Is there a more important part of a golf game than the golf swing? No, of course not. So what better area to focus on than golf swing basics. Let’s take a look at some basic and very simple techniques which in turn will improve your swing and score.

1. Visualization. Try to always “see” the target before actually hitting the ball. See yourself swinging through the ball perfectly. Visualization is an underused and critical component to a golfers success. This is a very simple tip that can really improve your accuracy.

2. Always remember to keep your arms relaxed and straight. A good thing to remember is to keep your arms under your shoulders. The bottom line is that your arms need to be within a few inches of your lower body.

3. Make sure you stand in a relaxed position over the ball with a slight bend in your knees. Your legs should be balanced with an even weight distributed between your legs. These small tips can really assist in establishing an initial approach and alignment to the ball.

4. Place a big emphasis on physical fitness. That’s right, we know how important physical fitness is to improving not just your golf swing but also your overall golf game. The most important component to golf physical fitness is the strength phase. You need to strengthen your upper body and arms so that you can generate a real good swing speed and follow through. Almost as important is the cardiovascular aspect. This may not be as relevant to the swing component of golfing but will definitely help with the overall game.

Practice these small tips and they will pay large dividends to your golf swing and all other areas of your game. Have fun out on the links.

By: George Knoechel

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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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Fundamentals

Stance

A consistent position helps develop a consistent swing. A square stance will encourage a square impact. Keep feet perfectly parallel to the target line. If you imagine standing on a train track your feet are against one rail the ball is next to the other. Develop a comfortable standing position with your feet directly below your shoulders with your toes slightly outward facing.

Position the ball 2-3 inches inside the left heel for most shots. If it is too far forward you will be more likely to slice.

Moving one foot slightly forward will enable either fade (outside to inside) or draw (inside to outside). Experiment with the shot direction on how much you move your foot.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do always check the position of the ball using your clubs aligned on the ground.

Do take your time to settle into your stance and get relaxed.

Do be consistent with your stance.

Grip

A good grip is the foundation of your golf swing, enabling greater control and reducing your tendency to slice. A good grip helps keep the club-head square at impact and stops the shaft from rotating in your hands.

The most popular grip used by professional golfers is the Vardon grip.

Place your little finger on the lower hand on the club (right hand for a right-handed player – known as the trailing hand) and place it between the index and middle finger on the top hand (known as the lead hand). The thumb of the lead-hand should fit in the lifeline of the trailing hand (the V). Look to get a relaxed and comfortable feel, a tight grip will hinder your swing. The V’s formed by the index finger and thumbs on both hands point between the chin and right shoulder. Turning hands anti-clockwise on the club shaft produces a weak grip, promoting a left-to-right flight of the ball (slice). Turning hands clockwise produces a strong grip, promoting a right-to-left flight of the ball (hook).

Do’s and Don’ts

Don’t grip the club too tightly

Do keep the rubber grips on your club handles in good condition. Worn grips cause problems by forcing you to hold the club too tightly.

Do get a feel for the grip by practising frequently gripping and re-gripping the club regularly.

Alignment

When you are practicing, make sure your use you clubs as alignment. Lay one club on the ground parallel to the target line and another from toe to toe indicating the direction of your stance. To indicate the ball position, lay another club at 90deg’s to the target line extending backward from the ball toward your feet. Now check it all. When you are happy with the alignment you can a club across your shoulders, hips and thighs to check everything is aligned parallel to the target!

Do’s and Don’ts

Do check, check and check again, it will be invaluable to troubleshoot any problems.

Don’t leave the club between your feet longer than necessary but feel free to leave one club on the ground parallel to the target line during practice sessions.



Swing Path

To get a straight shot you require an inside to square i.e. hitting the ball squarely swing-path. An inside to outside swing-path encourages a hook, outside to inside swing-path a slice. Imagine a line extending through the ball to the target, your goal is a swing-path that starts on the inside striking the ball while moving slightly to the outside.

Also you can direct the ball with the club face – straight 90deg to the ball

Clubface open (>90deg) to ball encourages a slice or fade

Clubface closed (

By: Dave Furnevall

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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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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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