The first three feet of the golf swing set the geometry for everything that follows. When you roll your forearms and yank the clubhead behind your hands in the takeaway, you are forced to reroute the club over the top or get trapped underneath on the way down.
Coach Ed Doherty uses a two-rod pathpal station with one ground hand-path guide and one 90-degree vertical rod to eliminate early forearm roll and keep the clubhead outside the hands.
See the full step-by-step station on the The Takeaway Check Drill page, or watch Ed demonstrate the setup below.
The drill
Ed Doherty (Assistant Golf Professional at Black Rock Country Club; 2025: US Kids Top 50 Kids Coach, 2021: Assistant Golf Professional of the Year, New England PGA, 2025: Volunteer Assistant Coach, Boston College Golf Program) uses the pathpal training system to give golfers immediate physical and visual feedback on every repetition.
Stop pulling the club too far inside and rolling your forearms. This drill uses the pathpal to create a physical station that ensures your hands stay on the correct path while keeping the clubhead in a powerful, "outside" position during the start of your swing.
Setup
- Place the pathpal on the ground along your target line.
- Insert one alignment stick into the 90-degree vertical slot so it stands straight up.
- Insert a second alignment stick through the center alignment feature of the pathpal (parallel to the ground) to serve as a guide for your hand path.
How to run the drill
- Set up to the ball with your hands positioned just in front of the pathpal station.
- Start your backswing by moving your hands toward the pathpal.
- The goal is to keep the clubhead outside your hands. If you roll your wrists or pull the club too far inside, you will immediately bump into the vertical alignment stick.
- Practice several slow-motion takeaways, ensuring your hands move along the "hand path" stick while the clubhead stays clear of the vertical stick.
At shaft-parallel in the takeaway, your hands should track inward along your toe line while the clubhead stays outside your hands and clear of the 90-degree vertical stick.
Watch the drill
View the full guided drill on pathpal →
Why it works
Many golfers confuse rotating their chest with rolling their wrists. When the lead forearm rolls open at the start of the takeaway, the clubface fans wide open and the clubhead whips deep behind the body, leaving nowhere to go at the top except over the plane.
Guide the hands along the ground rod while keeping the clubhead outside the vertical stick.
By sliding one rod through the pathpal's horizontal ground tunnel and setting a second rod straight up in the 90-degree vertical slot, Ed Doherty separates hand path from clubhead path. Your hands trace the ground rod while the vertical stick blocks the clubhead from rolling inside.
Who this is for
- ✓Golfers who roll their forearms open and fan the clubface in the first three feet of the swing
- ✓Players who whip the clubhead deep inside behind their hips on the takeaway
- ✓Anyone who gets stuck behind their body or reroutes over the top from a flat backswing
- ✓Golfers who want a slow-motion rehearsal station for home or range warmups
Try it
Set your pathpal along the target line behind your hands with one rod in the ground tunnel and a second rod in the 90-degree vertical slot.
- Insert one alignment stick through the horizontal ground tunnel and a second stick into the 90-degree vertical slot
- Address the ball with your hands just in front of the station and make 10 slow takeaways to shaft-parallel
- Verify your hands move along the ground stick while the clubhead stays outside the vertical stick
- Hit 15 balls starting with that exact connected one-piece takeaway feel
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 Takeaway Blocker
Taught by Matt Tindale. Stop Ripping the Club Inside and Achieve a Direct Takeaway Path. View drill →
Prevent inside takeaway - "wall" drill
Taught by Shawn Koch. Prevent a Flat, Rolled Takeaway for a More Upright Swing. View drill →
About Ed Doherty
Frequently asked questions
How do I set up the Takeaway Check Drill?
Place the pathpal along your target line behind your hands, slide one alignment stick through the horizontal ground tunnel for hand path, and insert a second stick into the 90-degree vertical slot to block an inside clubhead roll.
Why is rolling your forearms in the takeaway a problem?
Forearm roll fans the clubface open and pulls the clubhead too far inside and flat behind your body, forcing a steep over-the-top compensation or a blocked/hooked recovery on the downswing.
Where should the clubhead be when the shaft reaches parallel to the ground?
At shaft-parallel (P2), the clubhead should sit directly in line with or slightly outside your hands, with the leading edge matching your spine tilt.
What happens if I roll my wrists during this drill?
The clubhead or shaft will immediately bump into the 90-degree vertical alignment stick, alerting you before you finish the takeaway.
Can I practice this drill without hitting golf balls?
Yes. Slow-motion rehearsal takeaways to waist height in a mirror or living room are one of the fastest ways to reprogram forearm roll.
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