Now that you’ve mastered The Grip, Set Up, Waggle, Backswing and Tempo the next move should be a piece of cake. In fact, you can let gravity and tempo do most of the work for this part of the swing. Your club is back, left shoulder under your chin, head upright, weight shift to right side, wrists are hinged back with club pointing down the target line and your back is facing the target – you’re ready to pull the trigger. Before you start the Downswing, let’s touch on one last item, “Relax”.

My trigger method for starting the downswing is twofold. I start to throw my left hip toward the target while pulling down on the club in a very relaxed manner allowing gravity and the acceleration of your tempo to do the work. The club and back end of the grip will be pointing at the golf ball. As you swing down the hips will shift laterally left and open to 45 o or more through impact.

The key is to keep your head behind the ball so the coil of your shoulder and upper body combined with the hinging of your wrists can be timed for releasing the club at the proper time thru the impact area. This will allow maximum power and accuracy. This is the part of the Downswing that overlaps the last step of the golf swing, “The Follow Thru”.

As your club is released and approaches the impact area, the wrists should be unhinging and the weight should continue to shift from the right to the left side to prepare for the Swing Finish or “Follow Thru” as I like to call it. The left side should remain firm just before and through the impact of the club head with the golf ball while the head remains behind the ball.

As I am looking down at the ball when the club head is approaching impact I look at the inside corner of the ball and try to keep a slight inside to out swing path by concentrating on hitting that inside part of the ball and aiming at one o’clock. I find that this will allow the club to drop into the power slot more readily and ultimately result in more distance and accuracy. Note: The information noted above is based on the assumption that the golfer is right handed. Please reverse for left handed golfers ( Right hip will be moving toward target ).

Tip: Keeping your left arm straight and a relaxed swing are key ingredients to more consistency in the golf swing.

By: Mike D'auria

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Want to hit farther and straighter?

To achieve that, a correct golf swing sequence will give you the power and control to a golf game.

When you improve the basic fundamentals of a correct golf swing sequence, you will hit the ball
farther and straighter with very little effort.

Although there are no quick fixes to having a correct golf swing, here are some basic tips to a correct golf swing sequence-

1) Grip – A grip that is too strong or too weak will not give you a correct golf swing first up. A balance of the grip is needed every time you address the ball. As well ,the angle the club lies in your hand is critical.

2) Balanced Posture – A Key requirement of a correct golf swing, but importantly protects your back and aligns your body into a good position.

- Bend from the hips whilst keeping your back straight;

- Your feet shoulder width apart;

- Legs are flexed at a minimum;

- Hands and arm should hang directly below the shoulder.

3) Ball position

4) Aim and Alignment – Club face must be set perpendicular to the target line

3) Pivot – How you move your body will determine the golf swing sequence; the back swing, the down swing, impact and post impact.

- At address, left arm is straight, right arm is slightly bent and elbows close together. With a proper grip, posture and pivot, your Hands and arms will start the back swing, and swing the club.

Your body turns in a controlled manner to assist this golf swing, promoting arm leverage which will allow a full swing of the left hand and arm.

At the top of the back swing, left arm should be extended as far as possible whilst the right elbow is bent in, pointing towards the ground. During this back swing, the right leg must remained flexed, which allows a full body turn for a correct golf swing.

As you can see, the back swing is crucial to an entire golf swing sequence!

- A correct golf down swing will start from the legs and hips, not your hands and arms. Hold your shoulders in the fully turned position as the left hand and arm begins to swing down.

- Shoulders must be squared at impact for a powerful swing into and along the intended line of flight. Your left arm should be straight, and right arm almost straight.

4) Post impact, follow through with your stroke to complete a golf swing.

5) Like any other sport, you should warm up before a game of golf by stretching the muscles for optimal performance, and hence allow a full correct golf swing for power.

6) Use golf specific exercises for added strength and flexibility to your body muscles. At times, a poor golf swing can be attributed to muscle fatigue. A Correct golf swing requires endurance and adaptability of the body muscle over a long session of golf. With added strength and endurance, you will be ensuring correct golf swing techniques.

Without question, the more focus on the smaller fundamentals of a correct golf swing sequence will result in effortless power, and the more strokes shaved off a golf game.

By: Jason Oh


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I have often been asked what I think the most important part of the setup is when you’re getting ready to drive a golf ball. I dont know if there is one answer to that question.

The way I answer it is based on what Ive observed over the past 30 years of teaching.

After youve addressed the golf ball, and this is not an easy thing to see, you might have to have someone watch. Or, Ill tell you how to check for yourself.

After youve addressed the golf ball and you’re all ready to hit, I would say that 90% of the people that struggle with the driver have their shoulders aimed way off to the left.

Now, why? Its pretty simple. Oh, I dont know, 80% of the golfing public has a driver golf slice. So, if you slice the golf ball, you’re going to try to aim off to the side, so when it recovers and comes back around its in play.

Now, unfortunately, for those of you that have a driver golf slice, simply by squaring your shoulders up, that isnt going to take away the slice. But its going to encourage the golf club to swing more from inside than from outside, and it will help it a lot.

You may need a grip change. But theres no question about it, the most important part of the setup for the driver has to be the shoulders.

Make sure they’re aimed parallel to your feet, knees and hips going left of the target.

Now, if you’re driving the golf ball poorly and not very consistent, let me give you these two golf swing instruction pearls. They go hand in hand.

And I promise you this will help you find out if your problem with your driver is in the backswing.

For you to become a really good driver of the golf ball and consistent, the shoulders have to turn. The only way they can turn in the backswing is if you have your chin up and not down.

Most mistakes that Ive seen with amateur golfers in their difficulties of driving the golf ball is their posture.

Their head is too far down. The only thing your shoulders can do is go up in the air. You wont have the ability to swing the golf club around you. You wont have the chance of your shoulders turning.

So, the best golf swing instruction I can give you is, the next time out, after youve addressed the golf ball, gone through your routine and you’re almost ready to swing the golf club back, simply lift your chin up in the air an inch or two. And dont forget that your shoulder should turn in the backswing.

If you have your chin up, the shoulder can turn around it. From there, you can really let it fly in the downswing.

Again, chin up, not down, promotes the shoulders turning in the backswing.

Try that the next time out and I promise you itll help you.

Thanks.

Copyright 2006 David Nevogt

By: David Nevogt

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It is true that most PGA Tour players will tell you that the most important golf fundamental is the golf swing alignment. But I don’t know why, when it comes to most amateurs, they just look over the golf swing alignment. Maybe no one told them, but here it is. Now you no longer have that excuse because I am going to tell you about it.

Golf swing alignment is considered the main fundamental for each and every golf shot. Sure you can hit the golf ball far but what good is it if its 30 yards away from where it’s suppose to be? This is where your swing alignment comes into play. Even if you think that you have mastered every aspect of golf like grip, stance, and swing and you don’t see your score going down anymore. Ah ha! You have found your problem. Here are some simple things you can follow to overcome this hurdle and to see if your golf swing alignment is correct.

The first thing you want to do is setup your golf shot like you always do. Then place a tee right behind each of your heels then push both of the tees all the way in. Now that you have that setup, move away from your setup and place a club shaft over both of the tees so that you make a straight line. Once you have that, go behind your golf ball and look down your target line to see if it matches what you thought.

By doing this exercise you will know exactly where you are aligning your feet. If they align, then good job you were doing it the right way. If it doesn’t, then here is a way to fix this. You can move the tees so that the alignment is straight and then the next time you setup you will have to make sure that your tees are touching the back of your heels. Another way you can check to see if your golf swing alignment is correct is by assuming your address position. Then remove your left hand, if you’re a right-handed golfer, from your golf club and point to a spot that’s 10 yards to the left of your target. Keep track of where your fingers and arm is pointing and compare it with your hips and shoulders. If you’re aligned, then it should feel like they are creating a straight line. However, if you think that they are pointing to the left, then you will end up hitting a hook or a push and if you’re pointing to the right then you are going to hit a slice or a pull.

If you noticed that your golf swing alignment was off, then your new position will feel odd to you. You may feel like your pointing in the wrong direction, but trust me, your not. It will only take a mater of time for you to get used to your new position and you will see the difference in your score. In order to continue to improve your game you have to regularly check your alignment since it’s very easy to misalign yourself without knowing it. And now since you know how to check it, you have no excuse for not checking it. Your golf swing will improve dramatically and you will hit near your target, which will help you lower, your score. For more tips and steps to improve your golf swing and for free stuff please visit Sean Matthews’s blog.

By: Sean Matthews

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There are so many things to remember to try and hit the perfect golf shot that many of us are not sure where to start. The key is to try and make the swing as simple as possible so that it can be easily repeated over and over again. Practice is the key to developing a golf swing that can lower your score.

Before you ever even start your golf swing it is critical to put yourself in position to execute the swing. Your feet should be spread apart about shoulder length and your knees slightly flexed. Your upper body will be leaning forward slightly and your back shoulder a little lower than your front. Your arms should drop freely from your side and your head positioned just behind the ball.

There are a couple of different ways to grip the club with your hands and one is not better than another. Choose the one that feels best to you. One of the grips is the interlock and the other is the overlap. In an interlocking grip, the pinky finger on your top hand is linked with the index finger on the bottom hand. An overlap grip places the pinky finger on the top hand on top of the first and second fingers of the bottom hand. While it doesn’t matter whether you use the interlock or overlap, it is critical where you place your hands on the grip. It should sit in the middle of the palm on your top hand and rest in the fingers of the bottom hand. Your hands should be placed in such a position that the V formed by the finger and the thumb should point up to your back shoulder.

Now that you have the proper stance and grip you are ready to swing the club. Most golf teaching professionals recommend a one piece take-a-way. The hands start to move the club back as the hips and shoulders turn. Push the club away from the ball slowly do not pick the club up. As you move the club back, lock the wrists and stop at about shoulder height. The first move coming down should be with your legs. Drive your knees forward, turn at the waist and start the club back toward the ball; at this point the butt of the grip should be pointed straight down. As you accelerate down, roll the wrists to close the club face at impact.

Even though you have already struck the ball, the golf swing is not finished. Your follow through should be low to the ground as you continue to rotate the shoulders and hips. It is very important that you do not slow down your swing immediately after impact. Accelerate all the way through the ball finishing with your belt buckle pointing toward your target and the club wrapped around your back.

By: Lee LaCasse

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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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Everyone talks about doing 100 pushups or a 100 pullups. Even though these feats of strength are impressive, they are simply that – feats of strength and endurance. The bodyweight squat is actually a much more important movement then thepullup or pushup.

I truly believe that everyone should be able to do 100 bodyweight squats. This is because it is the most important movement in our daily life. Each day we stand up, sit down, walk up stairs, jump into the air, sprint after things, etc.

Millions of movements throughout our lifetime all point back to the same range of movement as trained by the bodyweight squats. And when people get older, it is the hips and lower back muscles where they have problems.

Well, that’s all going to change now. Because I’m about to issue a challenge. If you are unable to do at least 100 bodyweight squats, then you need to take on this challenge. I’ll even give you a blueprint, a set of steps to achieve this goal.

Perform each level, once a week:
20 sets of 5 squats, 30 seconds break 17 sets of 6 squats, 30 seconds break 15 sets of 7 squats, 30 seconds break 13 sets of 8 squats, 30 seconds break 12 sets of 9 squats, 30 seconds break 10 sets of 10 squats, 30 seconds break 10 sets of 11 squats, 30 seconds break 9 sets of 12 squats, 30 seconds break 8 sets of 13 squats, 30 seconds break 7 sets of 15 squats, 45 seconds break 6 sets of 17 squats, 45 seconds break 5 sets of 20 squats, 45 seconds break 4 sets of 25 squats, 60 seconds break 3 sets of 34 squats, 60 seconds break 2 sets of 50 squats, 120 seconds break 1 set of 100 squats, as fast as possibleIf at any level, you are not able to maintain the recommended rest break, then repeat the workout again the following week. Keeping the rest periods short is extremely important.

By: Parth Shah

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All golf players that that do this for a living, still look for ways to improve their golf. And they do this every day. As long as you remember that it is your golf swing the one driving the score, you have every chance of becoming invincible. Still, you also need a perfect hand-eye coordination, creativity, vision, balance and athletic ability to play golf.

One of the most challenging games one can learn during a lifetime is golf and how to play it well. You can go after many golf tips, but it is always wiser to follow simple approaches that can be applied and that can help you be a better player and improve your swing.

The easiest golf swing is many times the most effective when trying to hit the ball further and straighter. So here are a few simple but effective tips:

The Grip
The foundation of your swing stands in the grip. Developing the right grip is essential to getting the perfect swing.

Here are a few different grips: the interlocking grip (with the left index finger and the right little finger combine and interlock, especially if you have thick hands, or even shorter hands); the overlapping grip (having the right little finger sit on top of the index finger of your left hand, used by most male golfer); or the baseball grip (without overlapping the index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand, but make contact with each other. It is used by the majority of beginners)

The Stance
The stance that you want is having your weight equally balanced. For this, standing relaxed over the ball is of great importance, since any tension can affect the quality of the swing. So, you have to make sure you follow this one. It’s best to bend at the hips also with a slight flex in your knees. Remember to keep your spine erect and not rounded.

The Backswing
As long as you are slow and deliberate, you can get the perfect backswing. Do not be quick about it, as the power is actually generated more on your downswing. Also keep your left arm as straight as you can while going as far back as possible.

The Downswing
Try to keep your head in the same position – it’s the key to the downswing. Begin it downswing from your hips, while keeping your head behind the ball. It is not advised to use your right hand so as to generate more power, as it will be generated by the angle formed between the clubs and the wrists. Again, do not be quick about your downswing; it is better to have a gradually increasing speed on the downswing along with good balance.

The Follow Through
It is important for your head to come up with your right shoulder, with your chin over your right shoulder while your head is facing the target. This will complete the follow through. Being patient while learning all this tips is essential. You can also practice your swings without actually hitting the ball, to start with. You will become more and more comfortable doing it like this.

Remember: relax and focus on your targets when you are on the course! And practice, practice, practice!

By: Jedda Barton

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There is nothing that a professional golfer hates more than a golf swing slice when he is training or playing in a high tempo competition e.g. the PGA tours. Every golfer will come across a slice more than once in his/her playing career. This is because every player would like to increase the pace of the ball. What they forget is that their hands meet the ball even when the club head isn’t square inline with the ball. Therefore, there is a need to prevent a swing slice from happening.

First, ensure you have checked your grip on the club where by the left hand must be placed on shaft top with its little right hand finger crossing the front finger of the left hand. Ensure the thumbs of your hands line up below the club.

Try as much as you can to ensure the ball is played between the back and the leg in the front. For those using fairway wood or driver, they can have the ball played at one or two lengths very close to their front legs. To prevent the golf swing slice from happening, make sure the shoulder faces the ball directly and the left foot is right below the left shoulder.

Thirdly, slowly by slowly return your club as you begin to swing your back. The hips must be rotated towards the right and let hands come in second. Normally, fast backswings make the unsteady; therefore try to make them slow but let them develop gradually.

The fourth step requires you to make hips rotation towards the left side as you commence the down swing and ensure the speed of the hands is in communication with that of the swing as you prepare to hit the ball. Simply steady the swing since your intention is to have the club head meet the ball at exactly 90. Any rushing of the swing directs your club head towards the right side hence creating a golf swing slice.

Keep the head down and let your focus be on the ball. With your hand held high, you can end up hitting the ball wrongly making it to slice off your intended direction. It is therefore clear that the best golf swing is created by the golfer and what he/ or she ought to do is master the skills of the game. This will help in improving his. Or her game and help in locking out golf swing slice.

By: T Dugan

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If you play golf and want to make sure that you playing to the best of your ability you need to make sure that you know all about the golf swing fundamentals that are the backbone of your game. It is commonly believed that there are six main fundamentals of a good golf swing and these are -

Your grip – you must make sure that you are holding the club comfortably and not too hard as this will make you lose control of your shot.

Your posture – how you stand is very important to ensuring a good golf swing, make sure your feet are planted firmly on the ground with your feet apart, knees bent, back straight and do all bending from the hips.

Your pivot – this is how you move your body when you are taking your swing, you should move freely and fluidly and without any tension as this will transfer into your shot and make you miss the ball.

The way your arms and hands behave during the swing – this might seem a little silly but you need to make sure that your hands and arms move in conjunction with each other to maximise your golf swing.

Your alignment – this is how you take aim on the golf ball when you are lining up your shot and is crucial to hitting the ball in exactly the right spot.

Finally, and possibly one of the most vital areas of golf swing fundamentals is our state of mind when you come to take your shot. You must be concentrating but not overly so as this will make you tense which will then lead to a poorly hit ball. Make sure you are relaxed yet focused and you will be swinging like a pro in no time.

By: Joe Marquart


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