Every person who takes up the game of golf struggles with one simple problem.
HOW DO I HIT THE BALL?
Our first instinct is to rely on just that – INSTINCT. Grab the club any old way and swing how you think you need to swing to hit that tiny white, pink, yellow or orange golf ball.
Truth is, it’s not as hard as we all made it out to be. It does take some effort and good golf instruction to deal with the basics of hand position, posture and alignment. But after that if you follow 3 basic criteria a lot of your early miscues can be eliminated before they have time to nurture themselves deep into your subconscious.
NUMBER 1
Do not push your back swing. By the time your hands reach your back foot they should already be moving upward in the back swing with the club face still in its original position (the face of the golf club still facing the target line).
Too often golfers want to pull the arms and club back into an excessively long extension. Maintain your weight and balance inside your feet and legs. Once the hands/arms have reached your back foot they will start to travel up your back leg to the top of the swing.
NUMBER 2
The hands/wrists go from a cupped position in the early movement of the back swing to being flat and travelling upward to the top of the back swing. This is not something that has to be fabricated. It will happen naturally if you understand where the motion is supposed to travel in the swing. This motion follows the movement of the shoulders and chest of which the golf swing is dependent on moving with the golf swing.
This movement is best seen and felt in the chip shot. You must move both chest and shoulders in order for the arms to be carried through the golf swing. This is not a strictly arm movement but a shoulder/chest movement. Do this and your results will greatly improve.
NUMBER 3
The movement to the top of the golf swing is based on balance. While balance varies with tour players one thing is always there. Position at the top. Turning the swing up the back leg to the top puts the CENTER OF GRAVITY between the feet. It never travels outside the frame of the body or center of your chest bone. It never leans in an opposite direction. Once you have reached this position it is simple to return to the ball with power and accuracy.
The back swing is the active part of the golf swing. What happens after that is almost irrelevant because this is the passive or natural chain of reactions that should happen based on what you did to get to the top of the back swing.
Remember, do not take the swing outside your feet. You will automatically be out of balance, regardless of how little and that will impact accuracy and direction.