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DRILL OVERVIEW
Three Ball Golf Drill: Practise Your Swing Path
Your drill at a glance
This drill is from the Golf Practice Made Easy App.
Use three balls to give your club a clear route through impact. Aim to strike the middle ball while leaving the two outside balls untouched. The simple setup gives you feedback as you practise reducing an outside-to-in swing path.
Step 1. Watch the three-ball setup
Watch how the three balls form a diagonal line and how the club passes between the two outside balls.
Step 2. Set up three balls and strike the middle
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Arrange the balls | Place three balls in a diagonal line at roughly 45 degrees to your target line, matching the setup shown. The middle ball is the one you will hit. |
| Leave room for the club | Space the outside balls so the clubhead can pass through without touching them. Start with generous spacing and a short, controlled swing. |
| Take your normal stance | Set up to the middle ball with an iron, feet comfortably apart and eyes on the ball. |
| Strike the middle ball | Hit the middle ball while leaving both outside balls in place. Reset the layout before each shot. |
| Your cue | “Middle ball. Clear the outside two.” |
| Watch for | Try this |
|---|---|
| Clipping an outside ball | Pause and reset. Make a smaller swing and check the spacing before trying again. |
| Forcing the swing around the balls | Slow down and keep the movement comfortable. Use the balls for feedback rather than trying to steer the club sharply. |
| Rushing to a full swing | Stay with short shots until you can regularly strike the middle ball cleanly. |
Step 3. Complete your round
Play 18 shots in two sets of nine. Give yourself one point each time you hit the middle ball without touching either outside ball. Use the same club and spacing throughout so your scores are easy to compare.
| Round | What to do |
|---|---|
| First nine | Hit nine controlled shots. Reset all three balls each time and count successful attempts. |
| Second nine | Pause, check the diagonal layout and play another nine using the same swing size. |
| Record | Add both scores and record your total out of 18, plus one useful practice note. |
A worked example: Six successful shots in the first nine and seven in the second gives 13 / 18. Your note might be: “A shorter swing helped me leave the outside balls untouched.”
In the Golf Practice Made Easy App, use Score your practice to record your round. The eighteen-shot round is our practice format for this drill.
George’s Conclusion
Keep the setup simple and start with a small swing. Let the outside balls show you what happened, then reset and try again. Once you can repeatedly strike the middle ball cleanly, remove the outside balls and carry the same comfortable swing into your normal practice.
MAKE THE NEXT BUCKET COUNT
Pick a card. Practise with purpose.
