Begin by checking that your hands are in practically direct opposition as they grasp the club-that is, with the palms facing each other squarely. The (left) hand is placed against the shaft in such a manner that the shaft makes a diagonal contact from the crook of the index finger across the palm.

It is, with this left hand, a combination palm and finger grip. When this hand is closed the club should be held in the first two fingers and the palm. Check that there is a fold of flesh between the club and the little finger. This, as a matter of fact, is a check point for getting the correct golf grip by which you can tell whether you have the palm-and-finger grip.

As you address the ball and look down at your hands, you must see no more than two knuckles, those at the base of index finger and the big finger. Two knuckles! This is your second and last check point for the position of this hand.

The next step to getting the correct golf grip is assessing the right hand. The right hand is very important, both in the way it grasps the club and in the way it fits against the left. Let’s take the club first.

It has been said that the grip with the right hand is a finger grip. This is true but where in the fingers? This is at the very base or root of the second and third fingers, where they meet the palm. This is the best place because there the club can be held most securely.

There is not only less chance but less inclination, with such a grip, to loosen the hand at the top of the swing or anywhere else. Such a grip, because it is at the very edge of the palm, makes for a tighter connecting joint between arm and club, with less give than any other. It transmits more power when the ball is struck.

Any grip higher in the fingers of the right hand, say along the inside of the middle knuckles of the second and third fingers, is untrustworthy. It is a loose grip to begin with, and the tendency is to loosen it further at the top of the swing. Finally, there is more give in it when the ball is hit.

We have identified the right-hand grip as being taken with the second and third fingers because, of course, the index finger is separated slightly from the middle finger and is hooked low around the club. The little finger, in the overlapping or interlocking grips, does not touch the club at all. In the so-called ten-finger grip, though, the little finger would grasp the club exactly as the second and third do.

In taking our putting grip we recommend placing the left hand on the club first in its proper position, then sliding the right under the shaft, fingers extended and palm up. Slide no further when the club slips into the little groove where the fingers meet the palm. Then just close the hand, moving it up the shaft slightly so that the third finger fits against the index finger of the left hand and the little finger overlaps or lies on top of the left index finger.

You will find that the palm of the right comes up and faces directly to the left, and that the center of the base of the right hand fits snugly over the big knuckle at the base of the left thumb. Both thumbs will be on the shaft, the, left lying a little to the right of the top (at about 2 o’clock in aviation parlance) and the right lying to the left of the top, at about 10 or 10:30 o’clock.

The well-known V’s, formed by the folds of flesh between the thumb and forefinger of each hand, should both point a shade to the right of the chin, to about the inside joint of the collar bone.

That’s all there is to it! Congratulations, now you know how to get the correct golf grip and with a bit of practice you’ll get it right every time.

By: Ruth Cracknell

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The one plane golf swing is credited to Jim Hardy. Hardy first thought that in golf, there are two fundamental sets: a two plane swing and the one plane swing. Though there are a lot of swing variations, every golfer exhibits characteristics of any of the two fundamentals sets. Hardy also pointed out that the two cannot be combined. You cannot get parts from the two plane swing and then integrate them in a one plane swing and vice versa.

There are golf experts who think that if golf players are going to be categorized, they can fall under the two fundamental sets. The ideas presented by Hardy, golf experts say, can help better understand the physics of the golf swing. This entry is going to focus on one plane golf swing.

In the one plane golf swing, the spine angle is further bent over when addressing. This allows the player’s shoulders to rotate, resulting to a swing. Hardy said that to be able to swing perfectly, the hands should be located under or inside one’s chin during time of address. During backswing, the secret is to swing the arms around. However, limit this behind one’s body instead of moving the arms toward the front.

During transition, what you need to do is to rotate your body towards the left. You should do this, however, after you have placed your weight to the left side of your body. You will notice that there’s an effortless rotation. For the downswing, the golfer will have more freedom to rotate. One’s club as well as arms and shoulders are already positioned properly.

So those are the fundamentals of the one plane golf swing. Hopefully you can use these tips to improve your own golf swing and lower your score.

By: Tony Newton

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It is often said that a good golfer lets the club do the hard work and when it comes to the pitch shot half of the secret lies in choosing the right club and hitting the ball at the right speed so that the club head sends the ball flying with the right loft straight towards the hole.

So, how do you hit the perfect pitch shot?

The first thing you must do is to draw a picture of your intended shot in your mind’s eye and have a very clear target to aim at. You must also work out the distance to your target as accurately as you can and select the right club to carry your ball to its target. (On this point beginners often spend too little time on the practice ground getting to know their clubs and very early on in your golfing career you must spend time to learn just what you can do with each and every one of the clubs in your bag.)

Next, you will need to make sure that your stance is correct and this means ensuring that your weight is to the front of your body and that your front foot is ‘open’ which means moving it back so that it is about six inches behind the line to your target.

Now take a light but firm grip on the club as you address the ball and keep your head and body as still as you can without tensing up. Then take your swing taking the club straight back along your target line and swinging smoothly through the ball keeping your follow through in a straight line towards your target.

Having taken your shot you then need to carefully analyze the results in an effort to constantly improve your game. For example, did your shot overshoot or fall short of your target and, in either case, was this because you chose a club with too little or too much loft or did you strike the ball too hard or too softly? Similarly, did your ball land on the line to its target or to the left or right and was this because your swing did not follow the line to the target or because the wind took your ball off course?

One of the problems with the pitch shot is that it is designed to carry your ball a relatively short distance to its target and so your shot is very different from that taken when using a driver or a long iron. Indeed, you will normally be using the pitch shot for distances of less than 75 yards and so the trick is to get just the right loft on your ball and hit it with just enough force to reach the target.

To do this you will need to take your club back far enough on your back swing, without taking it back too far. If you do take it too far back then there will be a natural tendency to slow the club on the down swing, while you will also have a tendency to force the club if you do not take it far enough back, losing the rhyme and flow of your shot.

At the end of the day the pitch shot is not too difficult but it does require a knowledge of your clubs and plenty of practice before you get it right.

By: Donald Saunders

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Alignment is one of 4 basics of golf that you have to get master along with the grip, stance and posture. Once you have the basics right you will improve rapidly. If the basics are wrong you will find it difficult to improve. If you are not aligned properly, obviously the ball will not go where you want it to. As you can imagine if you are just slightly out in your alignment at the ball, how far will you be out when it has traveled over 200 yards. Good alignment is not difficult and here are some tips to help.

1. Take up a position behind the ball. This is your first step to achieve the right alignment. Stand directly behind the ball and make sure that you keep it between you and your target. Holding the club with the grip, pick a point on the ground that is about three feet from the ball in line with the target you are aiming for. Memorize that spot, whether it is a divot mark, small weed, broken tee peg, because you are going to use it as a reference to address the ball and to aim your club face later on.

2. Walk up to the ball and place the club head square to spot 3 feet in front of you that you had chosen earlier. Take your stance with your body square to your designated target line. Position your feet in accordance to the club, which you intend to use for the shot. The main idea here is to make sure that the lines corresponding to the tips of your toes, your knees, your hips, and your shoulders should all be in parallel to the target line. Your proper alignment, coupled with good swing fundamentals, should be enough to make the ball go straight into the hole with every shot.

3. You can make a quick check by placing your club across your shoulders and checking that they are on the target line. You can do the same with the toes of your shoes to make sure everything is square.

4. Always keep a check on your alignment, even the pros can fall into the trap of thinking they are lined up correctly when in reality they are way out.

Good basics lead to a good golf game. Don’t practice bad habits.

By: Ian Donaldson

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Driving the golf ball farther is largely a function of maximizing clubhead speed through impact. If you want to add 25 yards or more to your drives, one of the most effective swing thoughts you can have is to focus on a wider swing rather than a taller swing.

The Ceiling-to-Floor Golf Swing

Imagine swinging your driver in a room of your house (no furniture, of course!). Most golfers waste club head speed with a swing that is too vertical – that is, their swing is focused on going from the floor to the ceiling to the floor again. The vertical golf swing is narrow and very up-and-down, and its shape resembles a “V.”

Because the clubhead cannot go through the ball into the floor, the vertical swing has to expend swing speed through a cast from the top or an early release. Whenever either of these symptoms happens, the clubhead reaches its maximum velocity before it ever contacts the golf ball.

The vertical golf swing can be caused by a number of factors:

Picking the club up with the hands to start the backswing; hinging the wrists too early in the backswing; not turning the shoulders; reverse weight shift or spine angle change; or lack of a pivot or weight shift on the backswing.

Fundamentally, however, the vertical golf swing usually has a “hit the ball” focus rather than a “swing to the target” focus. It may be possible to address any swing flaws simply by changing the focus of your golf swing rather than trying to fix the swing flaws directly, because if the underlying focus does not change, the symptomatic flaws are not likely to go away.

The Wall-to-Wall Golf Swing

Contrast the vertical golf swing with the wide golf swing. With a wider golf swing the golfer feels like they are trying to reach the walls of the room rather than the ceiling and floor.

The golfer who tries to reach the walls of the room develops a “U” shaped swing rather than a “V” shaped swing. The U shape allows the club to accelerate through the ball all the way to the target, maximizing clubhead speed through the ball and therefore increasing distance.

With a focus on a wall-to-wall swing many swing “flaws” fix themselves. A U-shaped swing will help the shoulders turn, reduce or eliminate early wrist hinge, make the weight shift feel more comfortable and natural, and eliminate spine angle changes.

Address the Fundamental Issue: Swing to the Target, Not the Ball

More fundamentally, however, the wall-to-wall swing can help the golfer change the focus of the swing from hitting the ball to swinging to the target. It is far more effective to make a swing change by addressing the fundamental underlying cause than it is to treat the symptoms.

One caveat: the wall-to-wall swing requires maintaining your leverage position and making a good pivot. The hips should not move laterally. It is not unusual when changing to a wider swing to see golfers sway (the lateral hip motion) rather than turn. Therefore when making the change to a wall-to-wall swing, consider working in tandem on both the wider arc and a better, more leveraged pivot. Switch back and forth every 3 to 5 practice shots between the wider arc swing and the leveraged pivot swing until the two work seamlessly together.

A Wider Golf Swing Means More Distance

Widening your swing arc can improve your driving distance 25 to 50 yards. Thinking “wall-to-wall” rather than “ceiling-to-floor” will produce a “U” shaped golf swing that will increase clubhead speed through the ball and simultaneously address many common swing flaws. When done in tandem with an efficient, leveraged pivot, the result will be effortless power and consistently longer drives.

By: Eric M Jones

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If you are a beginner at the game of golf, then you would surely want to know certain techniques that can help you with your golf swing. However, you should be a bit wary here. You have to remember that not all techniques that you can come across with will really help you. After all, golfers have their own personal style when it comes to the golf swing. Thus, a particular golf swing technique that works for one golfer just may not work for another golfer. Still, it would really help to know a handful of these techniques.

One of the very first things that you should learn about your golf swing is to make sure there is nothing in your swing path that can impede or disrupt your swing. Check if there is anything that can prove to be an obstruction here. Are there any stones or leaves that can disrupt your swing? You should also check your ball’s immediate path and the target area as well. These areas should be free of obstruction as well. This way, you get to have a different point of view visualizing just how aligned your shot is. And you can do this even before you address your shot.

The next technique that you should keep in mind is your grip. You have to make sure to grip your club correctly. There is actually a bit of balance to keep here, in the sense that you should maintain a grip that is neither too tight or too loose. Do not be discouraged if you find yourself having to adjust your grip a few times. Just make sure you achieve a comfortable and relaxed grip. Keep your thumb atop your grip, and have it pointed at club’s toe.

As for the type of grip, there are actually some golfers who like the interlocking grip. In this grip, your index and smallest fingers of both hands should be interlocked. This lets you achieve a more comfortable grip here while you can still maintain control. The interlocking grip prevents you from gripping your club too tightly, for this would just result to you making a sliced drive.

By: Sean Bailey

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