Golf Fundamentals Information Blog

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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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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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I am sure all of you have seen the old joke showing the gentleman walking up and introducing himself to the golf ball, well thats not what addressing the ball means.

Part of the equation of power and distance you generate in your stroke is created by the distance you stand from your ball as determined by the length of the club.

On a putt you stand close to the ball and on a drive with a longer shaft you stand farther away.

Essentially then, how far you stand from the ball is controlled by the length of the club and the angle the shaft comes out of the head.

The driver is the longest club in the bag and the putter is usually the shortest, because you stand closer with the putter and further away with the driver.

There are a few things that are musts regarding the addressing of the golf ball or your setup:

*You should stand comfortably over the ball with your knees slightly bent, this also avoids stiffness and allows you to stay with the shot longer.

*To maintain your balance during the stroke, you should work to maintain a flat and consisten spine angle throughout your golf swing. It puts your eyes and head in the right position over the ball and keeps your swing on a consistent swing plane.

*Begin your setup by balancing your weight evenly on your feet. This aids in a good initial setup and alignment to the ball. Even though there is a transfer of weight from back to front during the golf swing, you’ll want to establish a good balanced ‘feel’ during your address and setup to the golf shot.

*Forming a stable base is accomplished by separating your feet the correct distance.

This is usually about shoulder length for most people. If your feet are too far apart this may cause you to choke down or bend your elbows to hit the ball.

Even if having the feet further apart is more comfortable, these are situations you want to avoid.

*Your arms should be straight and relaxed, not stiff, and your hands should be under your shoulders. This posistion is created by that flat spine that is slightly angled over your body.

If you are in the correct position, your hands should be a few inches from your lower body, just above the knees.

If you are in a proper stance you should be able to hold it for a without feeling and discomfort.

If when you achieve the proper setup it may feel a bit awkward and uncomfortable initially if you’ve never been instructed on this before. The key it to develop this habit and get your body and your muscles used to creating this solid foundation from which to work.

Don’t slip back into your old bad posture setup. Stay with this type of address at the golf shot and you’ll very soon get comfortable with it.

By: Jeff O'Brien

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