I bought my “alignment sticks” about a year ago and love them. They are a critical element for totally effective practice.
- Do go to your local Home Depot and purchase as many 48″ fiberglass driveway markers as you like. They are only $2.29 each and work great.
- Do use the Straight Back and Straight Through drill for putting, which I’ve found is the absolute best drill with the sticks.
- Do go to the Tour Sticks website and review the drills page for a comprehensive look at what you can work on.
- Do focus on drills that sharpen your aim. Grip-Aim-Setup (GAS) are the three pre-shot checkpoints for a sound swing. Use the sticks to ensure you are properly aligned on every shot and you can focus your attention on other mechanical improvements. The Alignment drill is excellent.
- Do use the Landing Point drill to sharpen your chipping and pitching. This works great to help you dial in on a spot where you’d like your short shot to land and then run out.
- Do keep two sticks in your bag the day you play. To start your putting warm-up, frame a hole and hit just 10 4-footers and enjoy the confidence boost.
- Don’t focus on drills where the stick can touch your body (Spin Out). I’m a feel player and I prefer to focus on feeling the correct movement and not on a foreign object touching me during my swing. Definitely a distraction to be avoided.
- Don’t focus on drills where you may hit the stick with a club (Bunker Entry). Focus on a spot to hit, not to avoid hitting. Can also be dangerous if you hit the stick and it pops up.
- Don’t rely heavily on the Alignment drill while warming up for a round. Use this only to work on mechanical changes during practice. Before play, it’s a good idea to change targets on every shot to get your mind into game mode.
- And finally, no need to purchase the actual Tour Sticks for $14.95 + shipping. You’re just paying extra money for more color choices.
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