Get the full setup-and-swing practice station with StanceMate and SwingMate together.
SwingMate Support
Use the support page for setup help, product instructions and practical usage guidance.
Watch More Swing Change Videos
Head to the Stryper Golf YouTube channel for more drills, setup examples and swing-change videos.
Explore more practice ideas in the Stryper Drills Library.