Golf Fundamentals Information Blog

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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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The phrase “get a grip” may be one that is commonly said to people to encourage them to get back to reality but it’s also one of the most important things that can be said to a golfer. It may seem like every bit of advice that is offered to an up and coming golfer is the most important thing ever but without a firm and confident grip, everything else would be pointless. Even the position of your fingers and hands on the golf club can make a huge difference to your performance so if you want to get on the green in the shortest time; you really need to get a grip.

There is no point in denying the importance of having a proper grip. To ensure proper contact with the ball and to get the best flight of the ball, the placement of your hands is vital. By holding the club too weakly, it is likely that the angle of the club will be off line and this will be enough to ensure that the ball will curve away from its intended target. Similarly, a grip that is too strong will be rigid and will prevent a clean follow through of the shot. This means that the best golf grip would be neutral, in between weak and strong. Judging this is the hard part but over time, a player will be able to determine what level of grip works best for them.

One of the first aspects of the grip is to ensure that the club is held and wrapped within your fingers as opposed to within the palm of your hands. This sort of hold can be easily done by if you pick up the club from a flat position so be sure to hold the grip from your fingers. This will ensure that a stronger grip is placed on the club, ensuring the golfer has better control of their swing.

As well as focusing on the basics of the grip, it is worthwhile looking at the actual grip of the club itself. If it is old and worn then it can lessen the impact of the golfers grip, undoing all your good work. If the grip of the club is weak or slack, the golfer will tend to tighten their own grip to overcompensate and this can lead to rigidity in the arms, which can impact on the strength and speed of the swing. It can seem hard to imagine how such a little thing like the condition of the handle of the club can impact on players overall game but that is the way of golf. There are so many little details and even psychological issues that can derail a golfer and a player needs to be able to overcome the majority, if not all, to get the very best from the game.

Not every player wants to be professional or compete professionally so they may think that its not too important to get the minor details right but even just a few things wrong can greatly impact on a player performance so it is of the utmost importance to try and get as many things right as possible.

When placing your grip, it is important to determine what the top hand is and what the bottom hand is. For a right handed golfer, their left hand will be the top hand and their right hand will be the bottom. Unsurprisingly for a left hand golfer the opposite exists, where the right hand is the top for a left handed golfer.

The bottom hand should be placed where the grip meets the shaft and the top hand should come onto the other end of the grip and slowly wrap around the club ensuring a strong grip. The bottom hand should then be slid down the club to meet the top hand. The hands should then join in either an overlap or interlocking grip with a careful hold being placed on the club. It is up to each golfer to judge their own strength of holding but the grip should be compared to holding something fragile, with enough strength to protect it but not too much to break it.

Holding the grip with your fingers, rather than hands or the palm of your hand, will ensure the line of your arms have a better chance of remaining straight, which will help the swing of the club.

Following these outlines for a great golf grip may not be enough to turn you into a golfing superstar but by bearing in mind the basics, there is a strong chance that your golfing game will be a lot more enjoyable.

By: Joe Alan

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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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