When you think of golf, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Gentlemen’s game? The 19th hole?
Whatever your impression of the sport is, there is much work and precision that goes into perfecting every aspect of a golfer’s game. In this article, we’ll give you a couple of pointers about how you can perfect the most vital aspect of your game – the swing.
Perfect Your Grip
The natural instinct is to grip the golf club in your palm.
Don’t do this!
Hold the club in your fingers while keeping a short thumb on the lead hand. (For a golfer who is right-handed, this will be the left thumb.)
Get Your Stance Right
In order to get your swing right, you need to adopt an ‘athletic golf stance’. What this means that you need to have a good, stable base and your knees need to be slightly bent. Don’t lock your knees or squat when you adopt your stance.
In your initial set-up, have slightly more pressure in your lead foot and bump your hips slightly forward when you set yourself up. Your goal is to have your lead hip directly over your lead foot. The width of your stance should be should-width apart.
Raise your lead arm slightly above your trail arm. This action should move your shoulders a little. Your trail shoulder will be slightly lower than your lead shoulder, which should shape the ball flight into a nice high draw.
Where Should You Aim?
Aim your clubface toward your target and your body parallel left for right-handed players.
Make sure that before you take the shot, you need to stand behind the ball so that it is between you and the target. Pick something on the ground – like a piece of dirt, a stone or a leaf – which is between the ball and the primary target. Make this your secondary target and aim for this when you take your swing.
When you set up your body, focus on your feet and imagine a line that is being drawn between your toes and extending out in both directions. This line needs to be parallel to your target line.
Many newbie golfers think that they need to keep their heads down during the swing. This is partially true. Keep your head down and make sure that you maintain your spine angle during your swing. Look at your ball when your club connects with it, but after this, your head needs to follow the ball towards the target. If you prefer, keep your head down a little longer through the impact but don’t do this for too long so that you forget to watch your shot and end your golf swing on your front side. (For right-handed golfers, this is the left – the other way round for left-handers.)
If you are serious about perfecting your golf game, you need to practise a lot and possibly even consider hiring a golf pro for a couple of lessons which can help you with your technique.