The physics of a good golf swing are simply astounding. In spite of the fact that the body is forced to coil and recoil in ways that weren’t intended, a golfer makes a swing in the hopes of consistently hitting the ball within a 1/2-inch error margin on a 4 inch-long golf club face. That puts a lot of demands on science.
Fortunately, a novice golfer can develop a swing using muscle memory training that consistently produces the same results. This is achievable with a few lessons from experienced professionals, lots of practice, and a few helpful pointers.
1. Holding a Golf Club – Beginners frequently struggle to develop the proper hand placement on the golf club. It’s important to let the body operate naturally rather than fighting it. When the club is resting on your groin area, place your hands at your sides, look at the natural angle of your hands, and then reach down and grasp the club at that precise angle with your thumbs pointing down the grip.
2. The Grip – Three grips are available to you now that you have the proper hold on the club.
Varden Grip – Overlap the pinkie finger on your bottom hand in between the index and middle fingers on the top hand
Interlocking Grip – Similar to Varden grip except you lock the pinkie finger with the index finger
Baseball Grip – Hold it like a baseball bat
3. The Stance – relaxed, feet take on width apart, inside shoulder pointed to the target.
4. Basic Swing – During the backswing, you want to lift the club by turning your inside shoulder slightly inward and shifting your weight to the back foot’s toe. Once the club is over your head and your back arm is in an L shape, you want to recoil into your downswing by letting go of the L-shaped arm and shifting your weight to the front foot with a full follow through. Focus on the ball’s back by keeping your eyes there.
5. Develop a Swing Rhythm – Regardless of the club you are using, you want to develop a consistent mental rhythm in your swing because this will eventually produce consistent results. Practice and more practice are necessary to achieve this.
6. Do not Over-swing – You can generate enough power to send the ball down the fairway by using the right grip, body positioning, swing, and rhythm. Raising your back and launching your swing will accomplish nothing.
Utilizing these suggestions and keeping it simple, you should practice the fundamentals the next time you visit the range. You will have plenty of time to figure out how to produce more power and precision once you have your golf swing in good standing.