Fixing Your Golf Swing

A. Touch Of Grace
Once you have initiated your swing & the club starts its descent toward the ball, it should be done as gracefully as possible. Beginner golfers often whip the golf club as hard as they can during the beginning of their downswing. This will sometimes result in improper weight shifting & misaligned contact with the ball. And, as a result, balance & power are lost. Remember, great shots are made with precision & grace, not by raw force.

B. Just the Right Balance
Balance is essential in all sports, particularly in golf. To perform effectively, athletes need to have good balance, especially during crucial moments of game. In golf, balance plays an important role during every swing you take. It affects the accuracy & power of every shot. When a player has not centered their balance & shifts their weight from foot to foot, their tempo can get affected. The club head just won't hit the ball with the desired angle needed to make a great shot. (The next time you play, take a look around. You'll notice some players who seem to almost fall over after their swing. This is case in point of lack of balance control.)

The key to stopping weight shift (and losing your balance), is to rotate your body around a single axis point. In other words, your golf swing should not be lateral, it should be more rotational. Keeping this in mind will help you maintain control of your body & balance. In turn, this will help you hit the ball with precise accuracy & just the right amount of power.

C. The Driving Range
When you practice at the driving range, it's a heck of a lot of fun trying to hit the ball as far as you can. In my opinion, I like driving balls on the range a lot more than I like playing the game itself (but don't tell anyone!). However, you can improve other skills besides driving for distance when you are on the range. One skill that can be improved is your balance. Instead of a forceful, choppy feeling, you want your swing to be even & fluid-like. Developing good balance will help you do just that. And, the driving range is the perfect "no pressure" zone to do so.

D. Balance
You can improve your balance by taking practice swings & hitting shots with your feet placed squarely together. It will probably feel awkward at first, but you will discover that much can be learned by swinging the club with your feet together. Having a condensed base like this will also help you develop a better sense for the weight & power of your club head.

E. What To Fix First
Getting a great golf swing takes a combined effort of many variables including tempo, control, grace, & balance. If you are a beginner golfer or need major improvements, don't try to fix everything at once. Working on your swing takes patience & focus. Focus on one element at a time! The best way to move up the ladder of golf skills is to take one element of your swing & concentrate on it until it is top-notch. Then move on to other areas of improvement that need touching up.

Every player loves the feeling of hitting the ball with everything they've got. Using a smooth & graceful swing to give it all the power you've got & the ball is sent skyrocketing down the fairway.

What a feeling!

That is all great, so long as your power shots are done with accuracy. In order to achieve the right strength & precision, the key is to make contact with the ball consistently every time you swing. Practicing & hitting correctly the right way should be your goal.

A. What's Got To Happen

1. Learn to make contact with the ball on the club head's sweet spot. The sweet spot, as it's called in golf, is the small central area on the face that makes the ball travel just right.

2. Hit the ball so that the club face makes contact perfectly square. In other words, perpendicular to the ball's target path.

3. Swing so that when the ball is hit by the club head, the club head moves directly down the flight path that you are aiming for.

You have to hit the ball with a kind of a downward descent in order to send ball forward & up into the air correctly. This is true for every club besides your driver & putter. Beginner golfers tend to miss this important technique when learning to swing properly. By hitting the ball with a descending blow, the club head hits the ball into the air because of the club's built-in loft. When you hit "up" on the ball, as many new players do, missed hits & short shots can result.

To get a better understanding of this, watch a good player swing their club the next time you are on the course.

When you initiate your swing, your body starts to uncoil itself & it releases a surge of built up energy. Beginning with your hips, then shoulders & ultimately the arms & wrists, the entire movement is like a whip snapping. (Before making contact, the worst thing that you can do is allow your hands & forearms to release, or "turn over.")

Similar to a shutting door, the club face quickly moves from an open position to a closed one as it approaches impact. The releasing
movement is caused by your hands & forearms turning. If you don't release, then your club face may remain open & you may end up slicing.

During the moment of impact, your club face should point towards your target line & you should swing right through.

A. Your Grip
To ensure that you release appropriately, pay attention to your grip. It should be have firm, yet light pressure throughout the entire
swing. Nothing affects a shot more than having too much tension in the arms & hands.

Next, try to swing with a decent balanced tempo. Too many beginners swing so hard & fast that they leave the club face open when impact occurs.

And finally, for right-handed golfers, try to keep the backside of your left hand pointed down towards the target line.

B. Making Impact Count
During impact, you should have the feeling that your forearm (right side right-handed golfers) is turning over your left forearm during impact.
You can practice this by swinging in slow motion. Simply swing the club up & through. Pay special attention to the movement that your
forearms make: try to turn the right forearm over the left one.

During impact, totally freeze your body & then check out the position of your club face. Since it's in slow motion, this shouldn't be hard to accomplish. It will either be square, open, or closed. Try to ensure that the club face is square to your target line

Before you swing, it's best to have a routine that you can quickly go through in order to focus your thoughts. Every player has their own way of approaching the ball before taking their swing. But, here is an example of a typical pre-shot routine that you can model for your personal use:

Step 1: Take ONE Practice Swing
Many players, especially beginners, tend to take too many practice swings. Unfortunately, taking too many practice swings can make a person more nervous & less confident about the shot. All you need is one decent practice swing before hitting the ball. Keep it simple & try to keep your mind off of the swing as much as possible. Your goal is to simply limber up your arms & shoulders, and not over-stress the play.

Step 2: Visualize The Outcome
Once you have loosened up with a practice swing, take a few steps back & visualize the club head hitting the ball in perfect harmony. Picture the ball flying through the air with a perfect arc & then landing exactly where you want it to. Pretend that you are making a real shot, then, step up to the ball for the real thing.

Step 3: Dial In Your Aim
Now it's time to get your aim set up so that you can hit the ball directly towards the green. Align yourself, the club head, & the turf. This will help you get the distance you need to reach the green. Once you are ready, select a second target that is a few feet in front of you: one that is in the direct line of fire. Focusing on the second target like this makes it easier to hit the ball towards its destination.

Step 4: FIRE!!
At this point, you have taken one practice swing, visualized the entire shot in your mind, & have dialed in your aim. It's now time to swing. Before you make your shot, however, be sure to stay limber by wiggling the club head a bit. Once you're ready, it is time to get your back swing in motion & go for the gold!

Have you ever heard of Ernie Els? Although he is over 6 feet tall, Ernie displays amazing grace & fluid athleticism. With impeccable timing, power, & amazing coordination, he makes swinging a golf club look like a piece of cake. Ernie's shots are as smooth as silk, & they never appear to be forced or rushed. It looks as if he were swinging underwater.

A. What You Can Learn From Ernie
First off, do not try to kill the ball. You don't want to chop, slash, hammer, or swipe at the ball. Even amateur golf players who have been playing for a few years still swing as if they want to kill the ball. If you put too much energy & stress into your swing, you will undoubtedly end up making poor shots with less power than if you had tried to use more grace & fluidity.

B. Taking It Easy
Do you want to hit the ball long & hard, enough so that it travels at a great distance & lands exactly where you want it to go? If so, then forget about using brute strength. Professional golfers understand that hitting the ball as hard as they possibly can may actually impede their progress. Proper tempo, grace, & a solid technique will move the ball higher & longer than just using force. The pros understand this. In fact, you will never see Tiger Woods using all of his might to hit the ball at the expense of technique & finesse.

C. Everyone Is Different
One of the interesting ingredients that makes a great golf swing is an individual player's tempo. Every golfer has their own tempo (speed of swing). The pros swing in a very easy, almost lazy manner. It is important that you develop your own personal swing tempo. Most players have tempos that mimic their personality. If you are more relaxed & easy going, chances are that your swing should display the same laid back attitude. If you are high strung, talk a lot, & move fast, then you will probably have a faster swing at first. While there is no right or wrong in terms of tempo, people like this might want torelax a little.

It's a game, right?

Remember that term: "game."