Towel Behind the Ball Drill

Placing a towel behind the ball provides immediate feedback to eliminate fat and thin contact by forcing a descending strike.

Set-up: A towel laid on the ground a few inches to a foot behind the ball; strike the ball without touching it.

1. 0:00 The miss it fixes
2. 0:16 Why it works
3. 0:36 Set it up
4. 0:51 The rep
5. 1:14 What good looks and feels like
6. 1:28 Common mistakes
7. 1:46 The practice plan
8. 2:11 Close

Fixes: Fat contact, Thin contact.

The protocol

How to practise it

This set-up places a folded or flat towel on the ground behind the ball to encourage a descending blow without hitting the turf early.

1. Fold the towel to create height Fold the towel two or three times to form a raised ridge a couple of inches thick.
2. Position the towel behind the ball Place the towel anywhere from one inch to a foot behind the ball, or three to four clubheads back when first trying the drill.
3. Establish lead-side weight distribution Set up with most of your weight on your lead foot and your hands set slightly forward ahead of the ball.
4. Strike the ball cleanly Make your swing aiming to miss the towel completely and brush the ground at or beyond the ball.
5. Narrow the gap to increase difficulty Start with plenty of clearance and gradually move the towel closer to the ball as your contact improves.

Common mistakes

What goes wrong

• Hitting the towel on the downswing This shows the club reached its low point too early from casting prematurely or leaving weight on the trail side.
• Thinning or topping the ball to avoid the towel Focus on shifting weight to the lead side and brushing the grass just beyond the ball rather than pulling up.

11 coaches

The coaches who teach this version

Each linked at the second they start.

1. Golf Studio: Why you hit it fat (and thin): it's the same mistake (from 3:58). Place a folded towel about 8 inches behind the golf ball and strike the ball cleanly without hitting the towel.
2. Michael Kanev Golf: The 3 Secret Drills to Pure Iron Compression (from 0:11). Place a folded towel a few inches behind the golf ball to encourage a descending blow and ball-first contact while preventing early casting or club dragging.
3. Top Speed Golf - Clay Ballard: Stop Chunking Your Chips With a Towel Struggling with inconsistent contact around the green? (from 0:23). Place a towel one club head behind the ball and make a chipping stroke, aiming to brush the turf in front of the towel without catching it.
4. Peter Knight Golf: Give me 8 Minutes and I will Unlock Your Best Swing Skills (from 4:00). Place a towel about 3 inches behind the ball to monitor ground contact and ensure the swing's low point occurs at or after impact, preventing fat shots.
5. AlexElliottGolf: I Was Striking My Irons Like 94% of Golfers… Until I Fixed This (from 7:09). Place a towel one to two clubhead lengths behind the ball to provide immediate feedback if you are 'throwing' the club early and hitting the ground before the ball.
6. Get Good At Golf!: Bad at Chipping? Not if you LEARN This… (from 7:50). Place a towel one club head width behind the ball to ensure a descending blow and ball-first contact, eliminating fat shots.
7. Georgia Ball Golf: STOP Topping The Golf Ball - Easy Golf Lesson (from 3:37). Place a towel 3-4 clubhead lengths behind the ball and practice striking the ball without hitting the towel to ensure a proper low point.
8. Your guide to better golf - Marcus Edblad PGA Pro: The truth about FLIPPING… (from 4:36). Place a rolled-up towel about a foot behind the ball to encourage a downward strike and prevent hitting the ground before the ball.
9. Padraig Harrington: Chipping | Achieving a Single Figure Handicap | Padraig Harrington (from 5:32). Place a towel an inch or two behind the ball; practice hitting the ball without touching the towel to force a descending blow and forward weight distribution.
10. Top Speed Golf - Clay Ballard: How to Hit the Ball Then the Turf with Your Irons | Complete Guide (from 15:12). Place a towel 5-6 inches behind the ball; missing the towel ensures a descending blow and ball-first contact.
11. Scratch Golf Academy: The Towel Drill That Fixed My Thin Shots #golftips #golf #golfswing (from 1:05). Place a towel on the ground and practice swinging to brush the grass ahead of the towel to ensure the low point is past the ball.
12. AlexElliottGolf: The NEW Padraig Harringtons BEST TIP of 2023! (BEST DRILL I HAVE USED) (from 3:49). Place a rolled-up towel one to two club heads behind the ball to provide immediate feedback on weight shift and strike quality.
13. Jerome Rufin: What I learned from the World's Top Golf Coaches on hitting the Driver Straight & Long (from 59:22). Place a small towel a few inches behind the ball on a practice mat to get instant feedback if you chunk or hit behind the ball.
14. Jerome Rufin: Jerome Rufin on LIVE to Hit Your Driver Farther & Straighter (from 18:55). Place a towel directly behind the ball on a mat to ensure solid contact by striking the ball before the mat, preventing chunked shots.
15. Your guide to better golf - Marcus Edblad PGA Pro: Magical result will instantly happen if we start understanding the difference between feel and real. (from 9:16). Placing a towel a few inches behind the ball to provide immediate physical feedback if the club strikes the ground too early.
16. Your guide to better golf - Marcus Edblad PGA Pro: Practice vs Playing. How can we bring the good practice shots to the golf course? (from 1:57). Place a towel behind the ball to ensure you are striking down on the ball and not hitting it fat.
17. Jerome Rufin: Jerome Rufin Live to Help You Build a Repeatable Golf Swing (from 36:40). Position a towel just behind the golf ball on a practice mat to get immediate feedback on low-point control and avoid hitting behind the ball.
18. Michael Kanev Golf: Master Your Wedge Game PRO Tips for Perfect Shots Every Time #GolfTips #WedgeGame (from 0:34). Place a towel 2 inches behind the ball and aim to strike the ball without hitting the towel to encourage a shallow attack angle.

How far behind the golf ball should the towel sit?

Coaches place the towel anywhere between one inch and a foot behind the ball. Georgia Ball suggests starting three to four clubhead lengths back to build confidence before moving it closer.

Does this drill work on artificial range mats?

Yes, placing a towel directly behind the ball on a practice mat exposes early ground contact that the mat surface would otherwise hide.

What does striking the towel indicate about your swing?

Catching the towel means the club entered the turf too early due to throwing the wrists early or hanging back off your lead foot.