Golf Swing Guide

Lish asked:


I am right handed. I have tried widening my stance, putting my left foot further back from my right and linning the ball with my left foot. I am using a standard flex club with a 10 degree loft. I am just wanting other options to try. Thanks

Thomas

jtsocali81 asked:


I am pretty new to golf, and I have a bad habit of putting my elbow out when I swing, I feel like I am trying to swing a bat or hit a puck with a hockey stick (because I am used to doing both the above), does anyone have any pointers?

Shawn

Helen Hecker asked:


If you’re like most golfers, you want to improve, not just hack around the golf course. The biggest concerns of golfers today are inconsistency first of all, followed by slicing and distance. You need great hand-eye coordination, balance, athletic ability and creativity to play golf.

Approach the game with a positive attitude and repeat affirmations if you can, such as “I play great golf all the time.” Don’t worry about what others think or may say about your swing; work to improve it at your own speed. Overall, you generally want to play golf with confidence.

After the ball is hit, the follow-through stage consists of a continued rotation to the left. Swing slowly and steadily using a nice rhythm. The backswing is a rotation to the right, consisting of a shifting of the player’s body weight to the right side, a turning of the pelvis and shoulders, lifting of the arms and flexing of the elbows and wrists.

When you swing if you have problems with your left knee buckling, imagine you’re holding a soccer ball between your knees. Ask your golf pro to evaluate your posture while swinging. Trust your golf club to do the job it was intended to do.

The most important thing about the golf swing is the angle and not the strength that’s applied to it. One of the problems that most inexperienced golfers share is they think too much about their swing. Many golfers who are strongly left-handed in their daily life prefer the right-handed golf swing.

It’s difficult for a golfer to practice hitting shots longer than short pitch shots unless one pays to play golf or pays to practice at a driving range or indoor golf training facility. Putts and short chips are ideally played without much movement of the body, but most other golf shots are played using variants of the full golf swing.

Turn to golf exercise and techniques if you want strength and power. Using a weighted club, make rotational golf swings to improve your power. Using some simple tips, techniques and stretches, you can increase your drives by up to 20 yards– practically overnight.

Sporting goods stores have golf aids to improve your game. Look for golf swing aids at your local golf course. Most of all don’t waste your money on an aid you don’t need or will never use.

You can find aids that will help you with your wrist and arm position. Be careful about the claims on TV commercials and magazine ads; seek expert advice before you buy because they may not live up to their claims. Golf swing aids come in all shapes and sizes including apparel type accessories to correct alignment or a golf club add-on accessory to monitor your swing.

Overall, investing in golf swing aids will greatly improve your golf swing and your golf game. There are a wide range of aids on the market today to help the beginning and advanced golfer. There are aids that will help you with swing alignment. Aids are often for sale at your pro shop or local golf shop. Aids can be found online and are often cheaper.

Take as many private lessons as you can afford with a good golf pro. Find and use golf aids and golf swing aids that help improve your game. Get some golf DVDs and commit yourself to a time to practice what you learn.

Shannon

Robert asked:


Where do you Start?

Let’s start with equipment. I’m not going to get into your set make up or equipment brand, we can talk about that later, what I’m interested in at the moment, are your grips.

I don’t care how good your equipment is, or how much it cost…if your grips are not in good shape, I, (or any Pro for that matter) cannot properly teach you how to swing a golf club.

Almost everyone I come in contact with on the range or at the club takes pretty good care of his or her golf clubs, with the exception of the grips.

The only contact you have with the golf ball is directly through the grips of your golf clubs, you have to take care of them.

A Professional golfer has their grips cleaned after practice sessions, before a round, during a round, and has them changed regularly.

Have you cleaned your grips yet? Your grips should feel slightly tacky in your hands so you don’t have to squeeze your golf club, which robs you of the ability to swing the golf club with any speed or consistency.

Most grips today are still made out of rubber or a rubber compound that can be kept in “like new” condition simply with hot soapy water.

When you play golf or practice, the dust, dirt, and oil from your hands gets ground into the pores of the rubber, clogging them up and making your grips slick and hard. Washing your grips will clean out the pores making your grips feel tacky again and ready for your next round.

If your grips have been neglected for a while, try a window cleaner solution on them, this will cut through the oils and dirt and should bring even a neglected grip back to life. If they have been badly neglected and you can’t get them back to a “tacky” state, have them replaced at your local Pro-Shop.

The good news is they’re very inexpensive, starting at around $2.00, and while you’re there you can have them sized to fit your hand perfectly.

This will help immensely when you learn to swing the golf club using the C.O.G. effortless power method. OK, now that you’ve got your grips cleaned and looked after, keep them that way, like I said earlier, every Professional golfer has new grips or has their grips cleaned before every round.

If you have a high tech grip material and you’re not sure what to clean them with, simply contact the manufacturer and ask, they will last longer and perform much better. Notice at the top and the bottom of your grip. There is a small hash mark that indicates the center mark of your shaft, these are very important marks, take notice of them now, and we’ll talk more about them later. Now that we have that looked after, we can talk about the BOSS of the golf club.

The BOSS:

Your target side hand, (the one with the glove) is the Boss of the golf club, that’s why we wear the glove on that hand. On the target hand, (the left hand for right handed golfers) the top three fingers assume control of the golf club. This is the Pinky, the Ring, and the Middle finger, (2) leaving the index finger and thumb to rest lightly on the grip. When these three fingers are in control of the golf club, you will be able to swing the club at a high speed with very little effort and fire your “Piston” *(release the club head), however, if your trail hand (right hand for right hand golfers) gets involved, it will slow down the swinging process and turn the action into a “hit”. Work on keeping the target hand the BOSS of the club, this will help prevent two other common problems,

1)The hole in the glove…

2)The “fat” shot…

Hole in your glove?

1)If you are the golfer that always has a hole in the heel of your golf glove, not only am I going to save you $50 to $100 dollars in golf gloves this year alone, but also should save you a quite a few strokes as well. The hole in your golf glove comes from the BOSS fingers giving up control of the golf club. When you take your back swing, if at the top of your swing, the BOSS fingers have let go, creating a gap between your fingers and the heel of your hand; the hole in the glove is soon to follow.

* (Piston) refers to the action of releasing the club head.

Why does this happen?

head of a swinging golf club weighs about a pound for every mile per hour it moves through centrifugal force. A typical golf professional moves the club head from the address position to the top of the backswing in approximately 1 second. At the point of transition to the down swing, the club head weighs about 14 pounds. That’s the equivalent of a 14-pound weight being held by the top 3 fingers of the target (gloved) hand. Most people can hold this weight OK but if the club travels to the top of the swing faster than that, the transition weight of the club head becomes heavier and the separation of the top 3 fingers (or the GAP) occurs. When the (GAP) happens, you transfer control of the club head to the Trail hand (right hand) and the butt end of the grip rubs or tears the leather of the glove on the transition to the downswing. This all happens very quickly and is hard to catch if you don’t know what to look for or what is actually happening. The dreaded hole in the glove is NOT a normal occurrence in golf; it is the product of a change of control of the golf club from your target hand, to your trail hand during the course of transition from the top of your back swing to the beginning of your down swing. This action can and even MUST be controlled if you are to learn to swing a golf club like you see your favorite Professional swing it every day. We’ll discuss how to control this little later on in the book when we set up the easy 3-piece golf swing and discover that 1-move can solve 4 problems we have in the backswing alone and set us up for consistency and power in our swing towards the target.

2.) The other benefit of learning to control your golf club with the top 3 fingers of the BOSS hand at the transition point to the downswing is controlling the “FAT” shot. The fat shot is the one where you stick the club head into the ground before it touches the golf ball, sending it trickling mere feet from where you’re standing. The fat shot is a totally wasted stroke as little or no ground is covered and we have to hit the same shot over again. At the transition point of your golf swing when the club changes direction back to the ball, if your BOSS hand loses control of the golf club, the weight of the club head rests on the trigger finger (index finger) of your Trail hand (right hand) and that hand becomes the BOSS of the golf club at that moment. Once the trail hand becomes the BOSS of the golf club, the down swing motion becomes too steep and your trail hand throws the club head into the ground behind the ball. If this is the case, you may have noticed your ball position creeping back in your stance and your shots traveling too low and too far for the club you’re using at the moment. This is a side effect of a weak BOSS hand; you have to change the geometry of your golf swing in order to make contact with the ball. When this condition develops, all kinds of mistakes can happen as you try to judge where the bottom of your swing is going to happen. Always remember, when your target side hand (the one with the glove) is the BOSS of the golf club, the bottom of your golf swing will always be on your Center of Gravity (shirt-button) so you can predict proper ball position, trajectory, and distance control of each club in your bag, and eliminate the dreaded FAT shot.

Alma

Kevin B asked:


As is obvious to anyone who has seen Tiger swing a club, he puts a tremendous amount of torque on the knee he is getting surgery on. I am wondering if there are exact measurements as to how much torque people, particularly Tiger, put on their knee during a golf swing. As I am relatively unfamiliar with physics, I would also appreciate a comparison of that measurement to something understandable.

Frances

Helen Hecker asked:


If you’re like most golfers, you want to improve, not just hack around the golf course. When you’re playing golf badly it isn’t a lot of fun. Most golfers don’t know that eighty percent of the world’s golfers have a handicap of 18 or more.

Visualize where you would like the ball to land, as you swing. The positive energy you send out will influence your game, just as negative thinking and therefore negative energy will affect it also. Golf requires tough mental fitness as well as physical fitness and is often overlooked.

Putts and short chips are ideally played without much movement of the body, but most other golf shots are played using variants of the full golf swing. Ask your golf pro to evaluate your posture while swinging. Make sure to use the proper technique.

Use the muscles in your legs and trunk when you swing. The most important thing about the golf swing is the angle and not the strength that’s applied to it. Accomplished golfers purposely use sidespin to steer their ball around obstacles or towards the safe side of fairways and greens.

Pick out a spot on the course, preferably the green of the fairway, and concentrate on hitting the ball to that spot. At the end of a swing, the weight has shifted almost entirely to the left foot, the body is fully turned to the left and the hands are above the left shoulder with the club hanging down over the players’ back. After the ball is hit, the follow-through stage consists of a continued rotation to the left.

At the end of a backswing the hands are above the right shoulder, with the golf club pointing more or less in the intended direction of ball flight. Use the basic ‘hitchhiker’ position when you’re working on your backswing.

Most golfers don’t know there are techniques that will greatly affect swing mechanics; you can get an edge by just changing your approach. Don’t underestimate the value of fitness when it comes to your golf swing and your overall golf game. It’s no secret; most of the professional players actively participate in workouts.

Before buying any golf swing aid, check with an expert to get an idea of what problem you need to work on first; backlift of golf swing, momentum of downward thrust or stance for example. If you’re looking for an aid to improve your stance they’re not hard to find. Aids come in all shapes and sizes including apparel type accessories to correct alignment or a golf club add-on accessory to monitor your swing.

You can find aids that will help you with your wrist and arm position. Golf aids are often for sale at your pro shop or local golf shop. Golf magazines often review the newest golf swing aids and are reviewed by golfers, making it easy to choose the right one for you.

Most of all don’t waste your money on an aid you don’t need or will never use. Sporting goods stores have golf aids to improve your game. Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or you’re just starting out, pick just one aid and go to work on your swing.

Look for golf swing aids at your local golf course. If you’re a golfing novice just starting out, it’s easy to become overwhelmed.

If you’ve hit with your golf driver perfectly once, you can do it every time. Get some golf DVDs and commit yourself to a time to practice what you learn. Pick out something every week to concentrate on and help you improve your golf swing and golf game.

Stacey

Helen Hecker asked:


To play golf you need good hand-eye coordination, balance, and knowledge of golf swing biomechanics, athletic ability and a good amount of creativity. The average golfer’s gross score is about 107 shots. And no matter what area of your game needs improving, whether it’s balance and alignment or power and speed, there’s a simple solution.

You want to play your game of golf with confidence. Know that you’re improving your swing each time that you play. It’s good to approach the game with a positive attitude and repeat predetermined affirmations like, ‘I play great golf all the time.’ Now if you’ve hit with your golf driver perfectly just one time, then you can do it every time you play. The subconscious mind knows the correct number and sequence of muscle contractions and nerve impulses that are needed, which is called muscle memory and is used in all sports. Be aware that the mental aspect of the game contributes to the difficulty of your golf swing.

When you swing your club, you should use the muscles in your legs and trunk. And sidespin will occur when the clubface is not properly aligned perpendicularly to the plane of the swing. If you have problems with your left knee buckling when you swing, try imagining holding a soccer ball between your knees.

Make sure to try to use the proper golf swing technique, never a shortcut. Ask your golf pro to take a minute to evaluate your posture and biomechanics while you’re swinging. And use the basic ‘hitchhiker’ position when you’re working on your backswing.

As the body matures, the ability to rotate the upper torso can be affected and the hand action can also slow down thus requiring a slightly stronger grip than one would use if they were younger. After you’ve hit the ball, you should follow through with a continued rotation to the left. And make sure to swing slowly and steadily using good rhythm and good biomechanics.

At the end of your swing, the weight should be shifted almost entirely to the left foot, the body fully turned to the left and the hands above the left shoulder with the club hanging down over the back. Putting can become a recurring nightmare and a condition called the ‘yips’ has affected not only amateurs but many golf professionals so you should get expert advice and consider a golf swing trainer if this happens to you.

By using just a few simple tips, techniques and stretches, you can increase the distance of your drives by up to 20 yards - almost overnight. One good exercise is to hold a medicine ball in front of you and turn back and forth, left and right as far as you can go. It must be rotational if you want to improve on your driving distance. And because the proper golf swing is mostly rotational it really makes sense to concentrate on your turning ability as it relates to both range of motion and speed. You never want to underestimate the sheer value of fitness when it comes to your golf swing and your overall golf game.

Regarding golf swing aids and golf swing trainers - golf magazines often cover reviews by golfers, making it much easier to choose the right one for you. Before buying any aid or trainer for your swing however, check with an expert to get an idea of what problem you need to work on first, for example, the backlift of your golf swing or the momentum of the downward thrust or stance. Keep in mind that with some of the golf swing trainers, you may still need help from a pro.

And if you’re looking for an aid to improve your stance they’re fairly easy to find. If you’re a golfing novice just starting out, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with all there is to learn.

There are a wide range of golf swing aids and analyzers on the market today to help the both the beginner and advanced golfer improve swing techniques. Most of all you don’t want to waste your money on an aid or trainer you don’t need or will never use so make sure to look for reviews and ratings online or offline for any golf swing trainer that you’re considering.

It’s most important to try to relax and try to really enjoy your game. Consider a golf vacation package as a good way to get in more practice. And if you can’t take your golf clubs and golf accessories with you when you go, you should be able to easily rent golf clubs, golf accessories, golf bags, golf carts or golf cart covers at any golf resort.

So when you play a round of golf, concentrate on your putting, improving your golf swing or something specific for that day; have a firm plan in mind. It makes sense to invest in a few of the newest golf videos or DVDs, golf books, golf software and golf ebooks; older golf books may be outdated - there are hundreds of free and simple golf tips to seek out in consumer and sports magazines also, in books, ebooks, software and DVDs both, online and offline.

Tyler

dave™ asked:


I am on the golf team in high school? And I am doing baseball in gym? But I don’t want to mess up my golf swing?

Does anyone know?

Milton

Chris Simpson asked:


What are the technical resorts behind the perfect golf swing? Beginners often find it highly useful to learn the golf swing mechanics that are in fact responsible for the success or the failure of long and short shots. You could hear many controversial tips about the way you should hold your head in order to control the golf swing mechanics. The phrase “keep you head down” is often heard during golf classes, however, remember that the head should be kept down as long as it follows the swing. If it fails to do so, other golf swing mechanics such as shoulder move and weight shift also fail.

Moreover, golf swing mechanics slightly differ according to whether you want to perform a long or a short shot. For instance the use of precision scoring clubs such as wedges, only require 70% effort in the swing. In such cases the golf swing mechanics change so that you’ll only use a semi-loose grip on the club and simply let it flow through. Your shoulders should be aligned with the slope for all the shots you take. The golf swing mechanics that apply when playing the wedges lay a higher emphasis on foot position. The right foot should be kept firm on the ground and only after hitting the ball may it come a little to the front.

Some other tips for those who are interested in golf swing mechanics involves the way you can chip. The swing will be a little different now; you can use any club you want on condition you get the ball rolling as fast as you can. Such a short shot is taken with both your feet apart and the body weight leaning on the forward foot. According to this golf swing mechanics, the club should be taken back by a shoulder movement without breaking the wrist. Then, in the same process of golf swing mechanics, lead the club-head downwards in the swing.

All beginners who attend some form of golf classes will receive more or less information on the golf swing mechanics, since the specific movements don’t always come natural. On the contrary, thus you will be able to understand that the golf swing mechanics that justify a special kind of training are the very reason golf actually exists. Nevertheless, don’t let yourself entirely over-ruled by this golf swing mechanics; there are also reflexes and instincts.

Lori

Helen Hecker asked:


Yes it’s hard to believe but there are more than 27 million golfers in the world today. It’s important to remember, your golf swing is what drives your score; not your clubs or ball. Many golfers play golf just to hack around and have some fun; more avid players are always looking for ways to improve their golf swing and their overall game.

It’s been proven that thinking positively about bettering your golf game will benefit you more than playing to compete with your partners and trying to win for winnings sake. Visualize where you would like the ball to land, as you swing. Overall, you generally want to play golf with confidence.

Swing slowly and steadily using a nice rhythm. Trust your golf club to do the job it was intended to do. Accomplished golfers purposely use sidespin to steer their ball around obstacles or towards the safe side of fairways and greens. When you swing if you have problems with your left knee buckling, imagine you’re holding a soccer ball between your knees.

The backswing is a rotation to the right, consisting of a shifting of the player’s body weight to the right side, a turning of the pelvis and shoulders, lifting of the arms and flexing of the elbows and wrists. As the body matures, the ability to rotate the upper torso is affected by age, and the hand action can also slow down requiring a slightly stronger grip.

Sidespin occurs when the clubface is not aligned perpendicularly to the plane of swing. Use the basic ‘hitchhiker’ position when you’re working on your backswing. Before you swing, make sure you’re relaxed; contract all your muscles tightly for a moment and then relax them.

Make sure to use the proper technique. At the end of a swing, the weight has shifted almost entirely to the left foot, the body is fully turned to the left and the hands are above the left shoulder with the club hanging down over the players’ back.

Once you understand that you can change your swing by using a simple technique, you’ll never underestimate golf fitness again. You can get rid of shoulder problems with some simple techniques. It’s no secret; most of the professional players actively participate in workouts.

Ask an expert, who is not associated with the shop you would buy your golf swing aid from, for advice on the right aid for you. Most of all don’t waste your money on a golf swing aid you don’t need or will never use. Be careful about the claims on TV commercials and magazine ads; seek expert advice before you buy because they may not live up to their claims.

Golf swing aids can be found online and are often cheaper. If you’re looking for an aid to improve your stance they’re not hard to find. There are a wide range of golf swing aids on the market today to help the beginning and advanced golfer.

Keep in mind that with some golf swing aids, you may still need advice or help from an expert. Overall, investing in golf swing aids will greatly improve your golf swing and your golf game. Golf swing aids come in all shapes and sizes including apparel type accessories to correct alignment or a golf club add-on accessory to monitor your swing.

Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or just starting out, pick just one golf swing aid and go to work on your swing. You can find golf swing aids that will help you with your wrist and arm position.

Get some golf DVDs and commit yourself to a time to practice what you learn. Take as many private lessons as you can afford with a good golf pro. Golfers can never get enough golf tips.

Shannon