Tired of that golf shot that starts right and just keeps going right - the dreaded block? Or maybe it's the push-hook, where the ball starts right and then curves violently back to the left. These are the classic signs of a golf swing that's coming too much from the inside, and fixing it is about to get a lot simpler. This guide will walk you through exactly what it means to get stuck anside, why it’s happening in your swing, and most important, provide you with concrete drills and feels to get your club path back on track so you can start hitting powerful, straight shots.
First, let's get on the same page about what this actually means. When a coach says your swing is "from the inside" or that you're getting "stuck," they're talking about your downswing. Your arms and the golf club get trapped behind the rotation of your body. Imagine your torso turns toward the target, but your arms lag way behind, almost as if they're stuck to your back pocket. From this trapped position, the only way for the club to get back to the ball is on a path that is moving severely from in-to-out relative to the target line.
While an ideal swing for hitting a draw has a slight in-to-out path, an excessive one is a consistency killer. If your clubface is square to that path at impact, the ball will shoot straight out to the right (a push or a block). If your hands try to save the shot at the last second and flip the clubface closed, the ball will start right and then hook sharply left. Neither is great for scoring.
Ironically, this fault often develops when a golfer tries to fix the opposite problem: an "over-the-top" swing. In an effort to stop swinging from out-to-in, it's very easy to overcompensate and create a looping motion that drops the club far too much behind you. It feels like you’re doing the right thing, but you’ve just traded one bad habit for another.
Fixing this issue starts with understanding its origins. It's almost always a combination of backswing position and downswing sequence. Here are the most common culprits I see every day on the lesson tee:
Think of the backswing as loading the metaphorical cannon. If you load it incorrectly, it's not going to fire straight. Golfers who get stuck often let their arms swing independently of their body's rotation on the way back. Instead of the arms, chest, and club moving together as one unit, the arms swing far behind the chest. This gets the club "deep," meaning it’s positioned excessively behind your torso at the top of the swing. When you start the downswing from this position, your arms have a long and complicated journey to get back in front of your body, making it almost inevitable that they will get trapped.
This is the big one. This is where most players get it wrong. A powerful and accurate golf swing relies on a specific sequence of movements from the top. For many golfers who get stuck, the very first move is a quick, aggressive spinning of the hips. Your lower body violently outraces your upper body. When your hips spin open that fast, your arms and the club - which were maybe already a bit behind you from the backswing - get left even further behind. There’s a traffic jam. Your body is already facing the target, but the club is still way back. This incorrect sequence is the very definition of getting "stuck."
Sometimes the problem starts before you even move the club. A poor setup can pre-program your swing for failure. For example, standing too far away from the ball can encourage you to reach and pull the club inside right from the start. Posture that is too upright can also limit your ability to rotate properly, causing your arms to lift and swing around your body instead of staying connected to your turn. Getting your setup squared away is the foundation for any good golf swing, and it's a simple place to start checking for problems.
Reading about swing theory is one thing, feeling the change is another. The following sensations and drills are designed to retrain your swing sequence and path so that the club approaches the ball from a much more neutral direction, putting you in control of your ball flight.
The goal is to get your chest, arms, and club moving in sync during the backswing, not as separate parts. You want to feel a sense of "connection." A simple way to get this feeling is with a practice swing drill:
Practice this movement with a simple drill: a famous and effective tool is The Towel Drill. Tuck a golf towel under both of your armpits. To get you started, just take half swings. If you can make a backswing and downswing without either side of the towel falling out, you are keeping your arms connected to your body’s rotation. It physically prevents your arms from swinging wildly behind you.
This drill is all about combating that "quick hip spin" and teaching you the feeling of the arms dropping down into place before the body fully rotates through. It attacks the number one cause of getting stuck.
This drill ingrains the feel of the proper downswing sequence: a slight shift forward, followed by the arms dropping, and then the rotation of the body unwinding through impact. It gives your arms a head start so they don't get stuck behind.
This drill provides immediate, unavoidable feedback. It will physically guide your club onto a better path.
To fix a swing that's too far from the inside, you need to create a "gate" that forces your club path to be more neutral. Take a spare headcover or even an empty range basket. At address, place place the object on the ground just inside your target line, about a foot behind the golf ball. If your swing path goes too far to the right (in-to-out), you will hit the headcover on your downswing. The only way to miss the headcover is to let the club approach the ball from a less severe inside path.
Start with slow half swings, barely trying to hit the ball. The goal is simply to feel your club miss the headcover on its way to the ball. Slowly increase your speed as you get more comfortable. This is one of the most powerful ways to get instant feedback on whether you have made a real change to your swing path.
This is a classic drill for a reason - it’s brilliant at training your body to shift weight and sequence correctly.
Start by setting up with your feet closer together than normal - just inside shoulder-width. Make your backswing, and as you begin your downswing, I want you to step toward the target with your lead foot (your left foot for a right-handed player). Land that foot just before your club makes contact with the ball, and swing through. This drill physically stops you from spinning your hips open too early, because you can't spin and step forward at the same time. It forces you to make the proper weight shift toward the target, giving your arms the space and time they need to drop down in front of you instead of being stuck behind you.
Often, your finish reveals the secrets of your swing. Golfers who get stuck frequently end up off-balance, with their weight stuck on their back foot and their hands looking “flipped over” in a desperate attempt to square the clubface. From now on, make it your goal to hold your finish position for at least three seconds after every shot.
A good, balanced finish looks like this: your chest is facing the target, your belt buckle is pointing at or even left of the target, and about 95% of your weight is on your lead foot. You should be able to lift your back foot off the ground and hold your balance easily. If you can get to this position consistently, it's a great sign that your entire body rotated through the shot in the correct sequence, which will make getting stuck next to impossible.
Fixing an inside-out swing is not about a quick tip, but about re-sequencing your movements to work in better harmony. By focusing on a connected backswing and a downswing initiated with a proper weight shift instead of a rapid hip spin, you can get your arms and the club back in front of your body, where they belong.
Figuring out exactly what your swing is doing can be tough on your own. Here is where the personalized feedback our tool offers becomes a real game-changer. With Caddie AI, you can get instant swing analysis by simply uploading a quick video of your swing on the range. We can help you check those key backswing positions or analyze your downswing sequence, giving you confidence that you are practicing the right moves to solve your issue of getting stuck anside - so you can focus on building a more reliable swing.
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