Skip to drill search THE FOX BANDIT PRACTICE LIBRARY
Less guessing.good reps. Find a drill for the shot you’re working on—or the miss you’re tired of seeing. A little purpose goes a long way on the range.
Fat iron shots Putting practice Slice or push? Warm up for golf What are we working on? Start here: Fat iron shots A stubborn slice Fewer three-putts Before the first tee
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Towel behind the ball Get feedback on where the club meets the ground before adding speed.
Fat / chunked contact Thin / bladed contact Centered contact
10 min / Range
How to practice: Towel behind the ball You’ll need Towel · short iron
Set up Fold a towel and place it flat, roughly 6 inches behind the ball. Keep it well clear of your feet.
The drill Start with short, easy swings and try to strike the ball without touching the towel. Hit 10 balls, checking the strike after each one. Move the towel farther back if you need more room. Remove the towel for five shots and keep the same controlled motion. Measure it Record clean strikes out of 10, then compare with the five transfer shots.
Watch for Trying to miss the towel by lifting the club into impact. Clean contact matters more than avoiding the towel at any cost.
Tom Patri’s towel demonstration · Titleist ↗ Fox Bandit practice format; linked coaching demonstration for further instruction.
Read the complete Fox Bandit guide ↗
Find your low point Make the first ground contact visible instead of judging only ball flight.
Fat / chunked contact Thin / bladed contact Centered contact
8 min / Grass range
How to practice: Find your low point You’ll need Short iron · grass practice area
Set up On an approved grass practice area, mark a line with a tee. Begin without a ball.
The drill Make five small swings and note where the club first brushes the ground relative to the line. Place a ball on the line. Make five half swings, looking for ball contact before turf contact. Reset your stance for each attempt and keep the swing size small. Measure it Count ball-first strikes out of five. Photograph the turf pattern to compare next time.
Watch for Taking a deeper divot to prove you hit down. The aim is a useful contact point, not a large divot.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Feet together, then normal A simple balance check from Joe’s practice notebook.
Centered contact Tempo / rushing Balance / stability
8 min / Range
How to practice: Feet together, then normal You’ll need 8-iron
Set up Use a short iron, an easy target and small swings. Bring your feet close together without losing balance.
The drill Hit five gentle shots with your feet close together. Hit five from your normal stance while keeping the same rhythm. Repeat once and finish each swing balanced for two seconds. Measure it Track clean contact in each set of five. Compare the narrow and normal stances.
Watch for Chasing full distance from a narrow stance.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Step through the finish Use a relaxed step to explore a flowing finish rather than forcing the downswing.
Fat / chunked contact Centered contact Tempo / rushing
10 min / Range
How to practice: Step through the finish You’ll need Short iron · clear space
Set up Give yourself room to step toward the target. Rehearse slowly without a ball.
The drill Make three easy practice swings, letting the trail foot step toward the target after impact. Alternate one step-through half shot with one normal half shot for 10 balls. Finish with five normal shots at the same comfortable pace. Measure it Record clean strikes and balanced finishes. Keep the drill only if those improve.
Watch for Stepping early, lunging toward the ball or turning this into a speed drill.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Start-line checkpoint Separate where the shot starts from how it curves.
Push / starts right Pull / starts left Alignment / start line
10 min / Range
How to practice: Start-line checkpoint You’ll need Short iron · alignment stick
Set up Lay an alignment stick on the ground along your toe line, parallel to the target line. Keep it outside the club’s path.
The drill Aim the clubface at a precise distant target, then build your stance. Hit 10 controlled shots and mark each start as left, on line or right. Record curve separately. Reset fully between balls. If using a launch monitor, compare its start direction with what you saw. Measure it Count starts within your chosen corridor out of 10. Do not count a curved shot as a straight-start success unless it started there.
Watch for Aiming your feet at the target while the clubface points somewhere else.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Map the strike Find out whether the miss lives on the heel, toe or bottom of the face.
Shank / heel strike Centered contact Thin / bladed contact
8 min / Range
How to practice: Map the strike You’ll need Iron or driver · manufacturer-approved impact tape
Set up Use impact tape intended for clubfaces and a clear target. Start at a comfortable swing speed.
The drill Hit five balls and inspect the marks. Note heel, center, toe, high or low. Remove or renew the tape, then hit five shorter swings with the same setup. Compare patterns before making any large setup changes. Measure it Keep a photo of each five-shot pattern. Record the number of centered strikes.
Watch for Assuming a shank means one specific swing fault. Use the pattern as evidence for a coach.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Slice: start, curve, strike Build a small, repeatable sample before changing your swing path.
Slice Alignment / start line Centered contact
12 min / Range
How to practice: Slice: start, curve, strike You’ll need Driver or mid-iron · alignment stick
Set up Choose a wide range target and use a ground-level alignment reference. For a right-handed golfer a slice curves right; reverse that for a left-hander.
The drill Hit five easy shots. Record starting direction, curve and strike location. Review Mark Blackburn’s linked lesson on wrist conditions and delivery; use one checkpoint that fits your pattern. Hit five more at reduced speed. Compare the amount of curve, not just where the ball finishes. Measure it Track the number of playable shots and whether the excessive curve shrinks.
Watch for Trying several grip, wrist and path changes at once. A slice label alone does not identify the cause.
Mark Blackburn’s slice lesson · Titleist ↗ Fox Bandit practice format; linked coaching demonstration for further instruction.
Read the complete Fox Bandit guide ↗
Hook: take the speed down Test a controlled swing and document the curve before trying a correction.
Hook Tempo / rushing Centered contact
12 min / Range
How to practice: Hook: take the speed down You’ll need Driver or mid-iron
Set up Choose a generous target. A hook curves sharply left for a right-hander and right for a left-hander.
The drill Hit five shots at a comfortable pace and note start line, curve and impact location. Watch the linked McCormick and Lundberg lesson for an explanation of possible hook patterns. Make five shorter swings, then five normal swings with the same unhurried rhythm. Measure it Count playable results in each set. Bring the strike and flight notes to a coach if the pattern persists.
Watch for Forcing the face open or aiming farther away without understanding the pattern.
Cameron McCormick and Corey Lundberg on hooks · Titleist ↗ Fox Bandit practice format; linked coaching demonstration for further instruction.
Ten-ball fairway challenge Give the driver a landing area, not an entire driving range.
Penalties / big numbers Alignment / start line Club and target choices
12 min / Range
How to practice: Ten-ball fairway challenge You’ll need Driver · two distant landmarks
Set up Choose two landmarks that represent a realistic fairway. Identify a penalty side.
The drill Play 10 imaginary tee shots, doing your full routine each time. Score 2 for the fairway, 1 for a playable miss and 0 for the penalty side. Repeat with a fairway wood or driving iron and compare the dispersion and distance trade-off. Measure it Record the score out of 20 and penalty-side misses for each club.
Watch for Making the fairway unrealistically wide or counting every short shot as a good result.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Three-quarter tempo reset Find the swing you can finish without a rushed transition.
Tempo / rushing Centered contact Balance / stability
8 min / Range
How to practice: Three-quarter tempo reset You’ll need Iron or driver
Set up Pick one target and make two relaxed rehearsal swings. Use a speed that feels easy.
The drill Hit five three-quarter swings, holding each finish for two seconds. Alternate a rehearsal and a ball for five more shots. Hit three normal swings and see whether strike and balance hold up. Measure it Count balanced, clean strikes. Note whether normal swings lose the rhythm.
Watch for Turning a shorter swing into a harder swing.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Roll it through the gate Get immediate feedback on your putt’s starting line.
Alignment / start line Push / starts right Pull / starts left
10 min / Practice green
How to practice: Roll it through the gate You’ll need Putter · two tees
Set up Find a fairly straight 5–8 foot putt. Make a ball-width gate with a little clearance about a foot ahead of the ball.
The drill Roll five putts through the gate without clipping a tee. Widen the gate if you cannot establish a repeatable start. Remove the gate and roll five more from the same spot. Measure it Record gate passes and holed putts separately.
Watch for Using a gate on a breaking putt without matching it to the intended start line.
Fox Bandit practice format.
The 30–45–60 ladder Long-putt practice that includes the second putt.
Distance control Three-putts
15 min / Practice green
How to practice: The 30–45–60 ladder You’ll need Putter · three markers
Set up Mark putts around 30, 45 and 60 feet without blocking other golfers. Use a hole with room around it.
The drill Putt once from each distance, always holing the second putt. Repeat the three distances in a different order for three rounds. Keep the same read-and-routine process on the final three attempts. Measure it Count two-putts or better out of nine. Also note the longest second putt.
Watch for Raking the ball back before you learn how difficult the second putt is.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Read the complete Fox Bandit guide ↗
Around the clock Practice short putts from different breaks instead of repeating one line.
Alignment / start line Distance control Three-putts
10 min / Practice green
How to practice: Around the clock You’ll need Putter · four markers
Set up Set four markers roughly 3 feet from a hole, one on each side.
The drill Putt from each marker once, reading each putt. Make three circuits for 12 attempts. Move to 4 feet only when the shorter circle feels manageable. Measure it Record makes out of 12 and the side you missed on.
Watch for Rushing to keep a streak alive. Reset before every ball.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Build a pace window Learn how much stroke you need to stop a ball in a chosen zone.
Distance control Three-putts
10 min / Practice green
How to practice: Build a pace window You’ll need Putter · two flat markers
Set up On a quiet part of the green, mark a 3-foot-deep stopping zone about 20 feet away. Place markers outside the ball’s path.
The drill Roll five balls and count those that stop inside the zone. Move the zone to 30 feet and repeat. Alternate the two distances for your last five balls. Measure it Record stops in the zone out of 15, plus how often you finish short.
Watch for Changing both distance and slope before learning either one.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Land it on the towel Separate the landing spot from the ball’s final resting place.
Distance control Centered contact
12 min / Chipping area
How to practice: Land it on the towel You’ll need Wedge · small towel
Set up Place a towel on a safe landing area a few paces onto the practice green. Choose a straightforward lie.
The drill Hit five chips aimed at landing on the towel. Keep the landing area and try a less-lofted club for five more. Observe the rollout before choosing the club for the final five shots. Measure it Count landing-zone hits and note which club finishes closest.
Watch for Changing landing spot, club and swing length on every shot.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Short-game contact line Use visible ground contact to check the bottom of a small wedge swing.
Fat / chunked contact Thin / bladed contact Centered contact
10 min / Practice area
How to practice: Short-game contact line You’ll need Wedge · approved sandy practice spot
Set up In a practice bunker or approved sandy area, draw a line. This exercise trains chip and pitch contact, rather than a bunker escape.
The drill Make small swings without a ball, noticing where the sole first brushes the surface. Aim to repeat that entry point for five attempts. On a permitted adjacent chipping area, hit five short chips and compare the strike. Measure it Count repeatable brush points, then clean chip strikes.
Watch for Confusing ball-first chip contact with the sand-first technique used for a greenside bunker escape.
Layne Savoie’s contact-line demonstration · Titleist ↗ Fox Bandit practice format; linked coaching demonstration for further instruction.
Bunker: escape first Start with getting out reliably before chasing the flag.
Centered contact Distance control Club and target choices
15 min / Practice bunker
How to practice: Bunker: escape first You’ll need Sand wedge · rake
Set up Choose a shallow practice bunker and a safe, generous landing area. Begin from a normal lie, not a plugged ball.
The drill Watch the linked fundamentals lesson, then make a few ball-free swings to establish consistent sand entry. Hit five shots with one goal: get the ball onto the green. Hit five more, now adding a broad landing zone. Rake when finished. Measure it Record escapes first, then how many of those finished in the landing zone.
Watch for Measuring only proximity while leaving half the balls in the bunker.
Brandon Stooksbury’s bunker fundamentals · Titleist ↗ Fox Bandit practice format; linked coaching demonstration for further instruction.
Nine-ball up-and-down test A practice game that keeps the putter involved.
Distance control Club and target choices Three-putts
20 min / Short-game area
How to practice: Nine-ball up-and-down test You’ll need Wedge · putter · one ball
Set up Choose nine manageable locations with different distances and lies. Use one ball each time.
The drill Chip or pitch from the first location, then putt until holed. Repeat from all nine, with your normal routine. Record each score and note whether the first shot or the putting caused the lost stroke. Measure it Total strokes for nine locations, plus up-and-downs. Use your first result as a baseline.
Watch for Giving yourself perfect lies or replaying the first shot until it looks good.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Pick a target with room Plan for the normal miss, not just the best swing.
Club and target choices Penalties / big numbers
5 min + round / Course / planning
How to practice: Pick a target with room You’ll need Scorecard · course map
Set up Choose three holes you know. Mark hazards and your usual miss.
The drill Identify the widest useful landing area for each tee shot. Choose an approach target with room for your normal dispersion; use the green’s center when that offers the safer margin. After the round, grade the decision separately from the swing result. Measure it Count shots where your ordinary miss stayed playable.
Watch for Automatically aiming away from one hazard into another.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Go in two or lay up? Create an honest comparison of your par-5 choices.
Club and target choices Penalties / big numbers Distance control
5 min + round / Course
How to practice: Go in two or lay up? You’ll need Course map · round notebook
Set up Before each par-5 second shot, check carry over trouble, landing room, lie and your actual carry distance.
The drill Write down the intended shot and a playable miss before choosing. If laying up, pick a broad landing area and a remaining distance you have practiced. Record go-for-it or lay-up, penalties and final score. Compare similar situations over several rounds. Measure it Compare scoring and penalty rates by decision. Do not draw a conclusion from one successful hero shot.
Watch for Using total distance when the shot needs a specific carry.
Fox Bandit practice format.
The one-shot recovery Choose a route back into play before choosing a heroic opening.
Club and target choices Penalties / big numbers
5 min + round / Course / range
How to practice: The one-shot recovery You’ll need Mid-iron · clear practice lane
Set up For practice, imagine trouble with a low, wide exit. Do not hit toward trees, people or hard objects.
The drill Choose a landing area that leaves a normal next shot. Rehearse a short punch with a controllable trajectory. On the course, judge the decision by whether it restored a playable position. Measure it Count recovery attempts that leave a clear next shot, plus penalties.
Watch for Taking a small gap just because you can see the flag through it.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Build a carry-distance card Replace the best-shot number with a useful distance range.
Distance control Club and target choices
20 min / Range / simulator
How to practice: Build a carry-distance card You’ll need Three clubs · reliable distance measurement
Set up Use reliable carry measurements and consistent balls where possible. Keep range-ball and on-course notes separate.
The drill Hit five normal shots with each of three clubs and record the carry of each. Keep mishits visible in your notes; separate them from the typical well-struck range. Write a typical carry range and a miss tendency beside each club. Measure it Compare the typical range with actual approaches over the next few rounds.
Watch for Treating simulator carry or one long shot as a guaranteed on-course number.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Easy strength and balance circuit A low-load routine for building a repeatable movement habit.
Balance / stability Endurance / fatigue
12 min / Home / gym
How to practice: Easy strength and balance circuit You’ll need Stable chair · sturdy support
Set up Use comfortable, pain-free ranges. Choose an easy pace with room to move.
The drill Do 6–8 controlled sit-to-stands from a stable chair. Holding a sturdy support, do 8 calf raises, then balance on each leg for 10–20 seconds. Rest and repeat once. Finish well before fatigue affects your control. Measure it Note controlled repetitions and balance time. Progress gradually across sessions.
Watch for Turning a light movement session into a hard workout immediately before a round.
More exercise options · TPI ↗ Fox Bandit practice format; linked coaching demonstration for further instruction.
Gentle rotation reset Explore comfortable hip and upper-back motion before reaching for speed.
Mobility / stiffness First-tee readiness
5 min / Home / practice area
How to practice: Gentle rotation reset You’ll need Stable chair
Set up Sit tall on a stable chair with feet supported. Keep all movements within a comfortable range.
The drill Cross your arms over your chest and make five small torso turns each way, keeping your hips quiet. Stand with support and perform five gentle hip hinges, pushing your hips back without rounding to reach lower. Walk for a minute, then rehearse a few easy golf swings. Measure it Note whether the movement feels easier afterward, without chasing maximum range.
Watch for Forcing a stretch or twisting through pain.
Fox Bandit practice format.
The eight-minute warm-up Follow a guided golf-specific routine before the range or first tee.
First-tee readiness Mobility / stiffness
8 min / Practice area
How to practice: The eight-minute warm-up You’ll need Clear space · linked video
Set up Use Kayleigh Franklin’s guided routine at the link below. Leave enough space to move comfortably.
The drill Watch the demonstration before trying unfamiliar movements. Follow the sequence at a comfortable pace; reduce the range or skip movements that cause discomfort. Finish with a few unhurried practice swings before beginning your ball warm-up. Measure it Rate first-tee readiness before and after, from 1–5.
Watch for Skipping preparation and making your first swing a maximum-effort drive.
Kayleigh Franklin’s eight-minute routine · Titleist ↗ Fox Bandit practice format; linked coaching demonstration for further instruction.
Read the complete Fox Bandit guide ↗
The 15-minute first-tee routine Arrive at the first tee having rehearsed the shot you will actually play.
First-tee readiness Tempo / rushing Distance control
15 min / Practice area
How to practice: The 15-minute first-tee routine You’ll need Putter · wedge · tee-shot club
Set up Start after a gentle movement warm-up. Spend roughly five minutes on each part.
The drill Roll a few long putts for pace, then finish with short putts from different sides. Hit short wedge shots, followed by a few comfortable mid-irons. Rehearse your opening tee shot with its target and routine. Finish when ready, rather than hitting extra balls for reassurance. Measure it Note whether the first tee felt rushed and whether you committed to your planned target.
Watch for Trying to fix a swing fault with two minutes left before your tee time.
Fox Bandit practice format.
Use the miss as a starting point. A slice, hook or poor strike can have more than one cause. These are practice ideas, not a swing diagnosis. Test one change at a time and use a qualified coach when the pattern is unclear.
Directions use right-handed examples where stated; reverse them for left-handed play. Use training aids only in practice areas, with space for a safe swing.
Bring the work to the course. Log approach misses, penalties, putt distances and club choices in your round notebook . Look for the same pattern over several rounds before deciding the drill worked.
Fitness and warm-ups should feel comfortable. Stop movements that cause pain and get individual guidance for injuries or restrictions. Coaching links open the original demonstrations; repetitions and scoring targets are Fox Bandit practice suggestions.
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