After watching the best players in the world put on a ball striking masterclass at The Masters a few weeks ago, I was once again motivated to get out to the driving range in the pursuit of progress.
However, after working my way through some of the best ball striking drills, I started to notice a pattern of poor contact emerging.
With the 2025 golf season now firmly upon us, I was obviously keen to find a quick fix.
Thankfully, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Neil Marr was able to provide a fantastic solution to my problem in three simple steps... and all I needed was a golf towel.
1. Swaying
Swaying your upper body off the ball rather than turning is a major cause of poor contact. It shifts your weight away from the target, and if you don’t then move it back across, you’ll hit the turf - or in this drill, the towel – early.
It’s far better not to sway in the first place - but if you are past that point already this drill can help you to sway no more!
2. Move The Divot Forward
Do you know how far you hit the clubs in your bag? Understanding how far amateur golfers hit their irons (and how you compare) can help you to understand the impact of poor contact - as it will ultimately cost you distance.
This drill promotes the ‘ball first’ strike you need for full distances.
Lay a towel down behind the ball, as in the image, and keep your upper body over the ball as you swing back, so when you swing down and through, your divot is well after the towel.
3. Practise First
Go for practice swings only at first as you seek to move the bottom of your swing arc forward. If you catch the towel at impact, it will likely be because you swayed off the ball or scooped at it with the hands.
This is a good way to fix things without thinking about mechanics – just think about missing the towel rather than how to hit an iron shot.
How often do amateur golfers miss the green due to poor contact?
It's hard to say whether poor contact is always the cause of players coming up short of the green, but I think it's fairly safe to say it would be one of the leading causes.
According to Shot Scope, the average amateur golfer comes up short of the green from 100 yards almost 30% of the time - so three shots in ten.
The breakdown of short misses by handicap index is outlined in the table below, with a clear correlation between handicap index and success when going for the green from 100 yards.
With many high-handicappers struggling with their ball striking and finding solid contact, I would say this appears to be a great area for focus in the pursuit of a lower handicap.
