Improving your golf handicap does not always require expensive training equipment, a complete swing rebuild or hours of practice every day. Sometimes, simple exercises that reveal specific weaknesses can make a meaningful difference.
That has been part of the experience of MyGolfSpy writer Graham Averill, who has lowered his reported handicap from 13 to 7.5 during the first six months of an ambitious personal challenge.
In his October 23, 2026, article for MyGolfSpy, Averill identified five exercises he considers particularly valuable in his pursuit of becoming a scratch golfer by age 50.
The drills cover swing sequencing, alignment, iron contact, putting and chipping, demonstrating why effective practice should extend beyond hitting full shots on the driving range.
Although Averill has made substantial progress, he is not yet a scratch golfer. His improvement has also involved coaching, changes to his swing and regular practice.
Here is what recreational golfers can learn from his experience.
From a 13 Handicap to 7.5 in Six Months
Averill began his Scratch by 50 project with an ambitious goal: reduce his handicap to zero within a year.
At the beginning, he played off 13. Six months later, his reported figure had fallen to 7.5, representing a 5.5-point improvement.
However, the process has not been straightforward.
Throughout his project, Averill has experimented with grip adjustments, different ball flights and changes to his swing mechanics. Some practice methods proved useful, while others delivered little benefit.
His latest report focuses on five exercises he has continued using because they address recurring problems in his game.
An important distinction is that a Handicap Index does not represent a golfer’s average score. Under the World Handicap System, it reflects demonstrated ability based on score differentials, course difficulty and other adjustments.
That means Averill’s improvement should not be interpreted as proof that every round has become precisely 5.5 strokes better.
Nevertheless, his experience offers useful insight into the benefits of focused practice.
1. Alignment Stick Drill: Improve Swing Awareness
The first exercise involves using an alignment stick to identify problems in the movement of the golf club.
Unlike a conventional alignment exercise that places the stick on the ground, Averill’s version involves extending a stick from the club’s grip to create a visual reference during a slow practice swing.
The additional reference helps him examine the direction of the takeaway, wrist position and the sequence of his downswing.
One of its potential benefits is immediate feedback.
Golfers often struggle to recognize the position of the club during a swing, particularly when movements happen at full speed.
A slow-motion rehearsal can make those positions easier to observe.
However, an alignment stick extending from the grip can strike the golfer during an incorrect movement. Averill reported experiencing bruises while learning the drill.
For that reason, golfers should avoid attempting forceful swings with this setup. A supervised lesson or a safer visual-training alternative may be preferable.
The underlying lesson is that slower, deliberate rehearsal can help golfers understand movements they cannot easily recognize at full speed.
2. Railroad Tracks Drill: Check Alignment Before Changing Your Swing
Alignment is one of the most basic elements of golf, yet it can be surprisingly difficult to assess without an external reference.
Averill discovered that his stance was excessively closed, contributing to unwanted pull-hooks.
His coach introduced an alignment-stick exercise to help him understand where his body and club were pointing.
The basic railroad-track setup uses two reference lines: one near the golf ball to represent the intended shot line and another near the golfer’s feet to check body alignment.
Golfers can then make controlled adjustments to their setup while observing how the ball starts and curves.
In Averill’s case, changing his setup helped him move away from an unwanted hook and develop a more reliable fade.
There is an important technical detail: stance alignment alone does not determine whether a golfer hits a draw or fade.
The relationship between clubface orientation and swing path is essential to the resulting ball flight.
A golfer attempting to fix a slice or hook should therefore avoid assuming that simply changing foot position will correct every problem.
Instead, the exercise is most useful for checking whether the golfer is consistently setting up in the intended direction.
3. Towel Drill: Improve Iron Contact and Avoid Fat Shots
Poor contact with irons and wedges can quickly increase a golfer’s score.
One particularly frustrating mistake is hitting the ground before the ball, commonly called a fat or heavy shot.
Averill used a simple towel exercise to improve his low-point control.
The idea is to place a small towel a short distance behind the ball and attempt to strike the ball without making contact with the towel.
If the club catches the towel, it provides immediate feedback that the swing may have reached the ground too early.
This creates a clear practice objective without requiring a launch monitor or complicated technical analysis.
Golfers who regularly hit heavy wedge shots may find the exercise especially useful.
However, low-point control is influenced by several factors, including weight movement, body rotation and club delivery.
The towel provides feedback about the result of the movement; it does not independently diagnose its cause.
Begin with short, controlled iron swings before increasing speed, and ensure the towel is placed safely so it cannot become tangled with the club.
For golfers who struggle with inconsistent contact, this is one of the simplest exercises to test during a range session.
4. Putting Tee Drill: Develop Short-Putt Accuracy
Averill acknowledges that putting remains an area of his game requiring improvement.
His practice has included changes to his grip and setup, alongside a tee-based accuracy exercise.
The concept is to create a smaller target than a normal golf hole.
By positioning a tee near the hole, the golfer can reduce the available entry area and practice rolling putts toward a more precise target.
Averill practices short putts with the tee positioned in different locations, encouraging greater attention to the intended starting line.
The exercise places an emphasis on accuracy rather than simply trying to hole a large number of putts without a specific goal.
Golfers can adapt the idea by practicing from approximately three feet, recording successful putts from a fixed number of attempts and repeating the test over several sessions.
The PGA of America also recommends tee-based putting exercises, including gate drills designed to improve starting direction and face control.
For recreational players, practicing short putts under a clear scoring challenge may make practice more purposeful.
5. Landing Zone Drill: Improve Chipping Distance Control
The final exercise focuses on one of the most important short-game skills: controlling where a chip shot first lands.
Many amateur golfers become distracted by the final position of the ball without considering its initial landing point.
Averill’s approach involves selecting a small target on the putting green and attempting to land chips on that area from roughly 10 to 15 yards away.
He uses a towel as the target and practices from different lies.
As his accuracy improves, he experiments with lower and higher trajectories to understand how different shots behave.
This type of practice encourages golfers to separate carry distance from the amount of roll after landing.
A lower chip might release across more of the green, while a higher shot could stop sooner depending on the club, spin, landing conditions and slope.
The objective is not to produce the same trajectory on every shot.
Instead, golfers develop a better understanding of which combination of club, setup and landing point suits the situation.
For players who frequently miss greens but leave themselves manageable chip shots, improved distance control can create more realistic opportunities to save par.
How to Build a More Effective Practice Routine
The biggest lesson from Averill’s experience is not that every golfer should perform all five exercises during every practice session.
It is that each drill addresses an identifiable weakness.
A golfer who repeatedly hits heavy irons may benefit more from low-point practice than from spending additional time shaping drives.
Someone who strikes the ball consistently but misses short putts may gain more from targeted putting work.
Similarly, players who struggle to judge chip-shot distance should spend time practicing landing areas rather than hitting balls without a specific target.
A practical session could include approximately 10 minutes of alignment and contact work, followed by 10 minutes of chipping and 10 minutes of putting.
Golfers should adjust that balance to match their own performance.
Tracking results is also valuable.
Recording how often a towel is avoided during contact practice, how many short putts are converted or how consistently chips land near a target creates measurable feedback.
Those observations can help determine whether practice is producing improvement rather than simply consuming time.
Can Five Golf Drills Really Lower Your Handicap?
Averill’s experience is encouraging, but it is important not to confuse an individual success story with a guaranteed training method.
His handicap improvement occurred alongside coaching, changes in technique and extensive practice.
It is not possible to isolate exactly how much of his progress came from each exercise.
Golfers also begin with different strengths and weaknesses. A drill that helps one person eliminate a hook may not be appropriate for someone whose main problem is a slice.
The most effective approach is to identify a weakness, select an exercise that provides useful feedback and evaluate the results over time.
Professional instruction may be helpful when a persistent swing problem requires more detailed diagnosis.
Final Thoughts
Graham Averill’s Scratch by 50 journey provides an example of how focused practice can support measurable progress.
His reported improvement from a 13 handicap to 7.5 over six months demonstrates the value of taking a structured approach to different parts of the game.
The five exercises he highlighted cover swing mechanics, alignment, ball striking, putting and short-game distance control.
For amateur golfers, the most important takeaway is not to copy every element of another player’s routine.
It is to practice with a clear objective, use feedback to identify mistakes and devote time to the weaknesses that have the greatest effect on scoring.
As Averill continues pursuing a scratch handicap, his experience offers a practical reminder that becoming a better golfer is usually a process of steady adjustments rather than a single breakthrough.
Source: Graham Averill, MyGolfSpy — Scratch By 50: 5 Drills That Have Helped Me Drop 5 Strokes Off My Handicap, published October 23, 2026.