The golf swing is a complicated movement that combines speed and precision. It is not a simple action. We give you some tips for focusing on and improving your golf swing.
As in other sports where each player has his technique to perform the various actions of the game, each golfer has his own mechanics to execute his swing.
The swing has four key phases:
– Backswing: the initial phase of the shot. We take the driver back, to catch momentum and place it behind our head.
– Downswing: it is the right moment when the club stops rising and starts to go down, taking speed towards the ball.
– Follow-through: it is the moment immediately after hitting the ball in which the arms are still moving due to the inertia of the ball.
– Finish: the final phase of the shot. Our body reaches the maximum angle of rotation, and we finish the movement with the stick above our head.
As we said above, the swing is a difficult movement, which is not natural for our anatomy. It’s an area we can and should focus on improving, but it’s one that needs regular practice. Here are a couple of easy exercises that will help you find the perfect swing:
The precise moment of impact
For this exercise, grab your driver inverted with the grip down and perform practice swings. When the grip reaches the lowest swing position, you should be aware of the hum of the air.
The objective of this simple exercise is to learn to appreciate the sensations transmitted by the movement and recognise the precise moment in which the club reaches its maximum speed to transfer it later to your swing and get a better line and a greater distance.
Practices from an elevated lie
Hold the club in the usual way and practice some blows with a lie above our feet. Hitting the ball from a higher position will help us achieve a more focused impact. This way we will avoid the dreaded slice, a very common defect among golfers and that can persist for a long time in your game.
Some good habits to keep in mind and practice are:
- Anchor your foot well to the ground and do not lift it too soon during your swing. If you do, you will lose both distance and power.
- It’s not about hitting the ball hard; it’s about hitting the ball in the center and controlling your swing.
- Try to relax when you hit the golf ball. Don’t squeeze the stick too much. Relax your grip, and you’ll have a faster and more energetic swing, and the ball will go further.
Golf Swing Overview & Practice Tips
1) Do not make it harder for you than necessary
Start with the sand wedge because that’s the easiest way to get the ball into the air.
A lot of beginners reaching for the 7 Iron, of course, you can do that too – but if you started jogging, you would not start directly with a 10-kilometer run. With 7 Iron it is much harder to hit the ball and get into the air. Use the wedge and get your swing practice when it’s easier to get the golf ball into the air.
2) Use a Tee
A golf shot from the ground is more complicated than a tee off the tee. Hit off the tee: This gives you and your club more room to hit the ball so that it rises into the air.
3) Start with half, slow turns
A full swing in high speed is much more demanding than a half, slow swing. Do half turns at the beginning.
4) Set yourself a goal for the next step
What is a success for beginners? When 50 percent of your balls fly halfway straight. “Halfway straight” I would call everything that lands in a corridor of 20 meters left and right of the finish.
So if you hit ten balanced balls with a sand wedge and a half, slow swing, you can increase the difficulty level. How you do that, you will find out in the tip number five.
5) Get on your way
Golf training should never be too demanding. At the same time, you should not be bored, of course.
Here’s an example of how you could increase your golf game steadily with a focus on your swing:
- Level 1: Hit 10 balls off a tee with the sand wedge and a half, slow swing halfway straight
- Level 2: Hit 10 balls off a tee with a sand wedge and a half, faster swing halfway straight
- Level 3: 10 balls off a tee with a sand wedge halfway straight beat (now using your full swing)
- Level 4: Hitting 10 balls off a tee with a 9 iron halfway straight
- Level 5: Hitting 10 balls off a tee with a 7-iron halfway straight
- Level 6: Hit 10 balls off the ground halfway straight with a sand wedge
- Level 7: Hitting 10 balls off the ground with a 9 gauge iron
- Level 8: Hit 10 balls off the ground halfway straight with a 7 iron
Test and practice and as soon as you reach a 50% success rate, go to the next level.
6) Check your grip
For the ball to fly halfway straight, the club head has to come halfway straight to the ball. So practice and check your grip.
7) Check your response position
If you have grasped the club correctly, you go into the response position. Your knees should be slightly angled, your upper body bent forward and your back – so your spine – as straight as possible. Like any sport warming up before golf game is advisable. Things like stretch out your chest muscles will help you straighten up and that all helps your swing.
8) Control your impact moment
The best way to fly the ball straight and true is to hit it in the sweet spot of the golf club. With two additional golf balls, you can easily see if that’s the case.
Place your club in the middle of the ball. Now put a ball to the left and a ball to the right of the club head – about a finger’s width away. If you hit the ball in the middle without touching the other two balls, you have come to the middle of the ball.
9) Watch your swing plane
Too steep turns are more likely to hit with the tip (right ball), too flat with the hack of the racket (left ball).
Option 1: You swing too steep
If you only work with the arms in the swing and do not shoulder turn, swinging too steep. Try to actively turn your shoulders.
Option 2: You swing too flat
Your swing is too flat when your arms follow the shoulder spin. Try to move your arms up when you turn your shoulders.
The mental game and the golf swing
We have no doubt heard that golf is as much a mental game as a physical one so here are some extra tips to get your head into the swing as well.
– Relax. It may seem complicated, especially at the beginning, but it is very important. Do not squeeze the club. Not even at the top of your swing.
–Focus. Don’t think about where the club and ball are going to connect, think about the exact place you want to send the ball too and look ahead not down.
-Don’t fear the sand. As much as you practice you must accept you’ll end up, sooner or later, in the sand. Do not fear it. It’s a whole new game in itself, but the shots next to the sand are the ones where you can really reduce the course par.
The Golf Swing And The Driver
Beginners and occasional golfers feel obliged to pull the driver out of the golf bag as often as possible. But as expensive as the driver may have been, you should master the Irons first. Why? It needs a different approach when it comes to the drive swing compared to the other clubs.
For the perfect golf swing with the driver, it does not necessarily need more power. Compared to hitting the ball with an iron, a driver golf swing needs three changes in how you swing.
- The foot position is wider than with a swing with an iron. Because of the greater speed of the club head, the golfer needs an even better stand.
- The ball is not in the centre of the starting position but on the left. The ideal is a position just before the left foot. This ensures that the ball is hit during the swing in an upward movement.
- Increase the swinging arc of the golf club head, in which you guide the club head over the turf longer than you would do it with an iron with a swing.
Golf Swing – In Conclusion
Having a good golf swing is a core part of your golf game. Focus and practice on your swing technique and make minor adjustments, and you will improve your game and handicap.
