Downward Strike Drill

Place the pathpal approximately six inches directly behind the golf ball — between the ball and the golfer's trail foot. The device's built-in front ramp and durable construction make it ideal for this behind-the-ball position: the ramp creates a graduated height so the club can clear the device when the approach is steep enough, and the durability means occasional contact during learning reps doesn't damage the tool. The distance from the ball — approximately six inches — is the difficulty dial: closer increases the demand for a steeper approach, farther widens the corridor and reduces the penalty margin. Start with a few practice swings focused on missing the pathpal cleanly, then progress to live shots. The drill works for all short game shots — chips, pitches, and short irons — where a downward strike is required.

Grayson identifies three distinct faults that the behind-the-ball pathpal catches with a single setup. First, a low inside takeaway — the club rolling inside and flat on the backswing, which predetermines a shallow approach angle. Second, hanging back on the trail foot — leaving weight on the trail side through impact, which moves the low point behind the ball. Third, a wrist scoop at impact — the lead wrist flipping upward to try to lift the ball, which adds loft and raises the low point. Each fault causes the club to arrive at the ball either behind it, under it, or both — and each causes the pathpal to be struck on the downswing. One barrier position catches all three fault expressions because all three converge on the same spatial error: the club arriving too far behind the ball's position.

A vertical takeaway with early wrist hinge sets the club on a steeper backswing plane than a low, sweeping inside takeaway — the club is higher relative to the body at the same point in the backswing. From a higher backswing position, the club approaches the ball on a steeper angle of attack, which produces a downward strike that contacts the ball first and the turf after. From a low inside takeaway, the club is already below the correct plane halfway back — requiring a steep re-route or accepting a shallow approach that bottoms out behind the ball. Grayson's drill enforces the vertical takeaway by making the low inside takeaway impossible: any inside rip catches the pathpal before the backswing can establish the shallow plane that produces fat and thin contact.

The pathpal's built-in front ramp creates a graduated height profile rather than a uniform flat surface — the leading edge of the device slopes upward toward the ball rather than presenting a vertical wall. This ramp geometry means that a moderately steep approach angle will clear the device cleanly while a very shallow approach catches the lower portion of the ramp, and a correct steep approach passes over the ramp entirely without contact. The ramp essentially provides an analog difficulty indicator: barely clearing the ramp means the approach is marginally steep enough, while passing well above it means the downward strike is well-established. Grayson notes that object height — in other drills using tees or towels behind the ball — is the standard difficulty variable, but the pathpal's ramp replaces that variable with a graduated height built into the device itself.

Both drills target a steeper angle of attack for short game shots, but they approach the correction from different directions and use different pathpal configurations. Pat Bernot's drill uses two rods in a path corridor formation beside the ball to force the club through a tunnel that requires a specific downswing angle — measured at 10–12 degrees by TrackMan. Grayson Zacker's drill places the pathpal behind the ball as a single object barrier that catches the shallow approach before it reaches the ball — no path corridor, just a behind-the-ball penalty zone. Pat's drill is a precision path measurement tool; Grayson's drill is a takeaway-and-approach corrector that addresses three upstream faults simultaneously. For a golfer who knows their angle of attack is too shallow, Pat's drill measures and refines it; for a golfer who doesn't yet know why their angle is shallow, Grayson's drill identifies and corrects the takeaway and weight distribution causes.