Golf Swing Tips

What it Takes to Achieve a Winning Golf Swing

Here's a news flash: there's more than one way to swing a golf club. If you've been working to achieve some particular textbook style for your golf swing, you may be glad to hear that conformity is not necessary. There's really only one thing that a golf swing needs to do: consistently deliver the club head to the ball. If you can reliably accomplish this goal, then there's no need to limit yourself to a certain style of swing.

Get Ready With Your Pre-shot Routine

A great golf swing starts with a pre-shot routine. The pre-shot routine is the procedure you use to get your body into the right posture and make sure you are properly addressing the ball. Have you ever spent time watching the golf pros play on television? Watch more closely next time. Paying closer attention to the pre-shot routines of the pros could give you some hints for elements to add to your own golf game.

Most pre-shot routines have four parts. First, visualize your shot. Focus on your goal--the pin or a spot on the fairway--and determine your target line. Next, you need to align your club face with the target line. Choose an intermediate target, something relatively close by like a divot mark or a leaf. A target that's closer to you will be a whole lot simpler to keep in sight as you set up the shot.

The third part of a pre-shot routine is building your stance. Keep a comfortable grip and let the club face determine your position. Your body's alignment and relationship to the club face is what establishes the path of your golf swing. The last step in a pre-shot routine is to make sure you're free of tension. Waggle the club just a little and imagine a smooth, flowing movement

Improve Your Backswing

A golf backswing is a lot like the first domino in a row. Once things are set in motion, there's not much else you can do. Keeping your arms and body synchronized, smoothly swing the club head away from the ball. The club head should glide smoothly back, staying near to the ground at first, then increasingly arcing inside the target line. At the top of your backswing, the shaft of the club should be aligned parallel to your target line. If your club is pointing to the left of the target ("laid off") or to the right of the target ("across the line"), you're more likely to end up with a crooked shot.

Smoothly Into The Downswing

A full golf downswing is not really an action, but is more like the result that a backswing causes. Does that make sense? The downswing starts with a subtle movement of your left knee toward the target along with a gradual weight shift onto your left foot. At this point, your torso and hips start to "unwind." The club head races through the air, makes contact with the ball, and continues around in follow-through.

As you can see, a full golf swing really depends an getting lined up correctly and staying lined up in your backswing. Once you've put things into motion, just relax and let nature take its course.