Becoming a better driver is what all golfers are striving for. Although this is only one shot used in reaching the green, a good drive off the tee sets the tone for the entire hole. As you become a better driver you will hit the ball longer and straighter.
This video by director of training Steve Dahlby shows you how to accomplish both as you continue your quest of becoming a better driver.
The good golf swing results in the golf ball flying straight and far. As I observe amateur golfers swing at the ball I have come to realize that the most common golf swing error is using too much right hand (for right hand golfers) during the down swing. The key to the good golf swing is to pull the club through impact and avoid the tendency to push it instead.
Easier said then done. Right? Let’s look at the good golf swing step by step to see if I can pinpoint the issue specifically.
Let’s make the assumption that if your ball goes anywhere other than straight down the fairway, you should be looking for a way to correct that. Most people that slice the golf ball are pushing with their right hand which forces the club face to open up and places unwanted spin on the ball.
Coming over the top is the most common mistake amateur golfers have and will need to be corrected prior to attaining the good golf swing. Please review this article before going any further. If you need additional help with the basic swing, another place to review golf swing tips can be found here. So once you are confident that your basic golf swing technique is okay, we can begin to discuss the details of the down swing that will give you the good golf swing you are looking for.
Since the golf back swing is a pulling motion where your shoulders and torso are turning to the right while your arms bring the club straight back (not up), the natural tendency is to begin your down swing with your right arm. Doing this creates a pushing motion which results in delaying your leg and hip motion.
As your golf club reaches the top of your back swing concentrate on lightening the grip with your right hand and forcing your legs and hips to move first. Although you may be able to hit the golf ball straight without starting your swing with your legs and hips, you will never attain the maximum distance.
A simple technique is to begin your down swing by forcing your right (back) knee to move towards your left (front) knee. This puts your hips in motion and pulls your shoulders through impact. While concentrating on your legs, remember that your left hand must be the dominate one during impact.
Following these steps will produce the good golf swing you have been looking for.
Golfing, though it looks like a laid back simple enough sport, requires a great deal of physical strength and flexibility. In order to achieve the perfect golf swing, one must maintain fluid motion throughout the entire body on every put, slice or drive. Here are a few simple golf tips to improve your next performance out on the course:
Your Grip
Your grip is the foundation of your golf swing and developing the right grip is critical to your success in hitting the ball farther and straighter. There are several types of grips that you can use including the interlocking grip, the overlapping grip, and the baseball grip. The grip that feels most comfortable to you will depend on your physical strength and/or the length and girth of your fingers. For beginners, the baseball grip is the most common.
Watch your alignment
There are two main elements to be considered when lining up your golf swing. First and foremost is the target line (the line that the golf club is actually on). Secondly - the stance line, also known as the body line. Both are extremely important. You must keep your spine straight, unrounded and always be aware of your position with relation to the ball.
“Stroke” the ball, don’t just hit it
Often the difference between a strong, powerful swing and a misguided hack is the tendency to hit, rather than stroke, the ball. By stroking we mean creating a fluid motion that carries through your whole swing. It’s best to practice developing this technique with your short putts, when you are less likely to want to put full force on the ball. Once you get used to the motion it’s easier to carry the lesson through to your long game.
Don’t hold your head stiff
On the backswing, your head should have a slight, natural head movement due to the shift in your weight. On the downswing however, be sure that your head remains behind the line of the ball on impact since that creates a more powerful underside impact on the ball.
Don’t Rush Your Back Swing
The backswing is what generates the power behind your downswing and should be taken slowly to conserve your energy for your downswing. The left arm should be kept as straight, and taken as far back, as comfortably possible.
Maintain the angle between the club and your wrist during downswing
Downswing power comes from the leverage between the angle of the club and your wrists, not your hands, so it’s important to keep the angle intact. As with the backswing, you should take your time with the downswing as taking your time means keeping all of your body in line.
Other than these simple golf tips it’s important to remember that practice makes perfect. It took Tiger years to perfect his swing so don’t expect it to be any different for you.
Three Key Elements To Remember
Chipping around the green typically played from within a few yards of the putting surface. Usually played with a 6-, 7-, 8- or 9-iron or pitching wedge with the ball played back in the player’s stance. This particular blend of ball position and club results in a shot that is in the air about 1/3 of the time and then rolls about 2/3 of the time before landing near the cup. Chipping around the green is often confused with a pitch shot which is played further from the green and meant to have a higher flight path with the ball landing closer to the pin with minimal roll.
Some of the typical issues amateurs have with chipping around the green include:
1. Topping the ball – A shot in which the golfer very nearly swings over the ball, with impact between club and ball occurring near the crown of the golf ball.
2. Hitting thin - A shot in which the clubhead strikes the ball too high (near its midpoint or slightly lower), often resulting in a low, sometimes slicing shot that can travel a long distance.
3. Grounding – A shot in which the clubhead hits the ground to far behind the ball.
4. Bladeing – A shot where the ball sails completely over the green.
5. Shanking - A mis-hit that is so bad the golfer makes contact with the ball with a part of the club other than the clubface.
The basic cause of these typical issues golfers have can be found in the shot set up. Basically the groundwork necessary for successfully chipping around the green can be found in three positions:
1. Position the golf ball in the middle of your stance.
Keeping the ball in the middle of your stance will provide more consistent impact. Placing the ball too far forward in your stance will have you topping the ball, hitting the ball thin or pulling it to the left. Conversely, having the ball too far back will cause you to top the ball, shank it and push it to the right.
2. For right handed golfers, 75% of your weight should be on your left foot.
This makes sure that you are hitting down on the ball as opposed to hitting up. It is important to make sure that you keep your weight on your front foot during the back swing.
3. Grip down on the club to the end of the grip and point the grip end of the club to the middle of your left leg. When you grip down to the end of the grip you will make certain to have more control during impact. To eliminating topping and thin shots, try moving the grip part of the club further across your left leg which provides the necessary downward angle.
Following these three key elements will definitely enhance your ability to make some great chip shots around the green.
Avoid Weight Transfer and What To Do After Impact
A pitch or “Golf Pitch Shot” is a shot played with a highly lofted club (pitching wedge, sand wedge, lob wedge) that is designed to go a short distance with a high flight path. Golf Pitch Shots are usually played into the green, typically from 40-50 yards and closer. It’s easy to picture a pitch shot when it is contrasted with the chip or chip shot. A chip shot is played from much closer to the green and the ball is in the air only a short (1/3) amount of time; the point is to get the ball onto the surface of the green and let it roll (2/3) toward the cup. Most of a chip shot is roll. A pitch shot, on the other hand, is in the air for most (2/3) of its distance, with much less roll (1/3) once it hits the ground.
If your Golf Pitch Shot method is not correct it becomes very difficult to generate enough air time. If you are someone who is sick of topping, grounding and sculling when you pitch, you will really benefit from this information.
Some of the typical issues amateurs have with their Golf Pitch Shots include:
The primary thing to remember for the Golf Pitch Shot is
A Low Follow-Through = Maximum Airtime
Most amateurs say that they are trying to follow-through high after impact so that their golf pitch shots will go up in the air. However, topping, grounding and sculling are often the result of a high follow through after impact (forcing hitting the ball during the up swing).
Setting up to the golf ball just like you were going to chip will get you half way there.
The back swing for the golf pitch shot is generally longer than your chip shots. To avoid transferring your weight, keep your weight on your left leg. As the golf club starts to swing down towards the ground, be sure you follow thru low to the ground after impact. You want to feel as though you chopped the back of the ball with the club head.
Golf can be a healthy and rewarding game when you learn some simple and basic techniques. The cause of most golfer’s frustration is the fact that they take the game for granted and think it is easy. They watch a golf tournament on TV and say “I can do that!” They believe that because the ball isn’t moving that it is easy to hit. It’s not until they pick up a club and try it that they realize that not everyone is a natural golfer.
The Golf Fairway Shot can become your favorite shot once you master it. Once you have driven off the tee box, you will probably be faced with a second shot, hopefully from the fairway. Of course, we hope that you’ve been able to make it to the green, except for par 5 holes, that’s just not realistic for most golfers. The lie of the ball in The Golf Fairway Shot will dictate how you hit your next shot. In some friendly games, your opponents may allow you to put the ball up on some grass. This will emulate, in a way, a tee since you cannot use a tee with a fairway shot. In tournaments or serious money games, you will probably have to play the ball as it lies, so it’s a good idea to know how to hit an effective Golf Fairway Shot.
Many inexperienced golfers are intimidated by the golf fairway shot. They will often baby their swing and not hit the ball fully. This is a huge mistake. Golf clubs are designed to work with a full golf swing and do a specific job, so choose a club that matches your distance from the hole and then take a full swing. Don’t be afraid that you’ll overshoot the hole. If you’ve picked the right club, you’ll get to the green.
Aim your left shoulder (the right one if you’re a southpaw) at your target - the flag. Your hands should be in front of the ball at impact and remember to keep the same swing motions as if you are driving the ball off a tee. To help square your clubface, try to touch your left forearm with your right forearm at impact.
If you are in deep grass, the main idea is to get the ball up in the air. That means you will want a club that has a lot of loft such as an 8 or 9 iron. Just remember that you will most likely not get a lot of distance with these smaller clubs.
When you swing, be sure to follow through after impact. The laws of physics dictate that when you strike the ball, it will be carried through and into the air as your arms bring the club back up.
Your technique on deep grass shots should be geared toward minimizing the contact of the grass. In other words, you want to hit the ball as cleanly as possible. To do that, you need to move the ball back in your stance.
For instance, if on a 5-iron shot from the fairway you position the ball off your left heel, move it back to a spot an inch to the right of your heel for a shot from the rough. This ball position should leave your hands slightly ahead of the clubface at address. From that setup you’ll tend to swing the club up a bit more vertically on the backswing and return it a bit more steeply to the ball. With this steeper attack the clubface will come down on the ball rather than brush through the grass.
For really deep grass, again, the idea is to minimize the contact with the grass and therefore, how it will affect your shot. Once again, play the ball back in your stance, but this time, play it two inches back instead of one, because you’re going to have to go down after the ball.
To further increase the steepness of the swing, open your stance a few degrees so that your feet, knees, hips and shoulders align to the left. Your club head should align square to the target line. It’s the same basic alignment as for a slice, but when playing a short iron from the rough you won’t have to worry about any sideward spin.
Since the grass will grab at your club and close the face, at impact, you’ll want an extra-firm grip in your left hand. Alternatively, you can aim the clubface a bit right of your target at address, thereby allowing the grass to turn the club face into a square position at impact.
The swing should be an aggressive, forceful one. If you get a kick out of swinging hard, this is the place to enjoy yourself. It’s a powerful, steep chop that must go down and through the thick stuff. Be sure to keep the club accelerating through impact; otherwise you may move the ball only a few feet. The faster you can get the club moving through the ball, the faster that ball will climb out of its nest and the farther it will go.
With a good Golf Fairway Shot, eventually, you’ll be close enough to chip.
How to hit a long or even correct drive in golf is based on the outside path in your golf swing. I found this lesson to be very important in learning how to pivot properly to create the perfect golf swing.
You will learn that the outside path in your golf swing is all about swinging down and not away (like a baseball swing). I learned that club speed should be the fastest at impact and not during the downswing and that you need to get the hands to move inward and stay in front of the club head.
There is a brief mention of how to position your feet to create a fade but this part needs further explanation.
Watch the video here.
This Week In Review
We found these great Golf Tips blog posts. You might want to link to them and take a look:
Learning The Golf Backswing is a critical skill for all golfers. After Address, the golf backswing is the first place most golfers begin to get into trouble. Although I started playing golf many years ago, it wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized that if I wanted to improve there were a few fundamental things I had to learn. As I was Learning The Golf Backswing, I asked myself these questions:
Why do I always slice the ball?
Why can’t I get more distance from my drives?
Why do my fairway shots cause me grief?
Why does it take me three swings to get out of a bunker?
Why do 50% of my chip shots go over the green?
Why do my putts always fall short?
When I really began to get serious about learning to play golf I had no idea that Learning The Golf Backswing was one of the most (if not THE most) important skills to learn. I realized that if this portion of my golf swing wasn’t perfect, I would never be able to solve any of my problems.
The biggest mistake I made was to watch other amateur golfers to see what they did. I realized very quickly that although some of them hit the ball fairly well, there was very little consistency in what they all did. It was hard for me to pick one thing that they all did the same so I could say “That’s it!” Some were very deliberate (jerky) in every part of their swing while others were more fluid and natural. Some teed the ball high while others claimed they needed the ball almost hitting the grass. When they aligned themselves for each shot, some aimed straight while others played a natural (or not so natural) slice or hook.
So what did I end up doing? I stopped trying to learn from other amateurs and got some professional help. The very first thing the pro worked on was my backswing and how it compared to the backswing of some professionals. It wasn’t very hard for me to see the difference once it was pointed out. I realized that my backswing was too steep when compared to the pro’s which was flatter.
The Takeaway
OK, let’s define what steep and flat mean to me when discussing the takeaway portion of the backswing. What I was doing was moving my wrists before my shoulders and mid-section. This caused the club to create an imperfect plane (too steep) forcing my hands to turn away from the ball. To correct this I needed to place an object (in my case a chair) at a distance far enough to my right that caused me to leave my wrists still while my shoulders, arms and mid-section moved the club towards the chair. Although this felt very awkward at first, it certainly flattened out my initial move. The trick is to find a distance to place the chair that makes you stretch without wanting to fall.
Now that I knew how to do this portion of the backswing correctly, I had to practice it for 100 times a day for one week. The goal was to commit this movement into muscle memory before learning the next step which was to keep my weight on the inside of my back (right) foot while doing it. Once again, I was asked to perform an unnatural and uncomfortable act for the sake of hitting a golf ball in the intended direction.
So, once again I introduced a practice method that helped me accomplish this. My natural tendency and comfortable thing to do was to allow my right knee to turn out and shift my weight to my right side. I was told that this was all wrong and I needed to keep my right knee still and the weight on the inside of my back (right foot). To accomplish this I needed to force pressure on my right knee to keep it straight and this was very hard to do.
Here’s what I did to learn how to keep the weight on the inside of by back (right) foot. I placed a book (1″ thick) under the right side of my right foot. I immediately felt the difference, and you will too. Take the time to practice this and make it part of muscle memory.
This covers the take away portion of the backswing. If you put some effort into Learning The Backswing, your golf game can’t help but improve.
When you swing Coming Over The Top with your golf swing you will have the tenancy to pull, slice or shank the ball and will never attain the perfect golf swing. Coming Over The Top is the most common mistake for amateur golfers and most of them do not know how to correct this common golf swing flaw. Basically, the problem is swinging over the top instead of staying on the same golf plane during the down swing.
Coming Over The Top - Why does it happen?
It’s all about controlling the golf swing.
The golf swing is a chain reaction event. What you do at set up determines what you do on the takeaway. What you do on the takeaway determined what happens half way back on the swing. What happens halfway back in the swing determines what happens at the top of the swing and continuing on to impact. So you can see that if you do not begin the golf swing correctly, it will have a compounding negative effect causing you to come over the top.
So How Can You Fix Coming Over the Top?
The first place to look to correct coming over the top is the set up. Most people that I see that have this problem set up with their feet closed and shoulders open which is a very contradicting set up position. This inevitably causes an improper takeaway where the golfer breaks the wrist prematurely and pulls the club back (inside) instead of away. This creates a very flat swing plane with the club shaft pointing way out past the ball. The premature rotating of the shoulders during the takeaway is the main cause of Coming Over The Top.
At halfway point of the swing, you want your left arm to be straight and parallel with the ground and the club shaft pointing to about where the ball is lying or slightly inside. The improper position will inevitably prevent the golfer from hitting the ball at all, so they over compensate by bringing the club over the top to hit the golf ball. Basically your subconscious mind is forcing a compensation by swinging over the top in order to make contact with the ball.
Watch a before and after video that shows the causes of Coming Over The Top and the proper swing technique to avoid this common problem.
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