A Shoe Box or Golf Club Box Is an Excellent Physical Barrier Tool
Your standard everyday empty shoe or golf club shipping box is an efffective tool to help assist in the proper path the club should swing through the ball. The most common malady in golf is the swing path that is termed "out to in." This is a clubhead that is swinging across the ball, producing a glancing blow and most likely a curving shot known as a "slice." Your box will help to assist you in recognizing an out-to-in swing path and correcting it.
Box Placement
Placement of the box is very important for the desired feedback to be achieved. The box should be placed on the ground just outside the toe of the golf club, as it is soled on the ground. The space between the toe of the golf club and the box should be no more than ½ inch. The box also needs to be parallel to the target line, which is the line drawn from the golf ball to the target. It is important to place the box very close to the toe of the club to obtain the feedback if an out-to-in swing occurs.
Downswing Feedback
The arc that the golf club takes in its swing path is circular. This means that the club will approach the golf ball from slightly to the inside of the target line, strike the golf ball square, then swing slightly back to the inside of the target line. If this is achieved, the golfer will not make contact with the box that has been placed just outside of the toe of the club, and will contact the golf ball with the center of the clubface.
Trouble comes when the clubhead approaches the ball from the outside because the box will be in the way of the clubhead path to the ball. The golfer will then make contact with the box providing instant feedback to the improper path the clubhead is traveling. This contact will only startle the golfer by the sound and the feel of making contact with the box.
Swings Without Contact
The goal is to set the box up parallel to the target line just outside the toe of the club and hit golf balls without making contact with the box before impact. This will help ensure that the golfer can master the path the clubhead must take to hit consistent golf shots.
About The Author
Todd Pyle is the founder and president of New Millennium Golf. He has 24 years of experience as a professional golfer and 17 years as a Class A PGA Professional. He was a David Leadbetter Golf Academy Director in Ireland and Atlanta and taught with Jim Flick and the ESPN Golf Schools.