If you want to know how to carry out a golf swing or are looking for ways to improve your golfing performance – this is for you. This will help prevent that ‘hook’ or ’slice’ off the tee!
Steps
- Position yourself in line with the flag – When approaching your ball, look out for a nearby leaf, small stone or broken tee which is in a direct line between the flag you are aiming for, and your ball. Imagine a line between these 2 reference points and put your club face square to it. Now stand parallel to this imaginary line. You are correctly orientated to begin the perfect golf swing.
- Grip your left hand correctly – Making sure your club is naturally on the ground behind the ball, place it in the left hand so that the shaft lies across the top of the forefinger. It should fit under the heel of the palm, to make space for the stability of the club. Make sure that the little finger is around the grip so that there is no room for the club to move. TIP – Make sure that the thumb is straight on top of the shaft with a natural grip. You should be able to see 2 or 3 knuckles of your hand. This is the correct left hand grip.
- Grip your right hand correctly – With your right arm hanging naturally, shake hands with the club and settle into the grip. Fold your right hand over the left thumb. The thumb of the right hand on the club should be pointing to the right shoulder.
- Grip the back of the club correctly – There are 3 different ways to grip the back of a golf club – choose whichever feels better for you. The Vardon or Overlapping Grip is by far the most common method used in golf. Place the little finger of the right hand between the index finger and middle finger of the left hand. The Interlocking Grip is where the right little finger and the left index finger are locked together. This is a lot easier for those with small hands as it allows the fingers around the grip. This is the second most common grip. Finally, the Baseball Grip is used by people and children with very small hands in order to get all the fingers around the club.
- Adopt the correct stance – The proper stance will allow perfect balance and poise throughout the swing. To start, the feet should be apart at the same width of the shoulders for a mid iron shot. The feet, the knees, the hips and the shoulders should all be parallel to the target. The right foot should be placed straight forward from the body, at a right angle to the line of flight, so that when you swing the weight will come on the inside of the foot to be able to push away and do the follow through. The left foot is slightly open as this makes it easier for the body to follow through the golf swing. The upper torso should lean forward slightly from the waist, and the knees slightly bend to allow flexibility. This position will make your arms hang comfortably in front of your body, to be able to swing more freely. There should be roughly a hands width between your body and the club. The weight of the body should be on the balls of the feet – not on the heels. Addressing the ball, both arms are straight but relaxed, and the left shoulder is higher than the right due to the position of the hands. To ensure that your shoulders are in the correct position, first place the club in the centre of your chest and lean forward from the waist, unlocking and bending the knees. Now dip your right shoulder slightly until the club touches the inside of your left leg. This is the correct shoulder position.
- Perform the final swing – Now we have the correct orientation, grip and stance we are ready to finally perform the swing. You might find it useful to perform the waggle at this point. This movement can be an important part of the swing as it will ensure that your weight is evenly distributed on the feet. During the waggle, your upper body and shoulders should not move. Everyone has their own way of using the waggle – most importantly it will relax your body in anticipation of the actual shot. The back swing now starts with rotation – NOT with the hands. The action of the arms starts with the rotation of the body, the hands maintaining the same grip pressure throughout. Practice this rotation movement by holding the club across either the front or back of the shoulders in the set-up position. Rotate the whole body – belly and all – to the right and left as if in a swing. Note that the back still stays in the correct angle. The backswing now starts with the initial rotation – shoulders, hips, hands and arms – an almost simultaneous movement. The shoulders should turn fully, leaving your back facing the target and your weight on the inside of the right foot. The downswing begins by pushing your weight from right to left and rotating the body and hips. This now allows the shoulders, arms and hands to follow, powering the club through impact. On impact the hips are turned with the shoulders parallel to the ball. The movement continues until the whole body is facing the target. The motion should be unbroken from the start of the downswing to the finish of the follow through. The only time that your right foot will move will be immediately after impact – otherwise you won’t be able to swing through. In fact, the whole swing from start to finish should be one unbroken movement. Remember it is a swing and not a hit. Your body should be relaxed throughout. More power comes from faster rotation. The hips should lead the shoulders all the way through until the end of the swing.
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