Golf instructors have used the Wedding China Drill for decades. The concept is simple — put something valuable on the ground just outside the ball, and suddenly the over-the-top move becomes very expensive. The psychological consequence is enough to rewire most golfers' instincts within a few swings.
Jacob Tilton grew up with that drill. Now he runs it with the TrueStrike, and the feedback is just as powerful without any collateral damage.
The drill
Jacob Tilton — Golf Digest Best Young Teacher in America (2024), 2023 Georgia PGA Section Champion, PGA Tour participant (RSM Classic, 2023), winner of the 91st Yamaha Atlanta Open (2024), and Director of Instruction at Ansley Golf Club — uses the TrueStrike pad as a path enforcer for training the inside-out swing that produces a consistent draw. See the full drill page here.
The setup:
- Place the TrueStrike just outside and slightly ahead of the ball
- On the downswing, feel the clubhead get just behind the hands at waist height
- Check that the face matches the spine angle at that position — neutral and ready to rotate
- Swing through to impact with a slight inside-out path
- If you go over the top — you hit the pad. Inside-out — you don't come close.
Jacob makes a full swing and produces a controlled right-to-left draw without touching the TrueStrike. The path did all the work.
Watch the drill
Jacob demonstrates the full setup and swing in the video below. Watch on YouTube or play it directly here:
Why it works
The over-the-top move is so persistent because it feels natural — the instinct to "aim at the target" on the downswing almost always fires the upper body across the line. The Wedding China Drill short-circuits that instinct by making the consequence physical and immediate.
You stop thinking about path mechanics and start thinking about not hitting the pad. That shift from analytical to reactive is exactly how durable motor patterns get built.
The TrueStrike adds a modern dimension to the classic concept: it's padded, so clipping it gives feedback without damaging the club or the training aid. Jacob can run this drill at full speed — which matters, because the over-the-top move is a tempo and sequencing issue that only shows up at realistic swing speeds.
The drill also has a secondary benefit Jacob highlights: it's a direct hosel and heel strike fix. An inside-out path pushes the clubhead away from the body through impact, naturally moving contact away from the hosel and toward the center of the face. Golfers who shank or consistently hit the heel will see that fault disappear as soon as the path corrects.
Who this is for
- ✓Golfers who slice and have never been able to feel the inside-out path
- ✓Players who suffer from heel strikes or occasional shanks
- ✓Anyone who's tried alignment stick drills but needed more physical feedback
- ✓Golfers chasing their first consistent draw
Try it
Place the TrueStrike outside the ball and make 10 slow-motion swings feeling for the clubhead behind the hands at waist high. Then hit 15 full shots at 80% effort watching for the draw shape. Once the path is grooved, remove the TrueStrike and hit five shots — the draw should follow you.
For the full drill setup and additional coaching notes, visit the Inside-Out Draw Drill page on pathpal.
- 10 slow-motion swings — feel for the clubhead behind the hands at waist height
- 15 full shots at 80% effort — watch for the right-to-left draw shape
- 5 shots without the TrueStrike — the grooved path should carry over
Related drills
The Wedding China Drill is one part of a complete path-correction system on pathpal. These three drills address the over-the-top fault from different angles — each one a natural companion to Jacob's setup.
TrueStrike Outside-In Fade Drill — Jacob Tilton
The mirror image of this drill. Jacob repositions the TrueStrike to catch the opposite fault — a swing path that's too far inside-out — training the neutral delivery that produces a controlled fade. If you've fixed your slice and started blocking and hooking instead, this is your next step.
TrueStrike Anti-Over-the-Top Drill — Brent Witcher
Brent Witcher, former Korn Ferry Tour player, uses the TrueStrike pad as a ground-level barrier on the same inside-out path principle — leaving one inch of clearance so that any over-the-top move catches the pad immediately. A direct complement to Jacob's drill with a slightly different setup and feel cue.
Anti-Slice Arm Drop Drill — Brent Witcher
Brent uses the pathpal rod as a transition barrier — positioned so the arms must drop under it on the downswing rather than casting over the top. Where the Wedding China Drill trains the path at impact, this drill trains what produces that path: the arm-drop-and-weight-shift sequence in transition.
About Jacob Tilton
Jacob Tilton is a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher in America (2024), 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.
Follow Jacob on Instagram: @tiltgolfer · Follow pathpal on Instagram
Frequently asked questions
What is the Wedding China Drill and why does it work?
The Wedding China Drill places a physical object just outside the ball — traditionally something valuable, hence the name — so that an over-the-top downswing carries an immediate consequence. The psychological weight of the obstacle short-circuits the instinct to fire the upper body across the line, forcing the club to approach from the inside. Jacob Tilton now runs the drill with the TrueStrike pad, which provides the same feedback without risking damage to the club or the training aid.
Where exactly does the TrueStrike get placed for this drill?
The TrueStrike is placed just outside and slightly ahead of the ball — positioned so that an outside-in, over-the-top downswing path would bring the clubhead into the pad. A correct inside-out path brings the club from behind the hands at waist height and through impact without contacting the pad at all.
Will this drill also help with heel strikes and shanks?
Yes — Jacob specifically calls this out as a secondary benefit of the drill. An inside-out path moves the clubhead away from the body through impact, which naturally shifts contact away from the hosel and toward the center of the face. Golfers who shank consistently or hit heel-heavy shots often see that fault disappear as soon as the path corrects.
How is this drill different from using an alignment stick on the ground?
The core concept is the same — create a physical barrier outside the ball that catches an over-the-top path. The TrueStrike's advantage is its padded construction: clipping it at full swing speed doesn't damage the club or the training aid, and it stays in position consistently across many reps. That makes it practical to run the drill at realistic swing speeds, which matters because the over-the-top move is a sequencing and tempo issue that only fully shows up when you're swinging hard.
Turn your slice into a draw — with instant feedback on every rep
The TrueStrike is part of the pathpal training system — an integrated, all-in-one tool used by PGA professionals to build better swing habits with immediate physical feedback.
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