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Still fighting a slice or hook round after round? Golf coach Ashley Knoll shares a simple six-second pre-shot routine — called the Pathfinder Routine — designed to correct your swing path and square your club face without any extra practice.
Ashley Knoll – Game Improvement
Ashley Knoll breaks down exactly why slices and hooks happen, introducing a concept called the ‘path gap’ — the relationship between your pelvis and chest at impact — and showing how your trail hand grip influences it. From there, she walks through the Pathfinder Routine, a quick open-hand drill you do moments before hitting that trains your body to find the right swing shape automatically.
Key Takeaways
Understand the path gap
Understand the path gap
The gap between the centre of your pelvis and the centre of your chest at impact should be 4–6 inches — too little causes a slice, too much causes a hook.
Match your grip to your swing shape
Where your trail hand sits on the club (top, side, or bottom) determines the correct path gap you need, so your grip and body position must work together.
Use the Pathfinder Routine before every shot
Make three continuous open-hand practice swings — hips leading, club following — to groove the correct path gap before you step up and hit.
Next time you’re on the course, try three open-hand swings before each shot, focusing on hips going first and the club following last, then step up and play without a single swing thought. This video suits golfers at any level who have been struggling with a persistent slice or hook and want a practical, repeatable routine to straighten things out.
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