Inside Out Golf Swing – What It Is, Benefits, Vs Outside In, How To Drill

Inside Out Golf Swing – What It Is, Benefits, Vs Outside In, How To Drill

 

If you are like me and want to hit those perfectly straight drives that sail 300 yards down the middle of the fairway, you’ll be frustrated when you see them slicing off right into the trees or the heavy rough.

In my quest for the perfect swing, and my attempt to have straighter, more consistent drives I’ve been researching if an inside to outside swing will help.

I’ve heard that this style of swing can help address those inconsistent shots which either hook left or slice right. So, keep reading if you are like me and if you would like to know if an inside-out golf swing will help my game. 

 

What is an Inside Out Golf Swing?

An inside-out golf swing is a swing technique that allows the player to hit consistent and solid shots frequently.

The backswing and downswing’s paths come from the inside and beneath the ball before impact, and after contact, the swing curvature goes outside to inside. This swing can be very effective as long as the clubface remains square at impact.

 

Inside Out Golf Swing – An Overview

The inside-out swing can be perfect for golfers who hook or slice the ball frequently.

In this swing technique, the backswing and downswing path comes from the inside and beneath the ball before the impact. Then after contact, the swing path moves outside to inside, producing a nice little draw shape on the golf ball. 

 

How can I visualize the Inside to Outside Swing?

If like me, you want to hit more consistent shots the inside-out golf swing could help produce a shot shape that will help promote straighter shots.

To help visualize this shot shape golfers are encouraged to lay two alignment sticks on the floor. One stick laying horizontally across the feet pointing to the target, and the other stick lays parallel to the other, near the position of the ball on the floor.

In the downswing, rather than swinging in line with the alignment stick to the target, you will actually swing diagonally across the direction of the sticks, with an inside to outside club path direction. 

 

Should I use the Inside to Outside Swing?

Although it is a good swing and many PGA professionals have used this swing, it is particularly effective for golfers who struggle with frequent hooks and slices.

The square clubface inside-out golf swing produces a little draw or fades along the target line. This swing is also called ‘Attacking swing’, and PGA professionals such as Katie Dawkins have spoken of the importance of the swing angle in the perfect golf swing. 

 

What Are The Benefits of this type of swing?

This swing type can be beneficial for golfers who regularly hook or slice the ball. The change to this type of swing path provides straighter shots.

Also, due to being a more efficient swing, can provide good speed to the ball at the impact, therefore, adding a few extra yards. The inside-out swing curvature produces a baby draw and the ball attacks the target, given that it is hit properly with a square clubface. 

 

Are there any downsides to this swing type?

This type of golf swing will need to be practiced and golfers will need to ensure that the clubface remains square at impact. If the clubface is not square at the impact, it will result in massive hooks or slices.

This means distance will also be compromised. You’ll need to ensure you have good shoulder and hip rotation otherwise this could also result in hooks and slices. 

 

Top tips for implementing the inside-out golf swing!

A few points should be kept while swinging inside out.

• Ensure the clubface is square at impact
• Use alignment sticks to ensure you are lined up to the target line
• Focus on a good, full shoulder and hip rotation during the swing. 
• Don’t push and pull it too much, keep relaxed during the swing. 

 

Inside Out Vs Outside – What’s the Difference?

So how do these types of golf swings differ? With an inside-out swing, a golfer aims at the target line with a slightly right-biased stance. The takeaway and downswing path is between the target line and the golfer’s setup stance.

When hitting an outside-in swing, a golfer has a slightly leftward stance. The club is closer to the body. Swing curvature comes from outside to inside at impact, and again outside in the follow-through. The clubface remains closed.

 

How To Fix An Outside In Golf Swing

The outside to inside swing path often causes slices. To rectify the outside-in swing, a golfer must correct his stance and set up. He should stand parallel to the target line with the club and clubface in line with the target.

This will reduce the outside ball impact, thus minimizing the outside-in swing and increasing the distance. PGA coach Adam Bazlagette suggests golfers should practice this swing feeling by exaggerating the inside to outside shot and hitting the ball off to the right. This is a great way of teaching the body how this swing feels and is demonstrated very well in this video:

https://youtu.be/d4Sf42oD7Qk

 

 

Can You Have Too Much of an Inside Out Golf Swing?

An Inside-out golf swing is a good thing. It is used to enhance the distance and accuracy of the shot. However, too much inside-out swing will cause problems.

If a golfer is overdoing and rushing the swing, it will result in hooks and slices. Often in the process, a golfer loses the square clubface which also causes inconsistent shots, veering right and left! 

 

Inside Out Swing With Driver Vs Irons

When hitting an inside-out swing with the driver and the irons you will need to adjust where you position your feet at set-up. With the driver, the stance becomes wider with proper synchronized rotation of the hips and shoulders.

The ball is hit on the inside which produces a baby draw. When hitting the irons, the stance becomes narrower, although the swing path and technique remain the same. 

 

Inside Out Swing Path Diagram

When researching what the inside-out swing path looks like, I found this excellent diagram from the Golf Distillery. It demonstrates well the direction of the club at the point of impact with the golf ball. 

 

How do I hit An Inside Out Swing?

To hit an inside-out swing, a golfer aims at the target line with a slightly right-biased stance. Your takeaway and downswing path should be on the usual swing plane.

This should be between the target line and the setup so that you hit the ball with a square clubface on the inside. After contact, your swing curvature goes outside to inside thus producing a little draw that will split the fairway and have your golf partners very envious!

To help you further, this explanation, Golf Digest uses some excellent diagrams to demonstrate how to hit this type of shot. 

 

Why can’t I swing inside out?

There might be a few reasons why you can’t swing inside out. 

• Wrong setup and stance, are you aiming correctly?
• You might have rushed the takeaway, transition, and downswing
• Incorrect distance between the club and the body
• Not correctly distributing your weight during the swing and losing balance?
• Your clubface could be closed or open at impact?

 

What happens if I don’t swing Inside Out?

If you don’t swing with an inside-out swing your swing path might not be correct, this could cause a major draw or a slice. This will not only impact the direction of the golf ball but can also lead to reduced distance. 

 

How do I Fix inside-out swing problems?

To fix any problem caused by the inside-out swing, you should check the following when practicing:

• Ensure the correct stance and setup, use alignment sticks. 
• Do you have a stable takeaway, transition, and downswing?
• Keep the correct distance between the club and the body throughout your swing
• Keep balanced and ensure good weight distribution through the swing. 
• Keep the clubface square. 
• Practice frequently, and then practice some more!

 

3 Best Drills For An Inside Out Golf Swing

Following are the top 3 drills for an inside-out golf swing:

• Back to the target drill
• Alignment Stick Drill
• Stock Shot Drill

 

Back To the Target Drill

In this drill, you should set up your stance and ensure a loose grip, then at set up tilt your shoulders and hips to 45°. Once in this position, you should take a firmer grip and then attack the ball on the downswing from the inside only using your shoulders and applying 70% weight onto the front leg. The enhances and exaggerates the shot’s feel and accuracy.

 

Alignment Stick Drill

In this drill, you should use two alignment sticks. Take them and place one stick on the inside of the ball and the other on the outside. This creates a swing path that you can use as a follow-through path. This drill will promote pure and solid contact with the ball on the inside-out club path. 

 

Stock Shot Drill

In this drill, still using the alignment sticks, one is placed 3-5 feet in front of the ball either to the slight right or the slight left. This drill will provide a feedback mechanism to help assess your shot direction. 

3 Best Training Aids For An Inside Out Golf Swing 

A lot of golfers use training aids for better inside-out swing. Following are the top 3 swing aids:

 

Alignment Stick

These are a must-have for all golfers. Alignment sticks are used to identify and support a good direction of the swing and ball flight. These are also really useful in alignment stick drills and stock shot drills.  

 

Lag Stick

These sticks are also important as they clarify the swing path of the takeaway, transition, downswing, and follow-through. This is helpful for golfers who struggle with their swing curvature. Lag sticks can be used for back-to-the-target drills.

 

Tour Striker PlaneMate

This is the most important training aid for inside-out golf swing. This training aid will help create a constant swing plane. If you use this when practicing, this will help promote the correct inside-out swing plane to perfect this swing technique. Website ‘The Left Rough’ positively reviewed this training aid saying that it promoted a more fluid golf swing. 

 

FAQ’s

Q: How do I stop taking the club back so far inside?

You should use golf training aids to rectify taking the club far inside. For this purpose, a golfer should use alignment sticks, lag sticks, and Striker PlaneMate. These drills will create a constant swing plane for the golfer. Most of the inside to outside club problems can be resolved. These drills and training aids can help promote good takeaway, transition, and downswing.

Q: Do any pros swing out to in?

Not many golfers use the outside-in swing technique. Craig Stadler, Craig Parry, and a few other golfers swing this way. However, most PGA professionals use the inside-out swing technique. 

Q: What happens when you take the club too far inside?

When the club is too far inside, it will change the clubface to either open or close. This will result in frequent hooks and slices. This will also bring inconsistency in the golfer’s game. Thus, it is recommended to practice golfing aids to minimize this issue.

Q: How do I stop dropping the club inside the downswing?

A golfer should use golfing aids to stop dropping the club inside during the downswing. The use of alignment sticks will be very helpful. In this helpful video from Chris Ryan, PGA Professional coach he talks specifically about this problem, and he describes how imagining a clock face at set up can help you swing correctly. 

 

 

Q: Does an inside takeaway cause a slice?

Yes, inside takeaway causes a slice because when the club is too far inside, it will quickly change the clubface to either open or close.

Q: Do the forearms rotate in the golf swing?

Yes, the forearms rotate in the golf swing. In proper swing curvature, during the takeaway, forearms will rotate. If the golfer does not rotate his forearm in the takeaway, he will have to rotate his leading arm more aggressively without bending the elbow during the backswing. Leading forearm rotation generates power for the shot. 

 

Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about how the inside to outside golf swing can help promote straighter, more consistent golf shots.

This type of golf swing will encourage you to strike the ball with a purer contact, producing better results, as long as your clubface is not closed or open at impact. You could even find that you will add extra yards to your shots with the more attacking style of swing plane, which everyone wants to achieve. If you need to practice this don’t forget to use alignment sticks, in all of the videos and drills I saw these were vitally important to promote the correct feeling in the swing. If you’re interested in understanding more about how to improve your golf why not check out our other articles on whether a 9 wood can improve your game.