Golf Swing

So you want to improve your swing! Well, keep your back and left arm straight while bending your knees slightly and your off to a good start. A longer explanation should be divided into four distinct parts.

1. Set up
2. Back swing
3. Down Swing
4. Follow through

Each step is important for a successful swing.

Set up

This is where you have most things to worry about but thankfully you also have most time to worry about them too. There are a number of points to tick off your list before you start your back swing; feet, direction, knees, back, shoulders, grip, head. The order you tick them off is your choise, but here’s a brief description of each.

Feet: Depending on what club your holding you should be at different positions relative to the ball. For higher irons the ball should be in the middle of your feet, for lower irons the ball should be a little closer to your left foot, and for your woods or driver it should be just inside your left foot.

Direction: A line drawn parallel to your feet should point directly at your target, as should a line drawn through your shoulders or hips. Needless to say your clubface should also point towards your target.

Knees: Stand with your knees locked and then bend them just slightly, that’s all that’s needed.

Back: Your back should be flat and consequently you should bend from the hips.

Shoulders: Dip your right shoulder enough to allow you to grip the club so that it’s vertical at address, not tilting forwards or backwards.

Grip: Don’t clutch the club and don’t drop it. First grip with your left hand, breaking your wrist so you can see the first two or three knuckles, letting the club handle be held by your fingers rather than the palm of your hand. You can test if you’ve got it right by extending your left arm in front of you, the face of your club should still point at your target. Now your right hand will grip the club and your left thumb so that your right little finger comes to rest over your left index finger. Your palms should now be facing each other. There should be about a hands width between your body and your hands at this moment.

Head: At address and in fact through both back swing and down swing you should be looking at the ball. Experiment with how high you hold your head until you find a position you’re comfortable with. I found that raising my head slightly made me more relaxed through my swing.

You should get a routine going so that you can unconsiously check each of these items off during your pre shot routine.

Back Swing

Your back swing should start with a rotation of your body, shifting your weight slightly towards your right leg while twisting your shoulders. What you don’t want to do is bend or raise your back, your spine should still be straight but your torso should be “cork-screwed” about it. At the end of your back swing your arms will continue to rotate back, in essense folding your left arm across your chest, folding from the shoulder that is, the elbow should be straight. The club should now be at a right angle in relation to your arm. Your right arm will of course be bent.

Down Swing

As did your back swing so will your down swing start with a rotation of your body. You are in charge of three things; rotating your body, shifting your weight from your right foot to your left and unfolding your right arm. All three should happen in sync with the result of bringing your body back, more or less, to your set up position at the time of impact. During your down swing your hands should not manipulate the club in any way other than holding on to it. Think of your club as a whip that stays at a right angle to your left arm until you’re more than half way through the down swing, where the centrifugal force propels it so that it reaches the correct position at the moment of impact.

Follow through

After the club has impacted with the ball your body should continue to rotate, pulling your hips with it so you end up with just the toes of your right foot touching the ground and you facing the target. Your arms both fold as the club swings around you, coming to a halt behind your back with your hands holding it over your left shoulder. After a correct swing you should be able to hold this position until well after the ball lands.

This is (will be) a site containing information about improving your golf swing.