Here's an uncomfortable truth: your backswing might be fine. The slice, the pull, the inconsistent contact — those might have nothing to do with how you take the club back. They could be happening entirely on the other side, in the half of the swing most instructors barely touch.
Brian Jacobs builds his instruction around exactly that idea.
The drill
Brian Jacobs — Golf Digest Best in State (New York), Golf Magazine Top Teacher to Watch, two-time Western New York PGA Teacher of the Year, Lead Instructor for Golf Channel Academy, Hank Haney Level 3 Certified Instructor (one of only four worldwide), and MS Ed specialist in motor learning — uses the pathpal to train what he calls the forward swing exit plane.
The concept is simple, even if it's counterintuitive.
Setup
- Set the pathpal rod to your ideal forward shaft plane — roughly 60 degrees for most players
- Start from the impact position and move only into your follow-through
- Match your shaft angle to the rod as you swing through
- Once that forward plane is grooved, add the backswing and try to match both ends
The pathpal rod makes the exit plane visible. If your club is swinging too far left and getting too vertical after impact, you'll see it — and feel it — immediately.
Watch the drill
View the full guided drill on pathpal →
Why it works
Brian explains the chain reaction that kills most amateur ball flights: the club swings too far left after impact, gets too close to the toes, the forearms reverse, and the ball goes right — a slice. The forward swing is the culprit, not the backswing. By isolating and correcting the exit plane first, you address the actual cause of the ball flight problem rather than adjusting the part of the swing that isn't broken.
If you can't do the movement slowly, you certainly can't do it fast.
The slow-motion approach Brian advocates isn't just a preference — it's rooted in motor learning science. He holds an MS Ed with a specialization in exactly that. The pathpal provides the reference point that makes slow reps productive, giving your nervous system something concrete to calibrate against rather than swinging into the void.
Nobody ever said you have to learn the golf swing from the backswing. For many golfers, the forward swing is where all the damage is done — and it's the most direct place to start fixing it.
Who this is for
- ✓Golfers with a decent backswing who still slice or pull consistently
- ✓Players who've been told their forward swing is too steep or too left
- ✓Anyone looking to change a swing habit without beating hundreds of balls
- ✓Golfers doing off-season or indoor practice who want high-quality slow-motion work
Try it
Set up the pathpal before your next session and spend the first 10 minutes doing nothing but forward-swing matching — no backswing, no ball. Get the exit plane dialed in, then add the backswing and try to match both ends.
You'll likely find the forward half was the gap all along.
This drill is particularly well-suited for indoor and off-season practice — no ball required for the initial forward-swing matching phase. A single pathpal set to approximately 60 degrees is all you need. The slow-motion approach means you can build the pattern anywhere with a single rod and a 7-iron.
Related drills
The forward swing connects directly to what happens both before and after impact. These drills address the parts of the same chain Brian's exit plane work feeds into.
The Swing Path Fixer
Taught by Jason Gandy (Golf Digest Best Teacher, Tennessee). Addresses both the takeaway and downswing plane simultaneously using two pathpal halves — the natural complement to Brian's forward-swing isolation, covering the full arc from start to delivery. View drill →
The Anti-Slice Arm Drop Drill
Taught by Brent Witcher (former Korn Ferry Tour player). Trains the shallowing move that drops the club into the slot on the downswing — directly supporting the inside-out exit plane that Brian's forward swing drill is designed to produce. View drill →
The Impact Wall Drill
Also taught by Brian Jacobs. Once the exit plane is corrected, impact position is the next variable — specifically shaft lean and lead wrist flexion. This TrueStrike wall drill builds the compression and forward shaft angle that the correct forward swing makes possible. View drill →
About the instructor
Brian Jacobs is a Golf Digest Best in State instructor (New York), two-time Western New York PGA Teacher of the Year, Golf Channel Academy Lead Instructor, and Hank Haney Level 3 Certified Instructor — one of only four worldwide. He holds an MS Ed with a specialization in motor learning and is based at Brian Jacobs Coaching in Rochester, New York.
brianjacobscoaching.com · @brianjacobsgolf · @BrianJacobsgolf on X · YouTube · Follow pathpal on Instagram
Frequently asked questions
Why does the forward swing cause more slices than the backswing?
Many golfers have a sound backswing plane but break down completely on the way through. When the club swings too far left after impact and gets too vertical, the forearms reverse and the ball goes right — a slice. Because the forward swing is where the clubface and path converge at the ball, it has a more direct effect on ball flight than the backswing. Fixing the exit plane first addresses the actual cause rather than the setup for it.
How do I set up the pathpal for this drill?
Place the pathpal in front of your impact zone and set the rod to roughly 60 degrees — your ideal forward shaft plane for most irons. Start from the impact position and move only into your follow-through, matching the shaft angle to the rod. Brian recommends isolating the forward half first before adding the backswing so you can correct the exit plane without other variables interfering.
Do I need to hit golf balls to benefit from this drill?
No — and Brian is explicit about this. Motor patterns change through slow, deliberate repetition. The first phase of this drill involves no ball at all: just forward-swing matching against the rod at slow speed. Brian's rule from his motor learning background is that if you can't perform the movement slowly, you can't perform it at speed. Slow reps with the pathpal as a reference build the pattern more reliably than high-volume ball striking.
What's the difference between a steep forward swing and an out-to-in path?
These two faults are closely related. Steep describes the angle — when the forward swing plane is more vertical than the backswing plane, the club attacks too sharply from above. Out-to-in describes the direction — the club moving across the target line from outside to inside. Brian illustrates how both happen simultaneously: a steep forward swing forces the club too far left, which is by definition an out-to-in path. The pathpal rod lets you see the angle mismatch in real time and correct it.
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