My Favorite Drill Which Has Helped Thousands of Golfers 

Wow just got back from the range. Tried this drill. I'm now hitting my 9 iron 304 yards. I'm 211 years old. That's top speed golf

I watch a LOT of golf instruction videos. Clay Ballard and Danny Maude are by far the best guys to learn from. You cannot get better.

might be the best swing coach I’ve seen by a long shot - keep up the great content!

Thank you for simplifying it and making it easy to practice the swing angle

you are the only one who shows the true swing, thank you.

Simple, clear, concise and so easy to follow (also best grip video out there), subscribed and want more! Had my swing checked and it's exactly my fault, worked on this sequence for three weeks, hit the range with it, incredible difference and now addicted to hitting those stingers! Always a long hitter but the heel hits were killing me, early extension, hands thrown out, wrong muscles and too handsy. Thanks so much Clay for sharing, don't change a thing, energised my golf swing and game.

Clay is the man! Love his lessons! Thank you sir!

Thank for this video! amazing drill to understand the motion of the trail hand.

Great lesson and tip Clay. Love how you sequence the steps in the drills to make it easier to understand. Thanks so much!

this may be an old video but I have to say thank you! My swing is pretty good but I always had early extension and was losing yards to my buddies. Today I went to the range and implemented your video and was striping it like never before. I spent $400 on lessons a month ago but this tip was perfect for me & my swing. So thanks for such a good description of what I do, did & needed to feel to fix the issue. I was willing to quit trying to stay down since nothing was working, but now i've found that slot I'm pumped for the season to start.

Best swing tip I’ve seen in a long time!!

Awesome video Clay. This is exactly what I needed.

Excellent teaching Clay! I can't wait to practice this move!

Amazing course Clay. Thx ever so much

This is the best online instruction I have ever seen. I have the exact same problems Clay is saying here. I have been practicing this for over a month now. The problem I have now is without the ball, my form, posture and body mechanics are all perfect, however when the golf ball is in front, my body motion just turns to old form and bad postures. My brain seems just to refuse the new body mechanics when it sees a ball there.

Excellent !!!!

This may well be one of the best lessons I've ever seen.

Very helpful. Thank you.

Best video I have seen. Thank you.

Clear and concise instruction. Thank you brother.

Another Great Video Clay.. As usual ... Thank you

HAIL TO THIS KING! GOD BLESS YOU CLAY!!

Another great lesson Clay!!

Hi Clay. Looked at this video this morning before playing club medal at Radcliffe on Trent Golf Club in Nottinghamshire England. I play off 11 and shot gross 74 net 63 purely because of your golf instruction. Thank you 🏌️‍♂️👍

Always so well done Clay👍 The one thing I really love is that you presented such a quality video with Ping gear 👍

Awesome advice as always Clay and very easy to get what you’re saying and doing. Invaluable for sure. Thanks a million sir!

Great video, Clay. Thank you for sharing the information. This lesson is exactly what I'm struggling with. You are the one online instructor I listen to. You are knowledgeable and articulate.

This is the most important and only lesson you need in golf. If you do this you'll hit it straight every time. This is what the golfing world doesn't want you to know. Unfortunately I found out 30 years too late! Now I'm going to get to scratch in no time but got to practice short game especially chipping. I figured this out one day when I was looking at a baseball swing and thought....

Went down to driving range and tried this. Hitting my 9 iron 165 yards, I am 77. I have watched PRO'S do this for years and always wondered how they did it. NOW, I KNOW! THANKS CLAY!

Very well information. Thanks a bunch!!!

Just got back from the range. Wow! What a difference being “in the slot” made. Best golf video I have seen.

Clay you ability to analogize these mechanics are just amazing. I am 64 and it's not getting any easier to turn. I just tried this drill and was shocked as to how much more weight was transferred to my left leg. Just amazing. Also - maybe this will help others. I like your more closed set up to hit out. I took my putting mirror and checked my shoulder position at set up and was stunned as to how open my shoulders are. When I set them to what I thought was really closed, they were actually then just slightly closed. I wonder how many of us think we are closing them when in reality we are not?

Excellent baseball analogy on the hip clearness in relationship to club angle

Clay, thank you so much for these videos and your instruction. This video in particular was the most impactful instruction I’ve ever seen. This made understanding the swing finally “click” with me after years of trying to understand it. The point you make at 7:40 was the single most influential part. Knowing that you can open up your hips and theoretically swing as hard as you can, but still make consistent contact with forward shaft lean was eye opening in finally understanding how to hit it more consistently. And the fact that you take the same key concepts to hitting every club in the bag and only change ball/stance width. 🤯 Thanks for helping to make the game more accessible and fun for all!

Awesome. This tip really worked for me. To reinforce what I’ve learned I now focus on guiding the butt of the club toward the ball as I start my down swing, then rotating hands with lag through impact. Changed me from fades & slices to straight and draws. Clay is the best!

Clay thank you so much. Your instruction is clear, easy to follow and my game is improving all the time thanks to you my friend.

I like it. Good feels.

Hands down the best swing coach out there today. I’ve never watched instruction, or been instructed in person, like you do. It’s always crystal clear to me. My brain gets what you are putting out there. So thank you!

Incredible stuff!🙌

I just love this. Thank you Clay so much that now my swing is getting better and so the distance :D

One of the best videos out there.

Very fine explanation Clay. Nice job.

excellent video Clay!!!!

Golf is so hard. I never realized how hard it is to hit a golf ball.I just recently joined a country club. Hopefully I can utilize the two pros there to get me the ability to play golf. I always feel like quitting but the fact that it's possible to be able to learn is what keeps me going. I'm trying! golf is the only thing I like doing I play 4 to 5 times a week the other days are spent on the driving range. Literally all week is nothing but practice practice practice. The pros and workers at the range always praise my practice ethic. I'm there everyday and dedicated I'm hoping it pays off. But I stopped watching Rick shiels for tips because you actually dig in to the specifics and get in to every step in full detail and it has helped a lot keep them coming

That is an awesome drill, I just took a video of my swing and I thought I was not chopping down but I was, I hope this will help, great looking drill, thank you again.

Best swing coach I've found. Clay starts at impact, and focuses on the most important parts of the swing, the parts that are shared by all great golfers. Thanks!

Good video. Thanks.

Clay! You have probably shaved an average of 15 to 18 strokes off my game since I subscribed to your videos. I think this and the "tennis racket" drill have given me all the tools I needed to practice my way to dominating my buddies. I can focus so much more on my putting because of how comfortable I have gotten with my swing. Thank you Clay! You the man! Instructor of the Year!

Hi Clay. Great video. Keep it up.

Excellent video!

This is your best video I’ve watched from you. That table top analogy is really something. And then, you show the release in a really interesting view, which makes me believe if we swing to that point, could that be something really good?? Possibly.

Thats exactly what I tried last round and it felt so great. Hit 90% of the fairways with my driver. Pretty straight shots, about 270y at very soft ground conditions. Consistency is very good with this idea of hitting the ball with a baseball bat. Now I can play doggone good golf. Thanks Clay. Keep it up!

Love i use the feeling as if I'm skipping a rock. Same feeling

Just my $.02: The reason many amateurs come down steep and across is because they don't let the hands/club drop far enough in the first part of the downswing. They want to use their shoulders/arms to swing the club and the most powerful position from which to do that is when the shaft is steep and over your trail shoulder. If you let the club drop so the shaft flattens then your shoulders can't be used (or not to great effect); rather, it's almost as if you've got the club head at hip level and the most "powerful" movement is to rotate the hips. It's just like "slinging" the club. Your arms lag and only come through when your hips have done most of their rotation. IOW, proper sequencing. Look, I can't hit a golf ball for s**t, but I can tell when I feel my shoulders/arms are in a powerful position and when my hips are in a powerful position. I'm not trying to be a wise-a**, try it for yourself. My problem is that with an arthritic back rotating my hips doesn't come easy, but that's an excuse. :)

whats so awesome about Clay's videos is that they nearly mirror the information and instruction I get from the pro I work with. It is an excellent reinforcement of the lessons. Last year I had 3 sub par rounds. Thank you Clay and Glen Jones Greenwood Indiana

Just confirming that THIS REALLY WORKS! Hitting my 8 iron 175 today! Combining this with some of your other video's. Thanks again!

Great visualization relating the golf swing to a baseball swing which we are all use to playing. Question on the back swing : why don’t we just take the club back on the shallow down swing plane--then we don’t have to add the extra swing thought of dropping the club down into the slot?

Very helpful im a 9handicap and this made me more consistent thanks

Wow, just tried that. It really puts speed in the swing with little effort. Thanks.

This is the best tip you've gave us ajsni I didn't have to pay for it. Thanks

Clay you ability to analogize these mechanics are just amazing. I am 64 and it's not getting any easier to turn. I just tried this drill and was shocked as to how much more weight was transferred to my left leg. Just amazing. Also - maybe this will help others. I like your more closed set up to hit out. I took my putting mirror and checked my shoulder position at set up and was stunned as to how open my shoulders are. When I set them to what I thought was really closed, they were actually then just slightly closed. I wonder how many of us think we are closing them when in reality we are not?

I took my first lesson and THIS is exactly what he showed me. Flatten the right wrist, bow the left wrist, then just turn the right hip to contact. Felt so bizarre to me. I actually thought he was full of it until I watched your video. Man, does this make a difference. Keep up the great videos!

Great lesson. I always wondered what the advantage was to rolling the clubface open during the takeaway and then having to time the closing of the face on the downswing. Why not just keep the face square or closed as long as possible throughout the swing. This would result in a flat to bowed left wrist at the top of the backswing. Works great for Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Lee Trevino etc. They don't have to time the closing of the face.

Your indicating the left side initiating from the lateral movement towards the target helps the left shoulder rotate up and around which surrenders the strike of the ball to the right side. It allows a flat hitting through the ball rather than hitting behind the ball.

Do I bow my wrists during the backswing as well? Or only during the downswing?

Solid video. Great content. Love how you guys focus on the fundamentals

Shall I use the same drill and concept for driver?

My friend told me about this video went this morning to try it, it works hit my pw 146 carry with no effort. Still need to practice for consistency, brilliant video Clay keep up the great content 👍

Hey Clay. Can I just get a strong left hand grip and hence don’t need to rotate the wrist closed on my down swing? Please advise. Awesome vid

I tried it today at the course and 👍. I’m 59 years old and hit my 7 iron 145ish and my 6 iron 155-160. Now 160 and 170. My driver is probably 245+. I hit my #5 rescue 175 almost 190. Thank you so much.

Great Video. What launch monitor/simulator do you use?

The table-top image really works.

very nice drill, been having problems with my rotation, starting to practice that technique

Best video I have watched on RU-vid which has had such a positive return on my golf game. Started with stepping into the baseball swing to get the hips then upper body moving. After that the swing felt so synced up! My 6 iron went from 150-160 to a constant 180 with a slight draw. - Which for me is a miracle!! Cheers Clay! Love to know if there are any other videos that compliment this one?

Really like this explanation here. Do you recommend a neutral or strong grip with this?

Table top is a great tip.

Hello Mr. Ballard. We have been following you since your RST days. You are a great, clear, concise instructor. Regarding squaring the face, why can we not keep the face square to the path throughout the swing eliminating the need to roll or it on the downswing? Thanks, Gregory

Excellent drills. I have noticed you are using a Foresight launch monitor. Do you still use Flightscope X3 as well?

your half swings are this old mans' full swing... great lesson..

great

This helped me tremendously. I am gaining distance and control of my irons. Only problem is now the ball is not holding the green like it was when I was hitting a much higher ball flight. Time to upgrade to ProV1 I guess. Lol

Love your vids on drills clay! Been hitting a heated range this winter about once a week and trying to record myself to get feedback. What’s a good focus point when you can’t tell any data from shots only direction and flight?

Could I send some videos in and have you analyze them? I’m having trouble with getting shaft lean.

I've watched a ton of golf content online and love yours, but since I started playing a year ago I still can't figure out the swing. I can make it go straight if I tighten way up and focus on hitting the ball, but my 7 iron goes 130 yards. I can hit it really far if I just let go and swing for the fences, but it either goes really far right or a mile high into the sky(driver, with irons I hit the ground and break my damn wrists). I'll keep watching this stuff, but it may be time for professional lessons.

Can I send you videos of my swing so you can fix me lol? Went out for 1st time yesterday. Thanks to your driving drills I'm still bombing them but everything is left. Thanks for all of your videos.

Hi do you bow your wrists with a driver ? or turn your wrists as you demonstrated. thanks Clay nice videos great

The right foot should stay on ground during rotating in downswing or is it ok to lift the right heel as I see you are doing it? When I do that i still top the ball. Please help me out.

"...Hit the ball a mile to the right." It's more like a mile and a half for me. Too much DTL slide /stuck and lack of rotation and release. Been binging on your various videos regarding the release. Hoping I can cut it down to maybe 3/4 of a mile to the right this year. Excellent content as always, Clay. Thanks for the upload!

Great short swing drills for indoor practice, I cant wait until I can take it outdoors once the 45 MPH winds and 15 F weather is gone from the north east.

🔥🔥🔥

obviously a player should never pull down with their hands and arms; but it is possible to get into a delayed position without getting too steep on the ball. some professionals do roll their left wrist over, into a bowed position, but this will not work for the average player. you have to be very powerful to just get the ball in the air with this method, and it can be very punishing on the hands and arms. the simple fact is that we need to apply force to both the left and right side of the shaft, with the left hand

Clay would love to see you do a video doing the fsx skills challenge

my dad and I were both hitting it farther and more consistent yesterday on the course after we saw this video (i shared it with him) thanks Clay

I'm hitting the ball better than ever.. Drawing it a bit too much, but will work on that with my grip. Any other suggestions?

You use the same wrist positions with driver, fairway woods, etc off the tee??

Swing reminds me of Lee Trevino, he can stripe it.

This drill fix my slice problem and chicken wing of my iron very well. But still not fix the slice of my driver. Is there any other tips to fix my driver using this drill?

The issue is how to rotate the lead hip! Is it by straightening yhe leg or just rotation?

Nice. Which I could do this.I am hitting my driver 150-160 if I’m lucky.

so where is that tennis racket drill video? can't find it