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Golf Improvement Drills

David Duval “Cover The Ball”

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If you have searched for help with your golf swing because your driver gets too steep, too glancing, or too stuck, the idea of “cover the ball” can sound appealing but also confusing. In golf, that feeling can work well for elite players, but only after the club has already moved into a better downswing position.

That is the key point many amateur golf swings miss. If you try to cover the ball too early, you can make the shaft steeper, send the club outside the path, and create pulls, slices, weak contact, or a glancing blow. If you learn to shallow first and then feel like you cover the ball, you give yourself a much better chance to hit strong draws and straighter golf shots.

This guide explains how to apply that move step by step in a practical, golfer-friendly way.

Table of Contents

Step 1: Understand what “cover the ball” means in golf

In simple terms, “cover the ball” describes a downswing feeling where your upper body, especially the trail shoulder for a right-handed player, feels more on top of the shot through impact. In golf, this can help the club move back in front of you instead of dropping too far behind your body late in the downswing.

Used at the right time, this feeling can help with:

  • Keeping the club from getting trapped too far under the plane
  • Producing a more stable strike with the driver
  • Straightening a shot that would otherwise over-draw
  • Helping the clubface rotate in a more controlled way

But there is an important catch. In golf, this is usually not the first move down. Better players often shallow the club early, then feel more on top of it later. If you reverse that order, the result can be a steep, over-the-top motion.

Step 2: Know why this golf move works for pros but hurts many amateurs

Many highly skilled golf players can use a “cover the ball” feel without trouble because the club has already shallowed very early in transition. By the time the hands and club reach about head height in the downswing, the shaft is flatter and better matched to deliver the club from the inside.

That changes everything.

From that shallowed position, a cover-the-ball feel can simply be a way to rotate through the shot, get the club back in front of the body, and avoid getting stuck underneath. For the recreational golf player, though, trying to feel the right shoulder move on top too soon often creates these problems:

  • The shaft gets steeper instead of flatter
  • The club cuts across the ball
  • The face stays open and produces a slice
  • The player loses room to swing naturally
  • Contact becomes weak or glancing

This is why the sequence matters more than the feel itself. In golf, a useful swing thought at the wrong time becomes a harmful one.

Step 3: Shallow the club first in your golf downswing

If you want the “cover the ball” idea to help your golf swing, the first goal is to shallow the shaft early in transition. That means that as you start down from the top, the club should feel like it drops and flattens rather than standing up and getting more vertical.

You do not need to force a dramatic reroute. The feeling is simply that the clubhead and shaft move into a less steep position before you apply the later move of covering the ball.

A simple checkpoint in your golf swing is this:

  • Make your backswing
  • Pause briefly at the top
  • Let the club feel like it drops behind you slightly
  • By the time the club reaches around head height in the downswing, the shaft should feel flatter than it was at the top

This early shallowing tends to encourage a path that approaches the ball from the inside, which is often what produces a push-draw or solid straight golf shot.

Step 4: Rehearse the shallow-first golf motion with a pause drill

One of the easiest ways to learn this in golf is to slow everything down and exaggerate the transition. The pause drill is useful because it removes the rush from the top and helps you feel the sequence correctly.

How to do the drill

  1. Take your normal setup with a driver.

  2. Make a full backswing.

  3. Pause at the top for a brief moment.

  4. From the pause, feel the club drop into a shallower position.

  5. Swing down only to about head height and check the shaft angle.

  6. Then continue through the ball.

What you want to feel in this golf drill is the club moving into a flatter slot before your body applies the sensation of covering the shot. If you are doing it correctly, the transition should feel less like a throw from the top and more like the club is falling into place.

This can also help players who immediately yank the handle down and out. In many golf swings, that aggressive first move is what causes the club to steepen.

Step 5: Use the right ball-flight feedback in golf

Ball flight gives you useful information about whether the sequence is improving.

When you shallow first in your golf swing, a common initial result is a shot that starts a little to the right and curves back. That is often a sign the club is approaching more from the inside. For many golfers, that is progress.

Here is a simple guide:

  • Starts right and draws back: often a good sign that you are shallowing better
  • Starts left and curves farther left: you may be shutting the face too much or swinging too far from the inside
  • Starts left and fades: often means the club is still steep and outside-in
  • Starts right and stays right: path may be good, but the face may be too open

In golf, your first goal is not always dead straight. It is often better to first create the inside approach and a playable draw pattern. Then you can fine-tune the face and body motion to straighten the shot out.

Step 6: Add the “cover the ball” feel after the club is shallowed

Once you can get the shaft shallower by the time the club reaches roughly head height in the downswing, now the “cover the ball” feel can become useful in your golf swing.

At this stage, the purpose is not to chop down on the ball. It is to keep the club from lagging too far behind you and to move the club back in front of your torso through impact.

The feel can include:

  • Your trail shoulder working more on top through the strike
  • Your chest continuing to rotate through the ball
  • The clubhead not hanging too far behind your hands
  • The face closing in a controlled way through impact

This is the point where the move can help straighten out an overly draw-biased golf shot. You have already created room by shallowing first. Now you are simply matching up the body rotation and club delivery so the club does not get stuck underneath.

Step 7: Learn the difference between “covering” and getting steep in golf

This is one of the biggest misconceptions in golf instruction. Covering the ball does not mean throwing your trail shoulder outward from the top. It does not mean lunging at the ball. And it does not mean forcing the handle over the top.

A good “cover the ball” feel happens after the shaft has already set into a better slot. A bad version happens too early and looks like this:

  • Shoulders spin open immediately from the top
  • The club moves out toward the ball too soon
  • The shaft gets more vertical in transition
  • The swing path cuts across the shot

A better version in golf usually looks and feels more like this:

  • Transition starts with the club softening and flattening
  • The shaft gets shallower by early downswing
  • Then the body rotates through with the club back in front
  • Impact feels compressed and balanced rather than glancing

If your miss is a slice or pull-cut, there is a strong chance you are trying to cover the ball too early.

Step 8: Practice a two-phase golf swing rehearsal

A two-phase rehearsal is one of the easiest ways to blend these ideas into one simple golf motion.

Phase 1: Shallow

  • Go to the top
  • Feel the club drop and flatten
  • Rehearse to head height in the downswing

Phase 2: Cover

  • From that shallowed position, turn through
  • Feel your trail shoulder move more on top
  • Let the club come back in front of you
  • Finish in balance

Do several slow rehearsals without hitting a ball. Then hit short drivers or three-quarter tee shots. In golf, slow rehearsals often build the correct sequence faster than hitting full-speed shots too soon.

Step 9: Watch for common golf mistakes

If this move is not helping your golf swing, one of these errors is usually involved.

Mistake 1: Covering the ball from the top

This is the most common issue. If the first move down is your shoulders moving over the ball, the club usually steepens.

Mistake 2: Never getting the club back in front

Some golfers shallow well but then leave the club too far behind them through impact. That can create blocks and hooks. This is where the later cover-the-ball feel can help.

Mistake 3: Trying to create a draw only with the hands

If you manipulate the face without improving the path, your golf shots become inconsistent. Shallowing changes the delivery. The hands alone do not fix that.

Mistake 4: Swinging too hard while learning the move

Sequence is everything. If you go full speed too early, your old golf pattern usually returns.

Mistake 5: Misreading the first good draw

If the ball starts right and curves back, that can be a positive sign. Many players abandon the move because the shot is not straight yet. In golf, building the correct path often comes before perfect face control.

Step 10: Use a simple golf practice plan at the range

To train this efficiently, keep your range session organized. Here is a practical golf progression:

  1. Five slow rehearsals
    Pause at the top and shallow to head height.

  2. Five half-speed shots
    Focus only on starting the ball right of target.

  3. Five shots with the full sequence
    Shallow first, then feel like you cover the ball through impact.

  4. Five normal swings
    Keep only one thought: shallow first.

  5. Five target-driven swings
    Pick a fairway and play the shot shape you are building.

If you begin slicing again, return to the pause drill. In golf, going back to the simple checkpoint often restores the motion quickly.

Step 11: Know which golfers benefit most from this golf concept

This sequence is especially helpful if your typical golf miss is:

  • A slice with the driver
  • A weak pull-fade
  • A steep, glancing strike
  • A feeling that the club is always outside your hands in transition

It can also help if your pattern has improved to the point where you are now dropping the club too far underneath and getting stuck. In that case, the later “cover the ball” feel can be the missing piece that helps you straighten your golf tee shots.

If your driver is already producing strong hooks, you may need less shallowing feel and more emphasis on getting the club back in front through rotation. The same concept still applies, but the balance between the two feels changes.

Step 12: Build one repeatable golf swing thought

Too many swing thoughts make golf harder than it needs to be. Once you understand the sequence, narrow it down to one simple cue.

Good examples include:

  • Shallow, then cover
  • Drop it, then turn through
  • Flatten first, then get on top

The best cue is the one that gives you the right ball flight. In golf, feel is personal, but sequence is not. The club needs to shallow before the covering move becomes useful.

Golf FAQ

Should you cover the ball with the driver in golf?

Yes, but only after the club has shallowed in the early downswing. In golf, trying to cover the ball too soon with the driver can make the shaft steeper and lead to slices or pull-fades.

What does shallow the club mean in golf?

It means the shaft becomes flatter during the transition from backswing to downswing. In golf, that usually helps the club approach the ball more from the inside instead of cutting across it from outside-in.

Why do I slice when I try to cover the ball in golf?

You are likely applying the move too early. In golf, if your shoulders move on top from the start of the downswing before the club shallows, the shaft often gets steep and the path moves left, which encourages a slice.

Can this golf move help hit a draw?

Yes. Shallowing the club early often promotes an inside path, which can help create a push-draw. Once that is established, the later cover-the-ball feel can help keep the club from getting too stuck and can straighten the shot.

What is the simplest drill for this golf concept?

Use a pause-at-the-top drill. Make your backswing, pause, let the club drop into a shallower position, rehearse to head height in the downswing, and then swing through. This teaches the right golf sequence without rushing.

How do I know if my golf swing is too steep?

Common signs include slices, pull-cuts, weak contact, and the feeling that the club moves out toward the ball immediately from the top. In golf, a too-steep downswing often comes from trying to cover the ball before the club has shallowed.

Takeaway: the best golf sequence is shallow first, cover second

The phrase “cover the ball” can be a helpful golf cue, but only if it comes at the right point in the downswing. For most golfers, the first priority is to shallow the club early. Once the shaft is in a better delivery position, then the feeling of covering the ball can help move the club back in front, control the face, and produce a straighter driver.

If you remember only one thing, make it this: in golf, do not try to cover the ball from the top. Shallow first, then cover. That sequence is what gives the move a chance to work.

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