Learning to swing the club down into the ball on an inside path is important if you want to draw the ball from right to left (for right-handers).

Coming at the ball at an angle from the outside will either result in a weak sliced shot or a pull to the left of your target.

Most amateurs tend to struggle to swing the club into the ball on an inside path because they try to hit hard at the ball from the top of their backswing, which inevitably casts the club out and across the ideal swing line. This move causes a great loss of power and accuracy.

Here is a drill to help groove a swing from the inside, just like Rory McIlroy is doing here. Note two things – firstly, his head is behind the ball and his right elbow is in close to his turning right hip. Both positions are near impossible to achieve with an over-the-top swing.

Start the drill by placing a head cover just behind and outside the ball. This will force you to swing from an inside path. With the head cover on the ground, any sort of swing that comes over-the-top will strike the head cover and give you immediate feedback that you did not reach impact on an inside path.