If you've ever hit a shank, you know the specific horror of it — that violent deflection off the hosel that sends the ball shooting 45 degrees right. What most golfers don't realize is that a shank, a slice, and an early extension fault are almost always the same problem wearing three different faces. Fix one and you often fix all three.
Jacob Tilton built a drill that addresses all three simultaneously, using both the pathpal and TrueStrike as a complete dual-barrier system.
The drill
Jacob Tilton — Golf Digest Best Young Teacher in America (2024), Golf Digest Best in State, 2023 Georgia PGA Section Champion, PGA Tour participant (RSM Classic, 2023), and Director of Instruction at Ansley Golf Club — combines the pathpal and TrueStrike into a two-barrier impact corridor that catches over-the-top path, early extension, and hosel proximity in the same setup.
- Set the pathpal at approximately 60 degrees — this becomes the upper barrier for path and extension
- Position the TrueStrike on the hosel side of the ball as the impact barrier
- Leave about half an inch of clearance on each side — room for success, no room for error
- Come from the inside with the handle staying low through impact while rotating through the strike
- Catch either barrier and the fault is identified; clear both and the swing is on plane with the strike in the right place
Jacob makes the scalability explicit: the tighter the barriers, the more demanding the drill. Start with half an inch of clearance and earn the right to tighten it.
Watch the drill
See Jacob Tilton demonstrate the dual-barrier setup at Ansley Golf Club — including a real-time look at how each barrier catches its specific fault, and what a clean pass through both feels and looks like.
Watch on YouTube: The TrueStrike & pathpal Dual-Barrier Drill with Jacob Tilton →
Why it works
The three faults this drill addresses — over-the-top path, early extension, and heel/hosel strikes — are causally linked. Early extension pushes the hips toward the ball, the upper body stands up to compensate, the swing path goes outside-in, and the hosel moves into the ball's path. Each fault enables the next.
Jacob notes that even a toe strike is a desirable miss compared to a hosel strike. The goal is always to move contact away from the heel — out toward the center and, if anything, toward the toe.
Jacob's dual-barrier setup intercepts the fault chain at both ends: the pathpal at 60 degrees catches the extension and path fault, and the TrueStrike catches the hosel proximity at impact. A golfer can pass one barrier while failing the other — which is useful, because it isolates exactly which fault is dominant on any given swing.
Why the TrueStrike padding matters here
The TrueStrike's padded design is what makes full-speed practice viable. Catching either barrier at a realistic swing speed doesn't damage the club or hurt the hands, so golfers can practice with honest effort — not slowed-down, tentative half-swings designed to avoid breaking something. Jacob is explicit about this: the feedback is only meaningful if you're swinging the way you actually swing.
This is Jacob's most advanced dual-tool setup
This drill is the natural progression from Jacob's individual path drills. The Wedding China Drill fixes over-the-top in isolation. The Outside-In Fade Drill fixes an excessively inside path. The Precision Gate Drill catches both path faults simultaneously. This dual-barrier drill adds the impact location dimension on top of all of that — making it the most complete single-session swing correction tool in the series.
Catching the pathpal means the extension or path is the dominant fault. Catching the TrueStrike means the delivery is too close to the hosel. Clearing both means the swing is on plane and the strike is in the right place. The barriers don't just train the swing — they tell you exactly which problem is actually present.
Who this is for
Shanks and heel strikes
Golfers who've shanked and want a systematic, permanent fix that addresses the root cause, not just the symptom.
Connected faults
Players whose slice, early extension, and heel strikes all seem to happen together — because they are the same fault.
Ready for the next level
Golfers who've worked through individual path drills and are ready for a combined challenge with full-speed feedback.
Try it
Set up both barriers at half-inch clearance and run 10 slow-motion half swings first, focusing on the handle-low feel and inside approach. Then hit 15 full shots at 75% effort. Track which barrier — if any — you're catching.
Once you're consistently clearing both, tighten the gaps and repeat. The drill gets harder as you improve — and the contact quality improves with it.
Continue your training
The dual-barrier drill is the culmination of Jacob's path correction series. These three drills build the individual pieces that this setup combines.
The drill that trains the inside-out path the dual-barrier system enforces. Master this in isolation — learning to clear a single outside barrier — before adding the TrueStrike hosel barrier to the challenge.
The bilateral path gate that catches both over-the-top and inside-out faults simultaneously — but without the hosel impact barrier. A natural intermediate step between the individual path drills and this full dual-tool setup.
Brent Witcher's single-barrier approach to the same over-the-top problem — a simpler setup that confirms whether your path is actually inside-out at impact. If the dual-barrier drill feels too advanced, start here to verify the path before adding the hosel dimension.
About Jacob Tilton
Jacob Tilton is a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher in America (2024), Golf Digest Best in State, 2023 Georgia PGA Section Champion, and PGA Tour participant (RSM Classic, 2023). He is the Director of Instruction at Ansley Golf Club and holds Trackman Level 2, V1 Level 3, Boditrak, and Plane Truth certifications.
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Two barriers. Three faults. One setup.
The TrueStrike by pathpal gives you padded, full-speed feedback on path and impact — without damaging your clubs or your hands. The most complete single-session swing correction available.
Shop the TrueStrike by pathpalFrequently asked questions
How do I set up the dual-barrier drill?
Set the pathpal at approximately 60 degrees to create an upper barrier that catches any over-the-top move or early extension. Position the TrueStrike closer to the ball on the hosel side as the impact barrier. Jacob recommends about half an inch of clearance on each side — enough room for a correct swing to pass cleanly, tight enough that incorrect swings get caught. Equal spacing on both sides is essential for accurate feedback.
Why do shanks, slices, and early extension happen together?
These three faults are part of the same chain reaction. Early extension — the hips thrusting toward the ball — causes the upper body to stand up to create room for the arms to swing. That standing-up changes the swing path from inside to outside-in and simultaneously pushes the hosel toward the ball. The result is a club approaching from outside the target line with the heel or hosel leading — the exact recipe for both a slice and a shank.
What does "keeping the handle low through impact" mean?
A low handle means the grip end of the club stays below the level it would rise to if the body were standing up or extending through impact. When the handle rises — usually because the hips thrust and the upper body stands up — the club's low point changes, the path steepens outside-in, and the hosel moves toward the ball. Keeping the handle low requires maintaining the hip hinge and rotating rather than extending.
What does it mean if I keep catching only one of the two barriers?
Catching the pathpal consistently means the extension or path is the dominant fault — the upper body is standing up or the club is approaching from outside. Catching the TrueStrike consistently means the delivery is too close to the hosel — the club is working too far inside or the extension is pulling the heel into the ball. Each barrier tells you something specific, which makes this drill a diagnostic tool as much as a training one.
Can I use this drill at full swing speed?
Yes — and that's a key advantage of the TrueStrike padding. Catching either barrier at a realistic swing speed doesn't damage the club or hurt the hands, so you can practice with genuine effort rather than tentative, slowed-down swings. Jacob starts with slow-motion half swings to groove the feel, then progresses to full shots at 75% effort. The feedback is only meaningful at speeds that reflect how you actually swing.
