This ‘Simon Says’ drill gave me confidence to hit all sorts of shots

Over the past few years, I’ve had all sorts of fun lessons with top teachers and pro players, but the video below is probably my favorite one (all due respect to the others).

Unlike other lessons, which tend to focus on swing fixes or fundamentals, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jamie Mulligan tested my resolve by throwing me right into the lion’s den, working with former LPGA player Veronica Felibert to do a “Simon Says” golf drill.

So how’s it work? Just like the kids game, Felibert would hit certain shots and I would need to duplicate those — which, as a mid-handicapper, was no easy task. But to get better at golf and improve my ball-striking skills, I had to learn how to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

That doesn’t mean this particular golf drill was easy.

Instruction

At one point during filming, I turned to my cameraperson, Tiff, and whispered, “There’s no way in hell I’m going to be able to do that.” With the help (and encouragement) of both Mulligan and Felibert, though, I was able to surprise myself.

Whether it was improving my clubface control or learning how to master distance, this tricky drill gave me confidence to see positive results — which is the first step towards trusting the process and continuing to learn.

Check out my lesson below, and see why this golf drill is a great way to elevate your game.

Rethink your practice with this fun golf drill

As golfers, we can put a lot of pressure on ourselves to get better. So we grind on the range, obsess over seeing improvement, and use more than a few curse words when things don’t go our way.

But Mulligan says part of this golf drill is to relieve some of that golf stress and just enjoy the process.

“Everybody tries too hard at this sport, it blows me away,” Mulligan says. “So we’re going to have some fun today, play ‘Simon Says’, and walk you through a little practice [drill].”

Instruction

So Mulligan has Felibert and me address the ball with just one hand on the club, instructing us to take a small swing to just feel the club drop.

“Use a ‘I don’t care’ [kind of swing],” Mulligan says. “Just really tiny, and don’t worry so much about hitting the ball. Allow the club to just fall back down.”

Mulligan steps over to me and helps guide the club with his hand, telling me to overcome the “trepidation” I have about swinging one-handed so lazily. But that’s the whole point of this drill — just to help feel the low point of the club hitting the turf.

He asks me to explain the difference in feeling when I released control of the club to let him swing it.

“I let the club do the work,” I reply. “You can tell when I’m trying to grip and guide [the club], that that’s where I’m having the mishits.”

Learn to master distances on pitch shots

Mulligan then moves to the next Simon Says drill, and has Felibert work on controlling distance with pitch shots — literally standing in the line of fire and having her softly hit balls to him.

“If I was a tiny kid and you were going to pitch a shot to me, can you do so by landing it [just a few feet between us], making sure it rolls to me really lightly,” he asks.

After watching Veronica do it, Mulligan has me work on the same drill, which forces me to really dial back my swing length and use supremely soft touch — more so from fear of hitting the person standing 10 feet in front of me.

“[Use a] really tiny swing and good touch,” Mulligan instructs.

Short Game

Mulligan then backs up about 8-to-10 feet, making sure we execute the drill to a farther distance — but still maintaining soft touch and distance control.

“The length of your swing is increasing, but still be back and through,” he tells me. “You’re getting some nice touch, so just allow the club to do the work.”

Thanks to the added pressure of having someone else standing there in front of me, it loosened me up, and forced me to let the club do the work to ensure that I was coming up short and rolling the ball to the person.

So this is a fun way to loosen up before a range session or a full round, just helping clear your mind and trust yourself in key scoring situations.

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