Most swing path drills fix one thing — either the slice or the hook. Chris Foley's staggered gate setup fixes both, and switching between the two configurations takes about ten seconds.
That kind of simplicity, coming from one of the most credentialed instructors in the country, is worth paying attention to.
The drill
Chris Foley — PGA Master Professional (one of only 330 in the world), Golf Digest #1 Best in State (Minnesota), USA Junior National Team Coach, and 2002 Minnesota PGA Teacher of the Year — uses two pathpal units in a staggered gate configuration to physically redirect the swing path in either direction.
The logic is elegant. One device. Two positions. Two completely different path corrections.
To fix a slice (promote in-to-out path)
- Rod 1: Just inside the target line, behind the ball
- Rod 2: Just outside the target line, in front of the ball
- Effect: Forces the club through an inside-out corridor
To fix a hook (promote out-to-in path)
- Rod 1: Just outside the target line, behind the ball
- Rod 2: Just inside the target line, in front of the ball
- Effect: Guides the club through a leftward corridor
As Chris puts it: "Simple device, effective results." The gate makes the correct path the only available path — your body adjusts naturally rather than trying to process a mental instruction mid-swing.
Watch the drill
View the full guided drill on pathpal →
Why it works
Path corrections are notoriously hard to make through feel. Slicers aim left to compensate — which deepens the out-to-in path. Hookers aim right — which steepens the in-to-out path. Both instincts make the problem worse.
Physical barriers short-circuit that loop entirely. The body responds to constraints more reliably than it responds to swing thoughts.
That's especially true when the goal is building a new motor pattern that holds up under pressure. The staggered gate doesn't require the golfer to understand path geometry or feel the difference between inside-out and outside-in — it simply makes the correct path the only available path. The body adjusts, the pattern builds, and it transfers.
What makes this drill particularly efficient is its bidirectionality. You don't need two different drills for two different problems — you need two pathpal units and the knowledge of which configuration addresses your miss. That's exactly the kind of versatile, high-leverage setup that elite instructors like Foley build their teaching around.
Path corrections made through feel almost always reinforce the existing fault. A physical gate gives the nervous system a constraint it can respond to — and the pattern built against that constraint travels to the course.
Who this is for
- ✓Golfers with a consistent slice looking for a physical path correction they can feel immediately
- ✓Players who hook or push the ball and need to neutralize an overly inside path
- ✓Instructors who want a single drill setup that addresses both common path faults without reconfiguring from scratch
- ✓Anyone who has tried mental path fixes that haven't transferred to the course
Try it
Identify your miss — slice or hook — and set the gate accordingly. Hit 15 shots at 75% effort, focusing on clearing both rods cleanly. Then remove the rods and hit five shots with the same path intention.
The gate builds the feel. The feel travels to the course.
This drill requires two pathpal units to create the full staggered gate. A single unit still provides one-sided feedback, but the full corridor — entry and exit — needs both. Shop the pathpal or explore the Complete Training System for the full kit.
Related drills
Path is one variable in the ball flight equation. Once the corridor is built, these drills address the upstream causes and downstream variables that complete the picture.
The Vertical Face Squareness Drill
Taught by Brad Pluth (PGA Master Professional). Path improvements don't stick if the face is open or closed. This 90-degree rod setup is the fastest way to diagnose and train face angle — the variable that controls 75–85% of starting direction. View drill →
The Anti-Slice Arm Drop Drill
Taught by Brent Witcher (former Korn Ferry Tour player). Trains the shallowing move that gets the club into the slot — the feel-based complement to the staggered gate's physical correction. Ideal for slicers who need to understand what shallow actually feels like before they can reproduce it consistently. View drill →
The Inside Path Corrector Drill
Taught by Eric Barlow (PGA Master Professional, Golf Digest Best in State). Addresses the opposite end of the spectrum — a path that's gone too far inside after shallowing work. Uses the pathpal as an upper ceiling to define exactly where "shallow enough" ends. View drill →
About the instructor
Chris Foley is a PGA Master Professional — one of only 330 in the world — and Golf Digest Best in State (Minnesota), ranked #1 in the state. He is a USA Junior National Team Coach, 2002 Minnesota PGA Teacher of the Year, 2004 Callaway National Club Fitter of the Year, and former Director of Instruction at Madden's on Gull Lake and Legacy Courses at Cragun's.
chrisfoleygolf.com · @chrisfoleygolf · @ChrisFoleyGolf on X · Follow pathpal on Instagram
Frequently asked questions
Why is swing path so hard to change through feel alone?
The brain's instinct is to aim where you want the ball to go — which often reinforces the exact path causing the problem. A slicer who aims left actually deepens their out-to-in path. Physical barriers like the staggered gate bypass that instinct entirely by making the correct path the only available option. The body responds to constraints more reliably than it responds to mental cues, especially under pressure.
How do I set up the pathpal to fix a slice?
To promote a more rightward (inside-to-out) path, place one pathpal rod just inside the target line behind the ball and the second rod just outside the target line in front of the ball. This staggered gate guides the club from inside to out — the opposite of the out-to-in path that produces a slice. Your body adjusts naturally to avoid the rods and builds the correct path without conscious management of each variable.
How do I set up the pathpal to fix a hook?
Simply reverse the configuration: place one rod outside the target line behind the ball and the second rod inside the target line in front of it. This promotes a leftward (out-to-in) path, neutralizing a swing that's coming too far from the inside. As Chris demonstrates, the same device solves both problems — you just switch which rod is in front and which is behind.
Do I need two pathpal units or will one work?
Chris Foley uses two pathpal units to create the full gate — one behind and one in front of the ball — which gives feedback on both the entry and exit of the clubhead's path. With a single unit you can still create meaningful feedback by placing it on one side, but the dual-unit staggered gate is more powerful because it defines a complete corridor and makes both the direction and consistency of your path measurable on every swing.
Will fixing my swing path also fix my clubface?
Path and face are independent variables. Correcting your path is the essential first step — it determines starting line and curvature direction. However, if the face remains significantly open or closed relative to the new path, you'll still see curve. Many golfers subconsciously open the face to compensate for a bad path, so when the path improves, the face often self-corrects. If it doesn't, face control becomes the next isolated variable to address — the Vertical Face Squareness Drill is the natural next step.
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