The over-the-top slice is the single most common frustration in recreational golf. When your upper body spins out from the top of the swing, the clubhead gets thrown above the swing plane, cutting across the ball from outside to in and robbing you of distance.
2024 LPGA Coach of the Year Stef Ferguson uses a single pathpal unit behind and outside the target line with an alignment stick matched to your address shaft angle, creating a physical ceiling you must swing underneath on the downswing.
See the full step-by-step station on the The Under-the-Stick Path Drill page, or watch Stef demonstrate the setup below.
The drill
Stef Ferguson (Lead Instructor at Commonground Golf Course; 2024: LPGA Coach of the Year, 2026: LPGA Top 50 Best Teachers, 2021-2024: Golf Digest Best Young Teachers) uses the pathpal training system to give golfers immediate physical and visual feedback on every repetition.
Conquer golf's most common flaw: the dreaded over-the-top slice move. This drill uses a single pathpal unit to angle an alignment stick directly above your swing plane. By creating a physical barrier that forces you to deliver the club head underneath the stick through impact, you'll immediately train an inside-out path and start hitting powerful, controlled draws.
Setup
- Insert one alignment stick into a single pathpal unit so that it rests at an angle mimicking your club's shaft angle at address.
- Place the pathpal unit on the ground slightly behind and outside your target line.
- Set up the angled stick so it hovers just above your normal backswing/downswing plane, creating a "ceiling" that your club must swing underneath as it approaches the ball.
How to run the drill
- Take your normal address posture with a mid-iron, checking that the angled alignment stick is safely positioned above your hands and swing plane.
- Take a smooth, controlled backswing.
- On the downswing, focus entirely on dropping the club into the slot and keeping the club head underneath the alignment stick all the way through impact.
- Start with slow, half-swings to get the sensation of attacking the ball from the inside before progressing to full-speed swings.
By setting the angled stick just above your normal swing plane, your brain gets an unambiguous goal: drop the club into the slot and keep the clubhead underneath the stick all the way through impact.
Watch the drill
View the full guided drill on pathpal →
Why it works
Verbal swing thoughts like 'keep your back to the target' or 'swing to first base' are hard to execute in the 0.25 seconds of a downswing. An external physical ceiling above your shaft plane bypasses conscious overthinking and forces your body to shallow the club instinctively.
Give your brain a physical ceiling above the plane, and your arms naturally drop into the inside-out slot.
Stef Ferguson sets one alignment stick in the pathpal at an angle mimicking your mid-iron shaft at address and positions the unit slightly behind and outside the target line. Starting with slow half-swings underneath that ceiling quickly reprograms your transition from outside-in to inside-out.
Who this is for
- ✓Golfers who fight an over-the-top downswing and a left-to-right slice
- ✓Players whose transition starts by throwing the trail shoulder and hands outward
- ✓Anyone who wants a simple, single-stick plane ceiling calibrated to their iron shaft
- ✓Golfers looking to add carry distance by shifting from a glancing cut to a compressed draw
Try it
Insert one alignment stick into your pathpal at an angle matching your mid-iron shaft at address and place the unit slightly behind and outside your target line.
- Set one alignment stick in the pathpal matching your mid-iron shaft angle at address
- Position the unit slightly behind and outside your target line so the stick hovers just above your normal plane
- Make 10 slow half-swings dropping the club into the slot and keeping the clubhead underneath the stick through impact
- Hit 15 mid-iron shots building from 60 percent speed to full speed as your inside-out draw flight locks in
This drill uses the pathpal magnetic 14-angle training station and alignment sticks. Shop pathpal, pair it with The Arrow padded alignment sticks, or explore the Complete Training System with Free U.S. Shipping.
Related drills
If this drill matches what you are working on, these three guided drills build on the exact same movement pattern:
The pathpal Slice Correction Drill
Taught by Ed Doherty. Eliminate Your Over-the-Top Path and Cure Your Slice. View drill →
Anti-slice Arm Drop Drill
Taught by Brent Witcher. Force the Arms to Drop Underneath and Eliminate the Casting/Over-the-Top Move. View drill →
Inside-Out Draw Drill (Wedding China Drill)
Taught by Jacob Tilton. Cure Your Slice and Hit a Controlled Draw. View drill →
About Stef Ferguson
Frequently asked questions
How do I set the angle on the pathpal for the Under-the-Stick Path Drill?
Take your address posture with a mid-iron and choose the slot among the pathpal's 14 angles that closely matches the lie angle of your club shaft.
Where do I position the pathpal on the ground?
Place the pathpal unit slightly behind the golf ball and outside your target line so the angled alignment stick hovers just above your normal backswing and downswing plane.
Why should I start with slow half-swings in this drill?
Slow half-swings let you feel the club dropping into the slot underneath the alignment stick safely before you add full-swing speed.
What happens if I make my old over-the-top move?
An over-the-top transition throws the club shaft above the plane, which will immediately contact the hovering alignment stick.
What ball flight change will I see from this drill?
Delivering the clubhead underneath the stick shifts your swing path from outside-in to inside-out, turning weak slices into higher-launching straight shots or draws.
Ready to stop guessing and build a repeatable swing?
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