Best Golf Drills for Beginners

Beginners often improve fastest not by hitting endless full-shot buckets, but by working focused drills that build the fundamentals: grip, setup, contact, and tempo. The drills below target the skills that matter most early on and can be practiced at a range, on a mat at home, or even in a backyard.

Grip and Setup Drills

A sound grip and setup solve many problems before the club ever moves.

Glove Logo Check

Hold your lead hand on the club and check that the logo on your glove points roughly toward your trail shoulder. This is a simple visual cue for a neutral grip, which helps prevent the club face from being too open or closed at impact.

Alignment Stick Gate

Lay two alignment sticks on the ground: one along your target line and one just outside your feet, parallel to the first. Step into the "gate" they form to check that your feet, hips, and shoulders are square to the target. Poor alignment is one of the most common reasons beginners miss shots left or right even when contact feels solid.

Contact and Ball-Striking Drills

Tee Height Ladder

Place three balls on tees of slightly different heights and hit them with a mid-iron, aiming to catch the ball first, then the turf. This teaches a descending strike with irons and helps beginners avoid the common fault of hitting behind the ball ("fat" shots).

Coin or Tee Under the Ball

Place a coin or tee just in front of the ball on the target side. The goal is to clip it after striking the ball, reinforcing a forward, descending blow rather than scooping.

Half-Swing Drill

Make swings that only go to hip height on the backswing and follow-through. Shorter swings are easier to control and force you to focus on solid, centered contact rather than power. Once contact is consistent, gradually lengthen the swing.

Tempo and Rhythm Drills

Count-to-Three Swing

Say "one" on the takeaway, "two" at the top, and "three" through impact. This simple counting drill slows down a rushed transition, which is one of the most common tempo issues for new golfers.

Split-Grip Drill

Grip the club with your hands a few inches apart and make slow, smooth practice swings. This exaggerates the feeling of the club swinging on its own arc and helps beginners avoid an overly handsy, jerky motion.

Short Game Drills

Beginners often neglect the short game, but it offers the fastest way to lower scores.

• Clock putting: Place balls at 2, 4, and 6 feet around a hole like numbers on a clock and putt each one before moving to the next distance.
• Ladder chipping: Chip several balls trying to land each one slightly farther than the last, building feel for distance control.
• One-hop bunker drill: From a greenside bunker, focus on splashing sand out with the ball landing softly and rolling minimally, rather than trying to hit the ball cleanly.

Putting Fundamentals

• Keep your eyes roughly over the ball at address.
• Use a consistent pre-shot routine, even for short putts.
• Practice starting the ball on your intended line from three feet before worrying about longer putts.

Building a Practice Routine

• Spend at least half of practice time on short game (putting, chipping, bunker play), since it accounts for a large share of strokes in most rounds.
• Practice with a purpose: pick one drill per session rather than trying to fix everything at once.
• Track simple results, such as how many balls out of ten start on your target line, to measure progress over time.
• Consider a few lessons from a PGA or LPGA professional early on to make sure your grip, alignment, and posture are sound, since bad habits are harder to change once they set in.

Play more golf

Drills build skill, but nothing replaces time on the course with other players. If you are looking for people to play with, TeeLinkUp can help you find golfers of similar experience and pace near you, so you can put these drills to work in a real round.

Common Beginner Mistakes These Drills Address

Most new golfers share a similar set of struggles, and understanding the underlying cause makes drills far more effective than randomly hitting balls.

• Topped shots: Usually caused by standing up out of posture during the swing or an overly steep, handsy takeaway. The half-swing drill and tee height ladder both help groove a more stable, repeatable motion.
• Slices: Often the result of an open club face at impact combined with an out-to-in swing path. Checking grip with the glove logo drill and practicing square alignment with the gate drill are good starting points.
• Inconsistent contact: Frequently linked to poor posture or ball position that changes from swing to swing. Using the same pre-shot routine and ball position on every full swing removes one variable at a time.
• Three-putting: Often comes from poor speed control on the first putt rather than a bad read. The clock putting drill builds the touch needed to leave shorter, more makeable second putts.

Equipment Considerations for New Golfers

You do not need premium equipment to practice these drills effectively, but a few basics help.

• A set of properly fitted clubs, even an affordable starter set, makes a noticeable difference versus clubs that are too long, short, or heavy.
• Alignment sticks are inexpensive and useful for several of the drills above; two sticks cover most needs.
• A basic practice mat with rubber tees works well for backyard or indoor practice when a range is not convenient.
• Comfortable, flat-soled shoes with some grip help with balance during practice swings.

How Often to Practice

Consistency matters more than the length of any single session. Beginners tend to improve faster with several short practice sessions per week than one long session followed by weeks off. A helpful approach:

• Two or three sessions per week of 30 to 45 minutes each
• Roughly half the time on full swing drills, half on short game and putting
• One drill or focus area per session rather than trying to fix several swing faults at once

Tracking Progress

Simple measures can help beginners see improvement over time without needing advanced technology.

• Count how many balls out of ten finish within a defined target area from 100 yards
• Track putts made from three, six, and ten feet in a short putting session
• Note how many fairways or greens you hit during a casual round, understanding that steady improvement, not perfection, is the realistic goal

When to Get Professional Help

A few lessons early on, even just one or two, can save months of practicing bad habits. A PGA or LPGA professional can check your grip, posture, alignment, and ball position quickly and give you specific drills tailored to your swing tendencies rather than generic advice. Many golf facilities also offer beginner clinics or group lessons, which can be a lower-cost way to learn fundamentals alongside other new players.