Although independent actions within the golf swings are all fairly natural, such as shifting the weight to accommodate swinging and hitting, problems occur because the golf swing itself, as a whole, is not natural. Sam Snead, famed for his “natural” golf swing, wrote, “I’d like to have a quarter for every shot I hooked with my natural grip before I developed the unnatural grip that let me hit them straighten.” And Ben Hogan acknowledged that there is absolutely “nothing natural” about the golf swing. A natural swing can be developed, though, by learning how to establish and swing through positions that promote coordination.
The combination of inaccuracies that cause problems in golf is neither prevented nor corrected by doing a few things right. You prevent problems by doing most things right and correct them by mastering specific positions or movements that relate to specific problems.
An accurate grip is the most basically important ingredient in a reliable golf swing, contributing about 60% to its overall efficiency. Difficulty in other sections of the swing can frequently be traced directly back to the grip, because an incorrect hand position may have restricted the ability of muscles in other parts of the body to perform correctly. This inability of the other muscles gives the false impression that the difficulty lies somewhere other than in the grip.
Because the grip is so basic, golfers initially develop one that seems comfortable but does not necessarily contributing to the swing as it should. Initial comfort in golf may not always imply correctness.
Because the right hand is positioned lower on the club than the left, extending the right arm to complete the grip exerts a muscular influence on other positions. Unless firmly secured, these other established positions may then inadvertently be changed.
Both hands hit squarely at impact, however, and the same natural use of the hands is employed in the swing; through the grip you impart this action to the clubhead. The left-hand grip allows the left arm to keep the ball on target with backhanded firmness, while the right-hand grip allows the hand to smack the ball for distance.
Short thumb position gives springy flexibility to the thumb and promotes feel in the hand by pressing the club more into the fingers. Extending the left thumb in a long thumb position places the club more in the palm. Since this is a somewhat stronger position, those with weak hands and those who consistently overswing or lose control of the clubhead at the top of the swing should try a longer thumb position.
Because it is difficult to position a square hand on a diagonal handle without leaning over too far, raising the clubhead to establish the right-hand grip helps set your hand correctly, keeping your posture upright at the same time.
Lifting the clubhead off the ground in practice to position the right hand quickly develops a firm, comfortable feeling for securing the right-hand grip. So much so, in fact, that a large percentage of golfers, whether aware of it, “waggle” the clubhead off the ground while setting up to the ball, instinctively promoting both comfort and accuracy while securing the right-hand grip as part of the setup procedure.
The hands must be united closely throughout the swing to maintain control of the clubhead. Regardless of how sound the swing is, somewhere the hands might separate unless they are strong at address. Separation directs one hand or the other (usually the dominant right hand) through the hitting zone with enough force to overpower the other at impact.
Positioning the 2 middle fingers of the right hand down firmly on the left forefinger positions the hands together. As the right hand completes the grip and the base of the thumb draws firmly against the left hand, the 2 middle singers roll sideways and downward, drawing the right hand down even closer to the left. Extending the clubhead upward to position the right hand develops a strong, firm feeling — the same feeling that should be present with the clubhead on the ground.
The natural hitting ability of the right hand transfers into hitting power at impact. Right-hand power, however, must not be allowed to overpower the less dominant left hand, which is the reason for positioning the little finger off the club, on top of the left forefinger.
Although strengthening the grip by locking the hands together may appear to be the right little finger’s major role, it actually serves another, albeit minor, purpose in both the overlapping and interlocking grip: the little finger is removed from the shaft for the more important purpose of weakening the stronger right hand.
Golfers occasionally refer to a “strong” or “weak” grip at address. These terms can be confusing because they refer more to positions at address than to actual strength or weakness. A so-called strong grip turns either hand more to the right; a weak grip turns either hand more to the left. But strong does not mean better with reference to the right hand, for positioning the right hand too far right positions it incorrectly under the shaft, thereby minimizing its effectiveness. Although too strong a grip is considered a hook or pull position, positioning only the right hand too strong results in poor hand action, which may cause slicing instead.
The right thumb is slightly offset at address for the reverse reason that the left thumb is more on top. If the right thumb is under the shaft at the top of the swing, just as the left, swing action stops too soon. Stopping swing action early by minimizing hand action shortens the backswing, whereupon the right hand bounces the clubhead back too fast, throwing the clubhead from the top and ruining the timing of a smooth, controlled swing.
Lightly closing the forefingers turns them into “feel” fingers — a sort of sensory guide in the grip — but prevents the tips of the forefingers from joining forces with the thumbs to over-control the clubhead while swinging or to cause tension at address.
The clubface, feet, knees, hips, and shoulders are described asa being either square, open, or closed relative to each other and to the target line. Although the shoulders contribute to accuracy in the address position, they are not a major factor in establishing the target line in the building process. Other than the right shoulder being lower than the left (because the right hand is lower), the shoulders assume a square, open, or closed position similar to, and as a result of, other established positions.
Concentration is an important asset in golf and must not be wasted on something that can be regelated to fundamentals.
And since the clubface strikes the ball, squaring the clubface to the target is the first important alignment. The care and accuracy with which the clubhead is positioned determines the ability of other fundamentals to continue establishing a precisely accurate position, so clubface alignment is critical to the entire golf swing.
As positions are assumed, in sequence, the waggle — which is not a nervous gimmick but an important part of the swing — is used to feel positions into a secure, interlocking relationship with each other by firmly adjusting independent positions and blending them together. Except for relieving tension, however, no amount of waggling will benefit a golfer who is not establishing positions in sequence with specific objectives in mind. It is not difficult to waggle positions out of alignment if you’re adjusting only to a comfortable position.
A full golf swing generates tremendous momentum and, if given the opportunity, throws the body off balance. You maintain balance through the swing, however, by coordinating good footwork with the act of swinging and hitting as your weight shifts back and forth.
Unlike your feet, which will retain their position, your knees and hips are easily influenced to change by the movement of other muscles as positions are established — particularly toward being turned open to the target line.
Open positions at address block both the shoulder turn and the pivot, whereupon the body sways laterally rather than rotationally as soon as the backswing starts.
At address golfers appear to be leaning over or bending forward to position the clubhead, which in effect they do. But leaning over or bending too far, which is fairly common, affects the swing adversely by moving the weight toward the toes, dropping the chin too low, and positioning the hands incorrectly.
Positioning your chin too low restricts the shoulder turn as your shoulders turn into your chin throughout the golf swing; either your body sways laterally, your head is pushed up into the follow-through, or the backswing or follow-through is blocked as a result of the shoulder turn.
Although the two are similar in results, there is a slight difference: topping refers more to adding power and hitting for distance with either woods or long irons, whereas skulling refers more to short irons and short shots to the green that need both loft and finesse. At any rate, however, positioning your hands forward, whether for long or short shots, is the best way to ensure that your hands will still be leading for better shots back through the hitting zone.
Your hands should be ahead of the ball at address for another reason: golf clubs are constructed with that position in mind. Golfers who are not aware of this not only will find it difficult to address the ball correctly but also will lose distance because the loft of the club is changed.
Angling the shaft of the club forward by positioning the hands forward makes it easier to establish other correct positions, one of which is the straight left wrist. The backhanded batting power of the left hand at impact can be implemented only with the left wrist straight from address to the follow-through.
Keeping your hips square and letting your left shoulder move forward will then square your shoulders at address when your right arm is positioned. Keeping the shoulders entirely square as the left arm extends, however, establishes an open shoulder position in the final address position by enabling the right arm to pull the right shoulder ahead of the left as the grip is completed.
Just as open hips block the pivot as the backswing starts, open shoulders block the shoulder return. Open shoulders or hips tend to start a lateral, rather than turning, movement as the clubhead leaves the ball.
Positioning the clubhead first and then separating the feet from the clubhead positions the ball correctly while allowing you to attain the other objectives.
Since the clubhead is too far forward, however, rather than between the feet, one of two things occurs: either the right hand extends too far, which pushes the hips open, or the left hand moves closer to the right, behind the ball, so the right hand can grip the club more comfortably. Both hands are then positioned incorrectly and will pull the clubhead away from the ball rather than than push it into the backswing.
Being predominantly stronger than the left, the right side generally retains the greater percentage of weight if you position the right foot first. When you position your left foot first, however, although your weight shifts to the left, the dominant right side pulls its share of weight back, automatically distributing your weight equally between your feet.
Establishing the weight firmly on your left foot at address generally keeps it there while your swing, thereby weakening the swing by preventing a weight shift and changing the arc of the swing as your body lowers and rises. Worse yet, a reverse weight shift occurs as your weight kicks off the left foot onto the right as the downswing starts.
Placing too much weight on your right foot at address has similar adverse results: it keeps your weight on the right as the downswing starts.
Problems such as a reverse weight shift cause other problems in golf: falling away from the ball, throwing the clubhead from the top, coming over the top, hitting behind the ball, topping, whiffing — any or all of which may be corrected just by distributing the weight more equally when stepping up to the ball and then practicing the correct weight shift.
Power in golf is generated by completing the shoulder turn so as to wind up the big back muscles between the shoulders and the hips. These torqued muscles then transfer power into clubhead speed as the lower body shifts the weight to the left to pull the arms, hands, and clubhead down from the top. An open right foot at address prevents this coordination and buildup of power by encouraging a lateral movement as the shoulder turn. Squaring the right foot, however, helps prevent the body from sliding sideways — or swaying — by helping the hips turn.
Bracing your right foot promotes good timing by promoting good footwork and lower body action\, whereas an unrestricted backswing, with the right foot angled open, prevents good timing by causing swaying and over-swinging.
A slightly closed right foot promotes good rhythm with strong but supple legs. A rhythmic swing is promoted by a rhythmic swinging movement of strong, supple legs. Although strong, the legs must also be free of tension at address and through the swing.
The angle of the left foot at address determine your ability to complete the swing and transfer your weight completely from the right to left side. Although your left foot is angled open in relation to the right, the position must not be over-established into an exaggerated open position.
Closing your left foot blocks the left side, which prevents your hips from turning. In turn, this prevents the swing from releasing by preventing your right arm from extending through the hitting zone. Blocking out then either causes the body to move laterally through impact or else spins the left foot toward the target by spinning around on the left heel to free the left side. Unless your left foot is angled open, or else spins open, the swing cannot be completed and the clubhead will not be accelerating through impact.
Although your left foot angles outward at address, angling the foot too far open — or spinning the foot open — encourages spinning out, wherein the hips spin back through the hitting zone too far, too soon, pulling the shoulders around with them. Rather than hitting straight through the ball, the clubhead pulls inward from the target line and, according to the angle of the clubface, either pulls or slices the ball.
In an unrestricted swing the weight moves to the inside of the braced right foot, where it is caught and held, allowing the body to coil and promote good timing in the transition of the backswing to the downswing. When the weight transfers back to the left, however, into the follow-through, it rolls across the left foot. Rolling across the foot promotes staying down to and swinging through the ball, gaining distance by extending the arms out toward the target while turning into the follow-through.
Raising up or pulling up on the ball causes topping and occurs when the hands hit up on the ball instead of through it, frequently as a result of hitting into a square left foot, which blocks swinging through the ball and keeps the weight on the right.
Because the length of the shaft determines the size of the circle of the swing — the swing arc — the width of the stance should be determined by the club being used; the wider and longer the swing arc (without over-swinging, of course) the more momentum, and momentum affects balance.
Conversely, too wide a stance, while allowing you to maintain good balance and assuring a firm foundation, makes it physically difficult to make a full pivot and shoulder turn, thus shortening the backswing and generally reducing clubhead speed. Widening the stance can be helpful, however, when you need to increase stability, such as when hitting uphill or downhill, going for extra yardage off the tee, or correcting over-swinging.
Ball position is so important in golf that it can either promote or prevent other correct swing movements. Hitting a little behind or on top of the ball or a little off-center on the clubface or releasing early or late can often be corrected or prevented just by positioning the clubhead — which positions the ball — more carefully in relation to the feet.
The difference between a mishit shot and a solid connection is not measure day inches but often by only quarters of an inch. A good point to remember is that many mishit shots are very close to perfection, and fine-tuning the game may required only adjusting the ball position.
The shorter and the narrower the stance, the more open the stance should be.
Sense and feel, which are so import to this phase of the game, can be developed only through experimentation and practice.
Unless practiced to perfection, cutting the ball may lead to shanking rather than to making career golf shots.
When practicing the golf swing or any part thereof, forcing additional distance by trying to hit too hard speeds up the swing, changes timing and rhythm, and pulls the ball left. Rather than leaning on a wedge and pressing for extra distance, obtain more control and accuracy by opening your stance a little to shorten the backswing, choking down on the club, and using the same grooved swing to hit a smooth 9i instead.
When you’re hitting full golf shots with longer-shafted clubs, your weight is distributed equally between your feet for balance. As your stance begins to narrow, however, with the use of short irons, establishing and keeping your weight progressively more toward the left promotes better hand action and clubhead control due to minimum body movement and less weight shift.
Flexing the knees just slightly prevents you from lowering your body too far, which causes swaying up and down and back and forth while swinging. Lowering the body too far — beyond only unlocking the knees — generally causes you to hit the ground behind the ball and / or sky the ball as your body sways and pulls up through the backswing and then lowers rather dramatically and sways back through the ball. Topping also occurs, however, when your body pulls up through the backswing and stays up through the ball.
The overall feeling of good weight distribution is that of a boxer’s stance, coupled with a feeling of being able to spring straight upward from the address position.
As your knees flex inward, the inside thigh muscles tense, strengthening your legs. Even as the muscles tense, however, they must also be relaxed and supple enough to promote a powerful, fluid swing. This is not a contradiction; when the knees flex inward, strength and relaxation are obtained simultaneously, because the knees cannot flex inward to strengthen the muscles without relaxing the legs by unlocking the knees.
Hitting correctly, squarely in the center of the clubface, also depends on soling the clubhead flat on the ground.
A toe-up or heel-up position — which hits on the heel or toe to misdirect the shot — stems from incorrect positions that bow the wrists too high or position the hand too low. Leaning over or bending too far positions the hands too low, with the heel of the club on the ground; standing too upright or playing the ball too close keeps the wrists too high and positions the toe on the ground.
Another factor determines whether you’ll be able to sole the clubhead correctly: the lie of the club itself. Golf clubs must fit the player.
Proficient golfers address the ball using familiarity and feel, personalizing the procedure but systematically doing so with accuracy and understanding. Although the hands are on the club together, the right hand is generally placed loosely until after positions are secured — in effect still off the club as the clubhead moves back and forth and up and down in the setup procedure.
On the other hand, inexperienced golfers are apt to approach the ball with the grip firmly established; inadvertently initiating a series of positions that, although comfortable, are also incorrect.
One of the more difficult positions for golfers to establish and maintain at address is the square position of the hips. If that position is not protected, your hips can easily slip open as your right arm extends downward and forward to secure the right-hand grip.
You should make no effort to position your shoulders; rather, let them be positioned by other fundamentals: (1) extending the left arm to position the clubhead, which positions your left shoulder forward; (2) sitting down to the ball before completing the grip, which allows you to maintain an upright posture and keeps your hips square; and (3) letting your right arm and shoulder drop lower than your left while completing the grip, which keeps your right shoulder back.
Once the swing radius is measured and your feet are positioned, raising the clubhead off the ground to secure the right-hand grip will not change other positions — unless you repositioned your feet.
An upright posture and a balanced position at address promote a balanced, upright swing. A common practice, however, is to step up to the ball with the grip completed, lean over too far, drop the head too low, and establish open positions with the weight on the toes. From such a position it is physically difficult to swing comfortably, naturally, or correctly.
One of the reason it is naturally easier to swing a baseball bat correctly than it is to swing a golf club: the body is standing upright, and the swing ins horizontal.
The more the spine is tilted, positions are open, or your weight is on your toes, the more difficult it is to swing the arms and club correctly on the right swing plane.
The final movement in establishing the position of address is rolling the elbows inward toward each other, firmly securing positions a fraction of a second before the backswing starts and triggering the start of the downswing.
Rolling your elbows toward each other as a final movement at address prevents tension at address and through the swing by keeping your arms relaxed while you set up to the ball. Although your left arm extends to measure the swing radius, extending your arms rigidly while setting up to the ball creates muscular tension, making it difficult to waggle comfortably into a coordinated position.
It takes time to coordinate positions while setting up to the ball. Once they are coordinated, however, with the right-hand grip secured, rolling your elbows together just as the backswing starts strengthens muscles throughout your body with just enough tension for the swinging movement. Your left arm is firm without tension at address.
Think of your left arm and the shaft as one long rod, hinged only in the middle by your wrist, which “breaks” through the backswing. If, by bowing your left arm outward, you allow this rod to have 2 hinges, at both the wrist and the elbow, your arms will swing into a floppy, lose entanglement at the top of the swing, which in turn will prevent your left side from completing the shoulder turn and obtaining a maximum swing arc.
Extending your right arm the same as the left, or positioning your right arm higher, prevents a smooth backswing and causes 2 problems: (1) the right elbow tends to push toward rather than downward as the clubhead leaves the ball, and (2) albeit ever so slight, the “flying” right elbow blocks the shoulder turn and pivot.
The arms extend together at just one point — just beyond impact where the extension of the left arm passes to the right.
Keeping your arms relaxed helps you coordinate positions while setting up to the ball, whereupon rolling your elbows together just as the backswing starts “locks in” extension, rather than tension, and strengthens your left arm to extend through the backswing.
Learning to waggle is the key to starting a sound, repeating pattern for a rhythmic, coordinated swing. It’s not easy to understand the purpose of waggling, however, unless you first establish positions in sequence with a knowledgeable application of fundamentals.
In general the purpose of waggling is fourfold:
- To develop consistency and rhythm at address and through the swing by following an exact procedure for establishing and coordinating positions with continuous, rhythmical movement.
- To replace conscious thought through the swing with concentration at address by planning ahead for an overall action or result of the swing.
- To attain objectives automatically by sense and feel so as to program good timing, rhythm, and concentration.
- To relieve tension while setting up to the ball.
Although defined similarly, conscious thought and concentration affect the golf swing differently. Conscious thought is mental awareness, generally directed toward one specific position or movement with deliberate thought and application. Although often present at address to establish exact positions, a sudden application of any conscious thought once the swing is under way quickly institutes some independent action, which changes timing and rhythm.
The more knowledgeable and experienced you become, the less conscious thought you will need, the sooner you can apply concentration, and the less opportunity conscious thought has to affect the swinging movement. Whereas a beginner may need all conscious thought, an experienced golfer may not need any. Sense and feel and concentration stem from knowledge, practice, and experience and replace the need for conscious thought.
Combining an up-and-down waggle with a back-and-forth waggle settles positions into place while allowing you to rhythmically feel out a good swing plan.
To achieve consistency in swinging you have to begin with consistency at address.
Straightening the left wrist enables you to push the clubhead into the backswing to start the shoulder turn, but starting the swing with the left wrist bent inward encourages swaying by positioning the hands to pull.
Taking the club back with your left wrist bent inward sets up a chain reaction that causes almost all forms of poor golf shots; the body sways laterally as opposed to turning, and the hands pull the clubhead away from the ball with quick hand action. The action whips the clubhead upward, loops the clubface open at the top of the swing, and whips the clubhead back to the ball with the face still open. If your weight shifts back to the left — which is not too likely — poor timing and coordination combine with late hand action to prevent you from being able to square the clubface at impact.
There is no doubt that the start of the backswing can be a difficult movement. You may suddenly sense a patting-the-head-while-rubbing-the-stomach feeling when you try coordinate movements such as keeping your left knee from being too active while shifting your weight to the right and pushing your left shoulder forward while keeping your right elbow down. With practice, however, you will quickly develop feeling for coordinating these movements, and they will soon become subconscious rather than conscious effort.
The swing plane is an imaginary flat surface that the hands, shaft, and clubhead should, ideally, start on and stay on throughout the golf swing. Although the swing is most effective when golfers swing on plan, very few golfers are consistently able to do so because the plane is so precise.
Each golf club has its own swing plane, somewhere between flat and upright, as determined by the length of the shaft — which is one of the reasons it is more difficult to swing the driver correctly than to swing a short iron correctly; the length of the driver makes it harder to swing upright. Timing is also different with a longer-shafted club, simply because it takes more time to complete a bigger swing arc.
Having the toe-up position as a backswing guideline for the swing path prevents you from starting the clubhead too far outside or too much inside the target line.
Occasionally golfers are instructed to “take” the clubhead back “on the ground, straight back on the line of flight.” A golfer who follows this advice too literally, however, is pulled sideways, which keeps the clubhead and the golfer on the line of flight too long. Forcing the clubhead to stay on the line of flight beyond where it should swing up and inward prevents a shoulder turn, pulls the head off-line, and causes swaying across the right foot with the clubface closed. Conversely, pulling the clubhead sharply inward — rather than pushing toward the toe-up position — may swing the clubface open and prevent swinging upright by flattening the swing plane.
Keeping your knees forward and pushing your left shoulder forward as the club starts back prevents your hips from moving laterally as soon as the backswing starts.
Dipping the left shoulder downward, however, or dipping the knees down and inward, tends to push the hips laterally and prevent the shoulder turn.
Since the natural reaction of the hips is to turn freely with the arms and shoulders, however, many golfers mistakenly believe that accentuating this coordination will promote a big, powerful swing. Such is not always the case. A “modern power swing” has evolved that briefly restricts hip movement so as to turn the shoulders against the hips — and letting the shoulders turn the hips, by preventing a fast pivot, is one of the keys to developing power and distance.
Trying to wind the backswing too tight, however, by keeping the left knee forward too long in the swing, may result in too much restriction, thereby adding an unnecessary complication to an otherwise far less complex backswing movement.
Although swinging the club and hitting the ball go hand in hand, from the time the clubhead leaves the ball until it returns to the hitting zone, you should make no effort to swing the club with your hands.
Although the right arm folds as the backswing starts, the right elbow has a strong tendency to fly or float upward rather than point down toward the ground. Keeping the elbow down, however, weld the body and arms together as a cohesive unit to prevent their working independently — and it is absolutely essential to a sound, repeating swing.
The position of the right elbow is a good place to look for trouble when shots are simply erratic for no apparent reason. When the elbow flies upward, there is little or no clubhead control because the hands and arms swing free from the body to produce a loose, erratic swing. You must then rely on accidental coordination rather than on firm control to get good results.
The most common result is swaying into the backswing with a closed clubface, which causes pulling the ball at impact.
Swaying laterally back through the ball with the clubface closed also hoods the clubface and remove the loft of the club. Combined with a fast backswing, it results in a smothered pull or hook which rarely leaves the ground.
As your left arm and shoulder push the clubhead away from the ball, your legs flow with the movement to continue a smooth and rhythmic “one-piece” swing. Oddly enough, however, this smooth, comfortably coordinated feeling can prevent a powerful swing. Few things affect the swing more adversely than overly active knees as soon as the backswing starts.
Dipping or bending your left knee the moment the backswing starts tends to lower the body considerably. The left leg then straightens on the downswing, forcing the body to suddenly spring upward and pull away from the ball. Although topping or hitting behind the ball results from dipping or bending the left knee slightly, the more the body lowers and rises, the farther the body is shoved up and away from the hitting zone with the weight on the right, whereupon “whiffing” the ball completely is not uncommon occurrence.
Initiates good timing by preventing a fast backswing.
The speed of the swing is regulated and set the moment the backswing starts, and the clubhead must never be muscled into the backswing with such speed that positions do not have time to coordinate. Timing and balance, not speed or strength, are the essence of good coordination.
A fast backswing is the bane of the game, usually preventing the very things a golfer strives for, such as control, consistency, accuracy, and distance, by not giving positions time to coordinate. The old hustler’s slogan “Give me a man with a fast backswing and a fat wallet” is not to be taken lightly.
Although stored-up power through the backswing and downswing is released at impact, neither brute strength nor speed is needed to produce this power, either by winding the muscles tighter or by swinging the club faster.
Conscious thought in practice applied to positions or movements eliminates conscious thought when playing by building your confidence in doing things instinctively.
There is no set action or swing plan that is right for everyone. Nor should flat or upright swing be considered good or bad for all golfers. You’ll develop your own golf swing, and the quality of the golf you play, as well as swing results, should determine what’s right for you.
Because swing movements such as the wrist break rely on the accuracy of positions, the golf swing should always be based on fundamentals to establish these positions carefully.
Leaning over too far or positioning your hands too low precocks the hands to a degree where they are almost fully cocked upward at address. This causes less hand action through the backswing and a sharper shoulder turn. The parallel shaft position occurs very low and early, below the hips, resulting in a shorter, more compact swing.
Conversely, cocking the hands completely downward, by standing too upright or raising the wrists too high, establishes a parallel shaft position farther into the backswing, above hip level, as a result of a bigger swing arc and a later wrist break. The swing is usually more fluid, sweeping more with the arms.
Extending the left arm into a parallel shaft position before the hands cock upward prevents you from picking up the clubhead and narrowing the swing arc due to breaking the wrists too soon.
Although experienced golfers may benefit from adjusting or even changing swing mechanics, most of those who deviate too far from basics just continue to encounter problems by establishing poor positions that cause incorrect swing movements.
The small movement away from the ball is a critical moment in golf because it directly influences timing — and timing affects coordination. A deliberately slow move, if only for the first few inches, allows you time to coordinate essential positions and movements the moment the backswing starts. It takes time to catch your weight inside your right foot as your weight shifts right and keep pressure against the ball of your left foot as your leg swings inward. Good legwork and footwork then more than compensate for lack of speed and muscle through the backswing by preventing such things as swaying back and forth or up and down, over-swinging, or a reverse weight shift while, at the same time, adding driving power to the legs.
A parallel shaft at the top of the swing is commonly used to indicate a completed shoulder turn. A more accurate indication, however, is not how far the shaft swings but whether the lower body starts the downswing and the hands pull downward as a result of reflex action created by the shoulder turn.
In the study of fundamentals you’ve learned that the shoulders turn the hips. In the application of fundamentals, however, since the backswing happens so quickly, a good swing thought in practice is to make certain that the hips turn rotationally, rather than laterally, by turning just the right hip away from the ball after the backswing starts. A key swing thought, remember, is deliberate concentration applied to anything specific that either helps you develop the swing in practice or helps the swing work better when playing. In this case grooving the swing in practice is extremely important to coordinate footwork and leg action with the shoulder turn and pivot.
The left-hand grip is firmly in the fingers with the left thumb directly under the shaft. This position is not flexible. The last 3 fingers of the left hand must be very firm to prevent you from dropping the club or letting go at the top. The left thumb reinforces this strong grip, and the 2 together prevent you from over-swinging, or dropping the club below parallel.
A deliberately smooth backswing with a full shoulder turn helps keep the left arm firm at the top of the swing by pushing the clubhead to the top with the shoulder turn rather than flinging it up there with the hands.
Short shots with a short shaft require a shorter backswing, which keeps the elbow in close, but the right elbow must move away from the side for a full golf shot to prevent both narrowing the swing arc and restricting the shoulder turn. There is a vast difference, however, between the elbow pointing down and moving away or moving away by flying upward.
The right knee stays inside the right instep. There is no leeway in this position. Once your knee goes beyond your right instep, your weight is rolling across your right foot and pulling your body laterally.
Swinging behind parallel by swinging flat or “laying off,” or swinging across the line by swinging beyond parallel, indicates that you’re swinging off-plane by either swinging the club around your body or allowing your hips to turn too far with the shoulder turn from the start of the swing. Swinging short of parallel with woods or long irons may indicate an incomplete or restricted shoulder turn, too wide a stance, singing flat-footed, or an incorrect wrist break and flat swing pattern.
And over-swinging — or swinging below parallel — is caused by any number of things: letting go with the left hand, bending the left arm, swinging too fast, collapsing the left wrist, angling the right foot open, or, just as in crossing the line, overturning the hips and shoulders.
Over-swinging is a much more common and a more serious problem than a shorter, restricted swing, because your hands swing too far beyond a point where good lower body action moving back to the left can pull the hands downward. When your hands swing too far beyond the top of the swing, it is difficult to shift your weight left because the clubhead is thrown outward and upward from the top of the swing and momentum from the clubhead action prevents the weight from shifting left by keeping it on the right.
Over-swinging is seldom the result of just one thing, making it difficult to correct at times. If not too excessive, however, over-swinging can be corrected by one of several methods: lengthening the left thumb to a long thumb position, firming the left arm and grip at address, starting a more deliberate movement away from the ball, checking the wrist break fro a square left wrist, and correcting positions and movements that promote a shoulder turn while preventing excessive turning of the hips along with the shoulders.
If over-swinging remains a problem, practicing three-quarter backswing while working on the follow-through will help you develop a shorter backswing to position your hands correctly.
Young, flexible golfers or those with somewhat fluid swings, frequently swing below parallel; senior golfers with less muscular flexibility very seldom swing so far; and very strong golfers with short, compact swings are often very short of parallel and still get excellent results.
The straight left wrist maintains a square clubface. A square clubface at the top of the swing is more apt to return to square at impact than one that is open or closed.
Although it may be difficult to refrain from hitting balls or playing golf, practicing just swing mechanics in the areas needed to correct ro improve the swing will play dividends later on.
Units of the swing that have been introduced and can be practiced separately are the grip, position of address, waggle, forward press, toe-up position of the clubhead, wrist break, and top-of-the-swing position. Starting with the grip, repeatedly practice each uni that uses a new fundamental until that part of the swing is comfortably correct. Only then should you connect that unit and those that precede it with the next.
Developing concentration is a talent in itself. Once you’ve developed it, you must remain consciously alert to the fact that a loss of concentration results in — and is affected by — a sudden change in timing in the swing itself. Aside from learning to be more patient and becoming more tolerant, staying away from distractions, such as idle conversation, and accepting limitations are 2 of the easier ways to retain concentration.
You can sometimes restore rhythm and timing when your concentration has been disturbed just by changing your walking pace and restoring rhythm to the waggle by smoothing the rhythm of walking down the fairway and stepping up to the ball and using the same smooth rhythm in the waggle when setting up to the ball.
As a practice area, the short swing eliminates any tendency you might have to apply force and power while focusing attention on the importance of coordination, timing, and rhythm as keynotes in the swing. Power comes later as a result of practicing good hand action and correct swing movements to swing the club and hit the ball more effectively.
Many problems in golf such as swaying, looking up, falling away from the ball, and swinging off balance can be prevented or corrected simply by practicing swinging into the toe-up position while keeping your chin up and swinging around an anchored swing center.
Since excessive head movement is generally know to affect the swing adversely, golfers are frequently advised to keep the head down, which positions the chin too low, or to keep an eye on the ball, which restricts freedom of movement. However, lifting the chin and cocking it to the right is more apt to correct swing problems. This positions the head at address where it is at the top of the swing and helps prevent head movement through the backswing.
An excellent exercise to practice that helps coordinate swinging (which is lower body action) with hitting (which is upper body action) is to establish the address position and practice throwing balls — either real or imaginary — by throwing underhand down the target line. Keep your head in place, swing your legs, and use the hitting action to throw both long and short.
A basic physical, as well as mental, difference between most men and women is the more aggressive “killer instinct” of men to use a hitting action compared with the natural tendency of women to use a more gentle swinging movement. Women often need to learn how to use their hands and arms to become stronger hitters, and men often need to learn how to use their feet and legs to become less aggressive swingers.
When your mind is conditioned to the fact that the golf swing is a swinging movement combined with a hitting action, your arms and hands push into the backswing closely coordinated and together in the one-piece swing.
Part of the difficulty in accomplishing this, however, lies in misunderstanding how this all takes place — thinking that all of this happen at impact, from the top, rather than from the beginning of the swing. From the top of the swing to impact, however, takes from a third to half a second — far too little time for so many actions to coordinate from the top into an effective impact position. The impact position evolves more slowly from everything that starts from the beginning of the swing.
Although it may not seem so to those with chronic problems, lining up to hit a straight shot is easier than lining up to slice or hook, because the primary target is also the landing area.
Pulling results from the same thing that cause slicing except that the clubface returns square to the directional line at impact; consequently, when you set up to slice, too strong a grip may result in pulling.
Downswing action is a reflex action — a “moment of truth” — when positions at address and movements through the backswing are proved to be right or wrong by how the downswing starts.
Remember that great golfers are separated from mediocre golfers just by the ability to do such basic things as find useful swing thoughts and know how and where to use them.
Practicing the short swing below the shoulders and between the toe-up positions conditions the mind as well as the muscles and helps you develop confidence in letting your feet and legs motivate the movement of your hands and arms on the downswing.
All of the tools used for a full golf swing are also used in the short swing: the grip, position of address, waggle, forward press, toe-up positions of the clubhead, wrist break, and hitting with the right hand. Along with positions and movements, the short swing teaches balance, timing, and rhythm as keynotes of coordination.
You should practice the short swing when you’re learning, analyzing, or correcting your swing. When you’re learning golf, it’s easier to develop fundamental positions, rhythm, and coordination in a smaller, controlled swing area, which is not as demanding as the full golf swing.
Once their hands have passed through the hitting zone, golfers tend to let momentum complete the swing, relegating the follow-through to just an incidental result rather than a contributing force in the swing. To complete the shot with any degree of finesse, you must regard and practice following through to the top of the swing as an essential part of the whole.
Effective completion of the follow-through:
- Prevents you from quitting on the shot.
- Keeps the swing on plane.
- Teaches you feeling for a balanced follow-through.
Following through completely is, ideally, the automatic result of a well-executed swing. So much emphasis is placed on just hitting the ball, however, that once the ball is on its way, very few golfers make a concentrated effort to really finish the shot. Consequently most golfers are quitting on the shot before the swing is finished. If you are unable to follow through the shot completely, you are losing power through impact.
Muscles are very reluctant to go where they have never been before, and they must frequently be taught the feeling of coordination when the hands swing on to the top. Swinging into and holding the position in practice helps you develop muscle memory and feeling for the balanced position.
Balance through the swing, which helps you swing into a balanced position, is determined at address by the sitting-down position. The feeling for a balanced setup is similar in feeling to a boxer’s stance, which putts strength in the legs and feeling in the feet. Practice good balance at address and in the follow-through helps you maintain balance while swinging.
The game is so unnatural that if you try to play it naturally, you’ll never play it as well as you should. In golf, the term natural means only that you’ve developed your own skills.
Many golf instructors believe that explaining more than what are referred to as simple basics makes learning too complex. Because of this, and because of limited time involved, they may explain basics through the address position but are then more likely to instruct some preferred method or swing technique. Fundamentals may be included but not always explained.
With unlimited time allowed for setting up to the ball in golf, however, there is also time to become too mentally involved — particularly when confronted with making a fairly difficult golf shot.
Fear of making the shot or taking too long to set up to the ball creates tension, which prevents you from swinging rhythmically and reflexively. Trust the fundamentals. Practice setting up more quickly. Use the same procedure and the same golf swing when practicing the same golf shot.
Conscious thought is needed for a while in any learning stage. As you develop proficiency in addressing the ball, however, sense and feel take over and replace conscious thought.
Secure positions by rolling your elbows toward each other, again firming the left arm but positioning the right arm looser and slightly lower than the left.
Although you should always try to develop a natural swing unencumbered by too much thinking, practice is where you should do your thinking. Practicing should be a mental game to develop natural instinctive ability.
Knowing what to practice is a key to any practice session. It is essential in practice to have a positive thought in mind regarding what you are to accomplish.
Even professionals seek professional help, simply because it is far easier to see a flaw than to feel one in the swing.
Between obvious and underlying golf swing problems, the latter are more troublesome because they are often small, insignificant things that cause the more obvious problems but are often overlooked. Topping the ball, for instance, may obviously be caused by the weight shifting right rather than left through impact. But the underlying cause may be a fast backswing, which prevents you from being able to shift your weight correctly. Such factors are seldom corrected, however, because they are not generally recognized as causes.