The TrueStrike Anti-Over-the-Top Drill

Block the Outside-In Path and Establish an Inside-Out Swing

Focus: Full Swing

Drill Objective

This drill utilizes a single TrueStrike, angled on the ground, to act as a physical barrier and provide immediate feedback for golfers struggling with an "over-the-top" (outside-to-in) swing path. By positioning the brick at an inside-to-out angle, it forces the golfer to approach the ball from the inside, eliminating slices and pulls caused by a steep outside path.

Set-Up

  1. Place a single TrueStrike pad on the ground, angled to promote your desired swing path (in this case, an inside-to-out path).
  2. Place a golf ball approximately one inch away from the near edge or corner of the TrueStrike pad. The closer the ball is to the pad, the more challenging the drill.
  3. Anchor the pad down (if possible) or ensure it is stable enough to withstand being lightly grazed.

Instructions

  1. Address the ball with the TrueStrike pad positioned outside and slightly ahead of the ball, guarding the path you want to avoid.
  2. Swing the club, focusing on missing the pad entirely.
  3. If you come "over the top" (outside-to-in path), the club will strike or "nick" the TrueStrike pad, giving you immediate feedback that the swing path was incorrect.
  4. A proper swing (inside-to-out) will miss the pad and result in no movement of the pad.
  5. Continue practicing to groove the feeling of the inside-out approach and consistently miss the pad.

Benefits

Encourages In-to-Out Path
Reduce Heel Misses
Brent Witcher
Brent Witcher
Director of Instruction
The Back Nine West Midtown
  • 2009: Jack Nicklaus Award Winner, Nations Top NCAA Division II men's golfer
  • 2008-2009: All-American Golfer at VAldosta State
  • 2015: Valdosta State University Hall of Fame

Specific Drill Reviews

""Countless how many applications you can use for it""

Jake Reeves
Jake Reeves Director of Instruction, Fox Den Country club

""There's a million ways to use this""

Jacob Tilton
Jacob Tilton Director of Instruction, Ansley Golf Club

""If you’re serious about improving your swing, I can’t recommend pathpal enough. It’s versatile, dependable, and backed by an owner who genuinely cares about his customers.""

Ken W
Ken W Avid golfer

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Drill FAQ

Questions About This Drill

Get clear answers on setup, swing feel, common mistakes, and how to get the most out of this PathPal drill.

Brent Witcher places the TrueStrike pad slightly outside and angled along the ball's path, leaving about an inch of clearance between the pad's edge and the club at address. If you come over the top, your clubhead strikes the pad — instant feedback. If your path is truly inside-out, the club misses the pad cleanly. It turns an invisible path problem into a physical pass/fail test on every single swing.

The easiest real-time check is ball flight: an outside-in path with an open face produces a slice that curves left-to-right (for right-handers), while a pull straight left means the face was square to the outside-in path. A more reliable method is Brent's barrier drill — if the club consistently catches the pad on the outside, your path is over the top. If it clears on the inside edge, your path is inside-out. TrackMan and similar launch monitors can also quantify it precisely.

Brent recommends leaving approximately one inch of clearance between the end of the club and the edge of the pad at address. This gap is intentional — it's tight enough that any meaningful over-the-top move will catch the corner of the pad, but forgiving enough that a proper inside-out path clears it with room to spare. Too close and you'll catch it even on good swings; too far and it loses its effectiveness as a feedback tool.

Both drills address the same root problem — the over-the-top move — but they target different points in the swing. The Arm Drop Drill uses the pathpal rod to intercept a steep downswing during transition, training the feeling of dropping the arms under the plane. The TrueStrike Drill uses the pad as a ground-level barrier at impact, enforcing the correct inside-out path at the moment the club meets the ball. Together they address both the cause (transition) and the result (impact path).

Yes — Brent notes that the pathpal pad itself can serve the same purpose. In a pinch, a headcover, a towel, or an alignment stick laid flat on the ground just outside the ball can create a similar barrier. The key is placing the object slightly on the outside path of the ball at a slight angle so it intercepts an over-the-top swing without being in the way of a proper inside-out path. The TrueStrike pad is ideal because it's stable, weighted, and won't move unexpectedly on a near-miss.

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Full Video Transcript

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My name is Brent Witcher. I'm here at The Back Nine in West Midtown, and right now I'm using the pathpal's TrueStrike pad.

What This Drill Does

If you're coming over the top, this pad is going to catch you. I have it anchored here, slightly angled on an inside-to-out path. The goal is simple: swing inside-out and miss the pad. Come over the top, and you'll hit it.

The Correct Swing

Let me show you what should happen with a proper swing...

No contact with the pad. That tells me my path was inside-out. You can see the angle I have it set at — it's aligned to confirm that inside-to-out direction. I leave about an inch of clearance between the end of the club and the edge of the pad.

The Over-the-Top Swing

Now let me demonstrate what happens when I come over it significantly...

There it is — a big slice. I nicked the corner of the pad. You can see exactly what an outside-in path does to ball flight. The pad stayed in place, which means it works just as well as a feedback tool without interrupting practice.

Who This Is For

Whether you're fighting outside-to-in or trying to confirm your path is truly inside-out, this drill gives you immediate, undeniable feedback on every swing. No guessing.

Transcript lightly edited for clarity.