Steepen your Angle of Attack

Improve Your Short Game by Steepening Your Attack Angle

Sticks: 2

Config: Together

Focus: Short Game

Drill Objective

This drill uses the pathpal and two alignment sticks to create a narrow gate, forcing golfers to control their swing path and steepen their angle of attack, which is crucial for crisp contact and spin on short game shots. The difficulty can be adjusted by changing the ball's proximity to the pathpal.

Set-Up

Position the device: Set one pathpal half down so the long side is facing the target.
Create the Gate: Place the two pathpal halves with their alignment sticks on the ground, creating a narrow "gate" that your club must swing through. The sticks should be positioned to guide a relatively straight path. Pat demonstrates with an alignment stick in the tunnel under the 45-degree slot. and the other alignment stick in the ground tunnel below either the 50 or 60-degree slot (Pat mentions using either depending on level of difficulty you're trying to use).
Position the Ball: Place your golf ball reasonably close to the pathpal setup. To increase difficulty, move the ball closer to the pathpal. To decrease difficulty, move it further away.

Instructions

Swing Through the Gate: Your primary goal is to swing your club between the two alignment sticks without hitting either one. This forces precise club path control.
Focus on Downward Angle: As you swing, concentrate on getting your angle of attack significantly downward. The setup implicitly encourages this, as an overly shallow or fat swing will likely hit the pathpal. The instructor aims for a 10-degree downward angle for small chip shots.
Hit Down and Through: Emphasize hitting down on the ball, taking a divot after the ball, to achieve solid contact and generate spin.
Adjust Difficulty: If you're consistently hitting the sticks, move the ball slightly further away. If you're easily clearing them, move the ball closer to challenge yourself more.
Practice your swings: Do not swing at full speed, the goal is to work on establishing new swing patterns and habits. Take care not to hit the device as hitting any device with speed can potentially damage the device, your club, or cause injury.