The gate drill in golf is one of the simplest, cheapest ways to sharpen two things that decide where the ball goes: your clubface and your path. Using nothing more than a couple of tees, coins, or headcovers as a “gate,” you get instant feedback on whether you are striking the ball squarely and swinging on line. This guide covers the putting gate drill, the full-swing version, and how to use each one correctly.
What Is the Gate Drill?
The gate drill involves placing two objects a small distance apart to form a narrow “gate” that the ball or the club must pass through cleanly. If your strike or your swing path is off, the ball clips a tee or the clubhead catches an object, giving you immediate, honest feedback with no guesswork.
Because it isolates a single fault and gives instant confirmation, the gate drill is a favorite of coaches for both putting and the full swing. It trains a square face and an on-line path, the two ingredients behind consistent starting direction.
The Putting Gate Drill
Putting is where the gate drill is most famous, and for good reason. Most missed short putts come from the ball starting offline, which is a product of face angle and, to a lesser degree, stroke path. The gate drill exposes both.
The ball gate
Place two tees in the green just wider than your ball, a few inches in front of it, forming a gate the ball must roll through to start on line. If you push or pull the putt, the ball clips a tee. Roll putts through the gate repeatedly until you can start the ball on your intended line every time. This directly reinforces the skills covered in our guide on how to aim a putter and start putts on line.
The putter gate
Set two tees just wider than your putter head, one at each end of the toe and heel, so the putter must swing through without clipping either. This checks that your stroke path stays on track through impact rather than cutting across the ball. Start with a wide gate and narrow it as you improve.
Combining both
Advanced players use a ball gate and a putter gate together, then roll putts to a hole several feet away. Passing both gates and holing the putt confirms that face, path, and speed are all working. Pair this with solid green reading for speed and break and your short putting becomes far more reliable.
The Full-Swing Gate Drill
The same idea scales to the full swing, where it is used mainly to train the club’s path and the quality of strike.
The strike gate
Place a tee just outside the toe of the club and another just inside the heel, with the ball centered between them. Make swings that strike the ball without clipping either tee. Hitting the outside tee signals an out-to-in path; catching the inside tee points to an in-to-out path or a strike off the heel. This makes an abstract concept concrete, complementing what you learn about club path and how it shapes your shots.
The path gate for drivers
For the driver, set two objects to form a gate along your target line, one just inside the ball on the backswing side and one just outside on the through-swing side, so the clubhead must approach and exit on the correct path. This is a proven way to combat a slice, which is usually driven by an out-to-in path and an open face.
What the Gate Drill Fixes
The gate drill is a diagnostic and a corrective at once. In putting, it fixes putts that start offline, an inconsistent stroke path, and a face that is open or closed at impact. In the full swing, it addresses over-the-top moves, heel and toe strikes, and path-related shot shapes like the slice and the hook.
Crucially, it fixes these things without you having to think about swing mechanics mid-motion. The gate provides an external target, and the body organizes itself to avoid the obstacle. This kind of external feedback tends to produce faster, more durable learning than internal swing thoughts alone.
How to Set Up the Gate Drill Correctly
Getting the gate width right is the whole game. Follow these steps to set it up well.
Step 1: Start wide
Begin with a gate noticeably wider than the ball or clubhead so you can succeed and build confidence. A gate that is too tight too soon just breeds frustration and tension.
Step 2: Narrow gradually
As you make clean passes consistently, bring the tees in a little at a time. The narrowing gate keeps raising the challenge and keeps you engaged.
Step 3: Use the right markers
Tees work well on the green and the tee box. On the range or a mat, use alignment sticks, coins, or headcovers so you do not damage clubs. For the strike gate, softer markers reduce the risk of clubface damage.
Step 4: Keep your aim honest
Set the gate along a genuine target line, ideally with an alignment stick on the ground, so you are grooving an accurate path and not simply learning to miss two tees pointed the wrong way.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most common error is making the gate too narrow at the start, which creates anxiety and steering rather than a free, natural motion. Widen it until you can swing or stroke freely.
Another mistake is using the gate without a real target line, which grooves a path to nowhere. Always align the gate to where you actually want the ball to go. Finally, many golfers do a few reps and move on. The gate drill rewards volume; short, frequent sessions build the pattern far better than one long, tiring block.
Adding the Gate Drill to Your Practice
The beauty of this drill is how easily it slots into any practice session. Spend five minutes rolling putts through a ball gate before every round to calibrate your start line. On the range, hit a dozen shots through a strike gate to check your contact before working on anything else. Combine it with other feedback drills, such as the pump drill for the downswing, to build a well-rounded practice routine that targets both path and sequence.
Gate Drill Variations to Try
Once the basic gates feel comfortable, a few variations keep practice fresh and target specific weaknesses.
The chipping gate
Set a gate a foot or two in front of the ball on your intended chip line and a landing target beyond it. This trains you to control both start line and trajectory on short shots, where small directional errors are magnified around the green.
The tee-height driver gate
Add a taller tee just above the ball as a ceiling so the clubhead must approach on a shallow, slightly ascending path for the driver. Combined with the side gates, it encourages the upward strike that maximizes distance off the tee.
The one-handed putter gate
Roll putts through a putter gate using only your lead hand. This exaggerates any face-control issues and builds a more stable, passive release through impact. Return to both hands and the stroke usually feels far more controlled.
Why the Gate Drill Works So Well
Part of the reason the gate drill is so effective comes down to how we learn motor skills. When your attention is on an external object, such as a gate you must pass through, the body self-organizes a more efficient movement than when you consciously micromanage body parts. The gate gives your brain a clear, external goal and lets your natural coordination solve the problem.
It also removes ambiguity. Many practice sessions fail because the golfer cannot tell whether a given rep was good or bad. The gate answers that instantly: you either passed cleanly or you did not. That clean feedback loop is exactly what deliberate practice requires, and it is why the drill improves both a putting stroke and a full swing when the fault is related to path or strike, such as when learning how to shallow the golf club in the downswing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How wide should the gate be?
Start clearly wider than the ball or clubhead so you can succeed, then narrow it gradually as your consistency improves. There is no single correct width; it should always be challenging but achievable.
Is the gate drill better for putting or the full swing?
It works for both. It is most popular for putting because start line is so decisive on the greens, but the full-swing version is equally valuable for training path and strike.
How often should I do it?
Short, frequent sessions beat occasional long ones. A few minutes before most practice sessions or rounds is enough to build and maintain the pattern.
Bringing It All Together
The gate drill proves that meaningful improvement does not require expensive gadgets. Two tees and a target line give you instant, unambiguous feedback on the two things that most determine your ball’s direction: face and path. Start wide, narrow gradually, always aim to a real target, and make it a regular part of your practice. Do that, and both your putting stroke and your full swing will start delivering the ball where you are aiming far more often.
