Mis-hit your driver — on purpose! — to find the sweet spot

A new practice method helps you learn faster by — get this — avoiding the sweet spot. Here’s how.

1. The theory

Instead of trying to pound the sweet spot practice swing after practice swing at the range, try catching a few on the heel and toe as well. By giving your brain multiple reference points to think about, you force it to work harder — so you can learn faster! It’s called variable training. Multiple studies prove that it can be wildly effective.

2. How to put it to good use

Tee the ball in its regular spot and try hitting it off the toe. After a few attempts, switch it up: Hit some clankers off the heel. Then go back to your quest to locate the center. For a real test, tee two balls off the clubface and see if you can knock them in tandem. Now you’re really putting your noggin to work! If you can teach yourself to create off-center hits on command, it’ll be easier to find the center when it counts.