Train Tracks Drill for Putting and Chipping

Place both pathpal alignment rods parallel to the target line, one on each side of the ball, creating a narrow corridor — train tracks — that the clubhead or putter head must travel between on the backswing and through-swing. For putting, the putter head must stay between the tracks throughout the stroke. For chipping, the club travels straight back and straight down the tracks, preventing the inside takeaway that David identifies as the most common chipping fault among recreational players. An optional third rod can be added perpendicular to the inside to provide an additional barrier against an inside takeaway specifically during chipping.

The inside takeaway in chipping is usually a subconscious import from the full swing — golfers who have developed an inside takeaway habit in their full swing apply the same movement to shorter shots. In chipping, that inside rip creates the same problem it does in the full swing: the club approaches the ball from inside-to-out, the low point shifts, and contact becomes inconsistent — thin shots, chunk shots, and directional errors. David's train track corridor catches the inside move the same way Matt Tindale's dual-barrier drill catches it in the full swing: the track is there and the club either stays in it or it doesn't.

Yes — and this is one of the most important distinctions in short game mechanics. In chipping, the stroke is short enough and the club is gripped far enough down that a straight-back, straight-through path is both achievable and desirable for consistent low-point control. The club doesn't need to travel on a significant arc because the stroke length is minimal. In putting, as Brad Pluth explains in his Arc vs. Straight Drill, the natural lie angle of the putter creates a slight arc even for short strokes — meaning the train tracks are most useful for confirming the putter isn't drastically offline rather than enforcing a perfectly straight path. David uses the same physical setup for both because the corridor is loose enough to accommodate the slight natural arc in putting while providing meaningful constraint for chipping.

The two parallel rods create a visual and physical channel that makes path deviations immediately visible. A putter that exits the tracks to the outside indicates the face was open and the path pushed out-to-in. A putter that exits to the inside indicates the face was closed or the path was in-to-out. A putter that stays between the tracks throughout the stroke confirms both path and face are in the correct relationship to the target line. Because start line is the primary variable in short putts — where break is minimal and a consistent start line determines whether the ball reaches the hole — the tracks provide exactly the feedback that matters most on the greens.

The three putting drills form a complete stroke shape education system. Jason Kuiper's Linear Putting Stroke Drill uses the pathpal at 70 degrees with the heel riding the rod to produce a near-zero arc, ultra-linear path — the most extreme straight stroke model. Brad Pluth's Arc vs. Straight Drill debunks the straight-back myth and trains the natural arc the putter's geometry produces — using the 75-degree pathpal reference. David Potts' Train Tracks creates a corridor wide enough to accommodate either stroke style — it's a path awareness and fault-catching tool that doesn't prescribe a specific arc degree, making it the most universally applicable of the three putting drills and the natural starting point before a golfer chooses the arc or linear model that fits their putter and setup.