Best Driving Range Drills (Make the Most of Your Time on the Range)
Heading to the range to practice is a good first step. However, if you are not practicing effectively, it’s not worth your time.
The driving range is important, but to maximize your range time, it’s important to use drills that focus on fundamentals like wrist mechanics, swing path, impact stability, and even the release of the club.
We put together the best driving range drills while most require just an alignment stick, having the HackMotion with you will help speed up the learning process.
Contents
The Secret to a Better Golf Swing Starts with Your Wrists
Your clubface angle at impact determines 80% of your shot’s direction—your wrists control that angle. Click here for the best drills to master your wrist mechanics and take control of your game.
8 Driving Range Drills for a More Effective Practice Session
Motorcycle Drill
If your swing produces an open clubface and a slice from time to time, it’s because your clubface is not square at impact.
After studying millions of swings from amateur and professional golfers, we know this happens because of poor clubface management from the top of the backswing to impact.
The motorcycle drill helps if you struggle with the open clubface at the top and your wrist position may be too extended.
The Motorcycle Drill is built into the HackMotion app, so you can practice this in real time to make faster progress.
Motorcycle Drill – Master Wrist Flexion in the Downswing
Focus on continuously adding flexion until the club reaches parallel, then smoothly complete your swing.
Motorcycle Drill – Step by Step:
- At the top of your backswing, ensure your lead wrist is neutral or slightly bowed.
- It feels like you are twisting a motorcycle throttle downward in transition to close the clubface. You are moving your wrist from extended to flexed.
- Practice at least ten times.
- Use HackMotion’s feedback to track wrist flexion as you practice.
- Hit golf balls without doing the “revving” motion and see if progress has been made.
Alignment Stick Station Drill
If you will be on the driving range for a while, set up an alignment stick station to help yourself practice effectively.
With the alignment stick station setup, you can work on the swing path and swing direction and fix issues like an inside-to-outside or over-the-top golf swing.
- Video Timestamp: 1:02 – 2:14
Alignment Stick Station Drill – Step by Step:
- Stick an alignment rod into the ground at an angle similar to your shaft at address.
- Swing under or over the stick depending on what you’re working on (e.g., preventing an over-the-top move).
- Leave an alignment stick on the ground to help with setup and alignment.
Release Drill
If you have a hard time with ball striking consistency, distance, and the angle of your clubface at impact, the release drill can help you stabilize your shots and make better contact.
While you can practice this drill without the HackMotion app, you’ll miss the real-time feedback that the app provides.
Perfect Your Release with HackMotion
Fine-tune your release for consistent contact. Start with a short swing to master control before adding power.
Release Drill – Step by Step:
- Swing back so the club is at first parallel, about waist-high.
- Check the wrist position.
- Swing through the ball until the club is parallel to the ground again.
- Maintain correct wrist angle at impact with the hands more forward (lead wrist flexed) than they were at address.
- Do at least 10 reps, then take a full swing.
Follow-Through Drag Drill
While a follow-through happens after you strike the golf ball, some serious mistakes golfers make in the swing will show up in the follow-through.
This simple alignment stick drill helps promote a better finish, weight shift, and arm structure. If you struggle with early extension, flipping, or slowing down through the golf ball, the follow-through drag drill can help you fix it.
- Video Timestamp: 2:29 – 4:12
Follow-Through Drag Drill – Step by Step:
- Place an alignment stick behind where the golf ball would be in your stance, about a foot or more behind.
- Grip the alignment stick as you would your golf club.
- Drag it along the ground through impact, ensuring a smooth transition into the follow-through.
- Pay attention to the wrist angles and the forward shaft lean you create in using this drill.
- Helps maintain wrist structure and prevent flipping at impact.
Tee Under Arms Drill
This is another basic but highly useful driving range drill where you can work on staying more connected, improving your accuracy and consistency.
If you want a great way to warm up on the driving range before a round of golf, the tee underarms drill is a smart way to go about it.
For this one, you can use tees or two golf gloves.
- Video Timestamp: 8:30 – 10:12
Tee Under Arms Drill – Step by Step:
- Place a golf tee, glove, or towel under both arms.
- Make swings while keeping the objects in place to train a more connected, rotational swing.
- Helps reduce overactive hands and arms in the swing. Don’t let the tees or gloves fall out; practice ten or more swings, and then try without.
Preset Wrist Backswing Drill
Do you struggle with your takeaway and wonder where the club should be?
If you do, the preset wrist backswing drill is a great place to start. This classic golf drill helps you preset the correct wrist angles early in the swing.
It takes a bit of time to get used to this position, and having the HackMotion and an alignment stick available to help you will be beneficial.
- Video Timestamp: 1:00 – 3:15
Preset Wrist Drill – Step by Step:
- At address, slightly bow your lead wrist and extend your trail wrist.
- Lift the club to waist height while maintaining these angles.
- Pause at this point.
- Swing to the top while checking HackMotion data to ensure proper wrist positioning.
- Learn to eventually swing through and hit a ball using this method.
Hit Hard, Stop Quick Drill
This drill from Rob Cheney may be one that you have not heard of before. The goal here is to try and stop your club just after you strike the golf ball.
To do this, you must have a lead wrist that is completely flat at impact. If the club is in the wrong position because you have flipped your lead wrist, the chance of stopping the club is slim to none.
- Video Timestamp: 4:37 – 9:50
Hit Hard, Stop Quick Drill – Step by Step:
- Take a complete golf swing, but stop the club just after impact.
- Check the position of the golf club and the result of the golf shot.
- Are your hands still ahead of the clubface, or are they behind it? Do you have extension in your lead arm?
- Check your HackMotion wrist analysis for these shots and see if you have more flexion in the lead wrist when working on this drill. Then, use that data to train the perfect impact position.
Handle in the Bucket Drill
For the handle in the bucket drill, you will need a driving range basket, so this is the perfect place to try the drill.
While the handle in the bucket can work for any golfer trying to train a better path, we find it to be a great drill for players who slice.
Handle in the Bucket Drill – Step by Step:
- Set up with a range bucket on an alignment stick or shaft (as seen in the video).
- Start by setting up as you normally would to hit a shot.
- Swing to the top of your backswing.
- Aim to get the handle in the bucket as part of the downswing.
- This is a great drill for golfers who get too steep and need to shallow out their swing.
Final Thoughts
The driving range is the perfect place to implement structured, targeted practice.
If you’re working on swing mechanics, incorporating HackMotion’s feedback while practicing these drills will help speed up your improvement.
Focus on one drill per session, track your wrist data, and watch your ball-striking improve dramatically!
Your feedback shapes the future of our articles. Help us deliver the best content for you.
Great to hear! But what could we add to make it even better? Share any suggestions to make this post top-notch.
We're sorry to hear that. Could you share what was missing or off?
