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How to Perfect an Inside-Out Golf Swing: Step-by-Step Guide with Proven Drills

Golfers talk about the inside-out golf swing as if it’s the ultimate goal for every player’s swing.

While an inside-out motion can sometimes be extreme, golfers who stick to this general path tend to achieve better consistency in their ball striking.

If your golf swing is more outside-in than inside-out, you’re in the right place. We will go through some tips and drills to help you achieve an inside-out golf swing.

Get an Inside-Out Golf Swing (Key Takeaways)

If you don’t have time to head to the driving range right now, here are the most important points to remember:

  • The inside-out swing promotes a draw or a straight shot and reduces the likelihood of a slice.
  • One factor that can prevent you from finding this inside-out golf swing path is the position of your lead wrist. Too much extension in the lead wrist creates an over-the-top, outside-in motion.
  • Incorporating the lower body, especially as a way to initiate the start of the downswing, is helpful in achieving the inside-out path.
  • To help promote a draw ball flight and create space for the club to swing from the inside out, it’s okay to aim just slightly right of the target with your body.
  • Wearing HackMotion while practicing an inside-out golf swing ensures your clubface angle at impact is optimized, allowing for the correct ball flight and shot pattern.
Take a 2-minute Quiz and Step Up Your Game!

1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?

What Are the Benefits of Inside Out Golf Swing?

The inside out golf swing creates a more desirable ball flight path for many golfers.

If you can swing with an inside out path and keep the clubface square or even slightly closed you’ll see straight or draw type golf shots.

The inside out golf swing improves accuracy and control and helps golfers increase distance and consistency.

How to Get an Inside-Out Golf Swing

To get an inside-out golf swing, you need to work on four areas of the swing. These include setup, proper takeaways, lower body rotation, and maintaining a square clubface at impact.

Start with the setup and stance, and work your way through each step of this process.

Setup and Stance

To get the club to swing inside out, you need to make sure it has room to travel along this path. For many golfers, taking a slightly open stance will help ensure that there is space to drop the arms in and then have them swing down a bit more on the inside.

You’ll notice that aiming to the right like this can also help in promoting more of a draw ball flight. The problem with it of course is the chance of pushing or hooking the shot.

Some players feel like they just drop their right foot back an inch or so, and that’s enough room to feel this more inside-out motion. If the trail foot is further ahead of the lead foot, you won’t have room to drop the club into place.

Keep the Clubhead Inside the Target Line on the Takeaway

The next part of the inside out golf swing is to take the club back slightly inside the target line.

There are a few different ways you can work on this with an alignment stick on the ground or by feeling like you push the club back just a bit.

You do not need to start the club too far inside to end up on this inside-out takeaway. Don’t let your wrists roll on the backswing. Keep that same position and just feel it a little inside the line.

As the club starts heading back, make sure your body is starting to coil, and your shoulders are rotating.

Initiate the Downswing with the Lower Body

As we discussed with the setup, you want to ensure you have the room to swing the club from the inside out.

With the club at the top of your backswing, to create the space for your inside-out motion, you need to initiate the downswing with your lower body.

When your hips turn toward your target, the club has room to drop and take an inside-outside path relative to the target line.

Wear your HackMotion when working on this. If your lead wrist is flat or slightly flexed at the top of the backswing, it’s much easier to find that inside-out path and keep the clubface square.

Square Clubface at Impact

To achieve the slight draw you hope to achieve with this inside-outside swing, you want to have a square clubface at impact.

To maintain that square clubface, your lead wrist must be slightly flexed or at least flat.

We have analyzed more than 1,000,000 swings, and the best golfers are those who can maintain that slightly flexed lead wrist all the way through impact. Focus on that slightly inside-out path and ensure that your wrist is in the right position.

With an extended wrist or what you may know of as a cupped wrist, you’ll lose both accuracy and distance when trying to swing on this inside out path.

Drills to Improve Your Inside-Out Swing

Now that you know the basics of what you can do to swing more inside out, here are the best drills to help you master this movement.

Take a 2-minute Quiz and Step Up Your Game!

1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?

Alignment Stick Drill

A very basic alignment stick drill to help get you started in this process requires you to put the stick on the ground just outside the golf ball.

As you take the club back, focus on keeping it inside the stick. When you get to impact, you’ll also want to come from the inside and not strike the alignment stick.

Brush the Grass with Your Head Behind the Ball

One issue that causes golfers not to be able to swing inside out is their head moving forward or ahead of the golf ball at impact.

To fix this practice this drill from Paul Wilson where your head stays behind the ball just a second longer.

Pause in the Follow Through Drill

For this drill you’ll focus on where the club is headed in the follow through.

As important as it is to get this inside to out swing path, if your club is being pushed too far out in the follow through it could cause issues with shot direction.

Try this pause in the follow through and wear your HackMotion while doing it to get instant feedback.

What Can Happen if You Overdo It

The inside-out golf swing is all good until you start to overdo this move. If that happens, there are some signs you want to look out for to help get you back on track.

  • Look for hooks or pulls that mean that your path is too extreme; bring it back closer to the square and see if that helps.
  • Loss of control in shots can happen if the clubface is not square to the target line; check your wrist position with the HackMotion wrist sensor. It’s like having your coach with you at the range.
  • Decreases in balance can happen if you take the club too far outside, leaving weight on your back leg and not transferring through the ball. Try to always keep your rhythm and balance in place when practicing the inside-out move.

Final Thoughts

An inside-out golf swing path is ideal for most players.

However, you’ll see when working with your HackMotion that if that lead wrist position is not square or slightly flexed through impact, there is almost no chance of hitting the golf ball straight to the target.

Work on this inside-out path while also maintaining the proper clubface angles through a perfect wrist position.

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Brittany Olizarowicz
written by Britt Olizarowicz

Britt Olizarowicz is a golf professional who has played the game for more than 30 years. In addition to loving the game of golf, Britt has a degree in math education and loves analyzing data and using it to improve her game and the games of those around her. If you want actionable tips on how to improve your golf swing and become a better player, read her guides.