Improve Your Ball Striking With A 'Plane' And Simple Iron Play Drill (That You Haven't Tried Before)

If you head to the range for a practice session you will likely see lots of golfers practicing iron play drills as they search for improvement, perhaps using the 20 best ball striking lesson for amateurs, but I guarantee you won't have seen this one!

As I will discuss later in this piece, I love to think outside the box in an attempt to engage golfers and empower them to find the marginal gains that could hold the key to rapid progress.

Whether you are making a coffee and checking your grip using a plastic stirrer or using a magic sponge to make sure you never shank it again, there are so many items around the home that can help to make you a better golfer.

In this article, I am doubling down on that theory and utilising one surprising item in a simple iron play drill that will improve your ball striking...

Iron Play Drills: Better Ball Striking Is 'Plane' And Simple

Russell Covey

In his impressive coaching career, Russell Covey has helped countless amateurs and professional golfers, from beginner to elite, achieve their goals and play their best golf.

Russell's students having notched up wins in the Spanish, French, Dutch, Scottish and English Amateur Championships and St Andrews Links Trophy. In 2021, he was named PGA Specialist Professional and PGA Specialist Coach.

Yes, this is a toy aeroplane on my club! I’m always looking out for different kinds of props I can use in lessons, and Brian Manzella was the first coach I saw using this one.

A lot of mid- to high-handicappers, particularly slicers, tend to try and keep the clubface facing the target line for too long post-impact. This image below shows this poor position, with the giveaway being that the wings are pointing to the right.

As you move into the longer clubs, what you’ll inevitably see happening is more of a slice.

Attaching a plane to the club can help those guilty to get away from passive hands. This is what we want to see.

Getting into this position (same position but side-on to the right) may feel awkward at first; in fact, many people I teach find it strange as they feel like the ball is going to go way left.

All I’m trying to do – and this is where the visual aid of the aeroplane helps – is to get golfers to learn how to rotate the forearms, shaft and clubface.

See here how the toe of the club is pointing straight up and the wings of the plane are horizontal.

As long as the wings are at 90˚ to the face of the golf club, in theory, for most people, that’s going to be straight(ish). You can also just about see how the hands work. They roll and rotate.

To get the most out of this drill, just rehearse some slow swings and focus on where the plane’s wings are pointing. Don’t worry about hitting any balls.