Best Drills to Improve Your Golf Accuracy

24 October 2025

Hey there, golfer! Whether you’re brand new to the game or you've been chasing that little white ball for years, one thing’s for certain—accuracy is everything. You might have a monster drive, but if your shots aren't landing where you want them to, your scorecard will feel the pain.

The good news? Accuracy is something that can absolutely be improved with the right drills and a little bit of sweat equity. So grab your clubs, get comfy, and let's talk about the best drills to improve your golf accuracy and turn those wayward shots into pin-seeking missiles.

Why Accuracy Beats Distance Every Time

Let’s face it, booming a drive 300 yards feels downright heroic, but if it ends up three fairways over or buried in the trees, what’s the point? Golf is a game of precision. Hitting fairways, sticking greens, and putting yourself in scoring positions are key if you're serious about improving.

Think of golf like darts. You could throw it as hard as you like… but if you miss the board, you're just poking holes in the wall. Same with golf—accuracy outweighs raw power more often than not.

Warm-up First: The Unsung Hero of Accuracy

Before diving into drills, let's talk warm-up. You wouldn’t sprint without stretching, right? Same logic applies here. Start every session with at least 10–15 minutes of gentle swings, putting, and chipping. Your muscles need to be loose, and your tempo needs to be smooth, otherwise you're just setting yourself up to reinforce bad habits.

Now, let’s dig into the best drills to improve your golf accuracy.

1. Alignment Stick Drill

What It Fixes:

- Poor aim
- Inconsistent target lines
- Misaligned stance

This one’s simple but powerful. Grab two alignment sticks (or even a couple of old clubs if you’re in a pinch).

How to Do It:

- Lay one stick pointing straight at your target—that’s your ball-to-target line.
- Lay the second stick parallel to that on your foot line.
- When you set up, your toes should be aligned with the second stick and shoulders square.

This gives you a visual cue and reinforces what good alignment actually feels like. If your feet, hips, and shoulders are pointing the wrong way, your shots will too—period.

Pro Tip:

Practice this at the range and take a mental snapshot. When you're on the course without sticks, visualize them to stay dialed in.

2. Gate Drill (Putting and Full Swing)

What It Fixes:

- Off-center hits
- Clubface control
- Ball striking accuracy

The gate drill is all about building muscle memory for center contact. And when you hit the sweet spot more often, your accuracy skyrockets.

For Putting:

- Set two tees just wider than your putter head.
- Putt through the "gate" without knocking the tees.

For Full Swing:

- Use two tees or sticks slightly wider than your clubhead.
- Try to swing through without disturbing them.

It’s like threading a needle—tough at first, but incredibly effective.

3. Nine-Shot Drill (Tiger Woods Favorite)

What It Fixes:

- Shot shaping
- Trajectory control
- Face-to-path awareness

Tiger made this one famous, and there's a reason: it teaches you complete control over your shots.

The Drill:

Hit nine different shots intentionally:
- High fade
- Mid fade
- Low fade
- High straight
- Mid straight
- Low straight
- High draw
- Mid draw
- Low draw

Sound tough? It is! But that’s the point. You’ll learn how your body and club interact, and you’ll start controlling the ball instead of reacting to it.

4. Target Practice Drill

What It Fixes:

- Visual focus
- Shot commitment
- Dispersed shot patterns

Don't just mindlessly beat balls at the range. Pick a specific target every time—a tree, a flag, a sign—and aim for it, just like you'd do on the course.

How to Do It:

- Use one ball at a time.
- Go through your full routine—pre-shot, aim, swing, evaluate.
- Keep score: one point for every ball within 10 yards of the target.

This transforms your range time from zombie-mode to an actual training session. Golf is mental, and this drill builds focus and repeatability.

5. Feet-Together Drill

What It Fixes:

- Balance and stability
- Compact motion
- Core engagement

Ever feel like you're falling over in your follow-through? That loss of balance kills accuracy. This drill is like yoga for your swing.

How to Do It:

- Stand with your feet together.
- Swing normally—start with half swings.
- Stay balanced throughout the swing; no stumbling.

When your body learns to hit shots without needing a wide stance, your stability grows. And guess what? Stable swings are accurate swings.

6. Towel Under Arm Drill

What It Fixes:

- Arm-body connection
- Flipping or casting
- Consistency in takeaway

Sloppy arms equal sloppy shots. This tried-and-true drill keeps everything connected.

How to Do It:

- Place a small towel under both armpits.
- Take slow, controlled swings without dropping the towel.

You'll feel more compact, in control, and connected during the entire swing. This is gold for short game accuracy too—especially chipping and pitching.

7. Pause at the Top Drill

What It Fixes:

- Rushed transitions
- Clubface control
- Swing tempo

One of the most common causes of inaccuracy is a rushed transition from backswing to downswing. That’s where this drill works magic.

How to Do It:

- Take your backswing as normal.
- Pause for a full second at the top.
- Then initiate the downswing smoothly.

This helps prevent over-the-top swings and gives you time to properly square the clubface.

8. Eyes-Closed Drill

What It Fixes:

- Feel and intuition
- Overthinking
- Trust in mechanics

Sounds weird, right? But it's incredibly effective. Shutting off one sense heightens the others—like Daredevil with a 7-iron.

How to Do It:

- Take a few slow swings with your eyes closed.
- Focus on feel—balance, rhythm, and where you strike the ball.

This builds internal awareness. That way, even when pressure mounts on the 18th hole, you can trust your swing.

9. Impact Tape or Foot Spray Drill

What It Fixes:

- Strike location
- Consistency
- Gear effect awareness

You can't fix what you don't measure. Using impact tape or a quick mist of foot spray on your clubface shows exactly where you're hitting the ball.

How to Do It:

- Spray the clubface lightly (or use impact tape).
- Hit a ball and check the mark.
- Adjust your stance, ball position, or swing depending on results.

If you're consistently off-center—heel or toe—it’s no wonder you’re spraying shots. This drill gives feedback in real time.

10. One-Handed Shots

What It Fixes:

- Hand-path control
- Tempo
- Swing path awareness

Swinging with just one hand uncovers hidden flaws in your motion.

How to Do It:

- Try half-swings with just your lead hand (left for righties).
- Then switch and do the same with trail hand.
- Focus on clean, solid contact.

You’ll build strength, coordination, and understand what each hand contributes to your swing.

Bonus Tip: Track Your Progress

Snap a quick video now and then. Compare your swing before and after incorporating these drills. You might be surprised at how much more confident you’ll look—and swing. Or better yet, use a golf tracking app to monitor your accuracy stats over time. You can’t argue with data.

Final Thoughts: Small Swings, Big Wins

Improving your golf accuracy isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It’s about doing the little things well—over and over again. These drills are like gym reps for your swing mechanics. The more you do them, the more repeatable your swing becomes. And when your swing is repeatable, your shots are accurate.

So next time you hit the range, skip the “grip it and rip it” mindset. Get specific. Get focused. And most importantly—have some fun with it! Golf’s a game, after all.

Keep grinding, keep learning, and you’ll see that leaderboard creeping closer day by day.