Golf is not as easy as it looks on TV.

But it also doesn’t have to be difficult either.

With the right building blocks in the golf swing. You can play better golf and enjoy the game much more.

As with anything, practicing makes you better. Golf is no different. The best part of learning and practicing golf is that you don’t have to go to a driving range. You can practice the fundamentals of the golf swing in your backyard or basement.

It may sound odd, but practicing the golf swing without hitting a golf ball will help build the fundamentals of your golf swing. Then once you go to the golf range or play golf, you will start to see improvement.

The 3 Building Blocks of the Golf Swing.

The Golf Grip. Golf Posture. Golf Alignment.

If you’ve never held a golf club, you will probably hold it wrong. This will immediately lead to a poor golf swing.

As well, if you stand over the golf ball with poor posture, this will lead to poor contact with the golf ball.

Finally, if you are not sure how to aim (align) your body and ball toward your target, golf will be very difficult.

In this article, I will outline all 3 building blocks to get you started.

The 1ST Building Block is the Golf Grip.

GOLF GRIP

Place the club along the lines shown on the golf glove.  The last 3 fingers of your lead hand will provide the grip & pressure needed to secure it properly.  The fatty part of the thumb will fit on top of the club shaft for balance.

You should be able to hold the club in this hand directly in front of you and balance it with one hand.

Here the last 3 fingers secure the golf club in the hand.  Pressure comes from the top finger (baby) to the middle finger.

The fat part of the thumb sits on top of the clubs shaft to provide balance and stability in the golf swing.  The thumb will settle just off center on the opposite side of the applying hand (top right side of shaft for a right handed player).

The index finger will then either interlock or overlap with the opposite or trail hand.

 

 

With both hands on the golf club the hands are now connected with each other with an interlocking grip.  The 2 colored dots shows 2 knuckles visible producing a neutral grip.

The trail hand holds the golf club with the index and ring fingers with the thumb on the opposite side to the lead hand (top left side) and the index finger simply placed under the clubs shaft.

The fat part of the trail thumb should be covering the thumb of the lead hand.

HOW TO APPLY YOUR HANDS IN THE
GOLF GRIP POSITION

The LEAD hand (the left hand for right-handed golfers) is leading the swing.

The TRAIL hand (the right hand for right-handed golfers) is following in the golf swing.

GOOD GRIP POSITON

• improves performance
• improves accuracy
• controls the clubface

DON’T OVERTHINK GOLF – KEEP IT SIMPLE

The 2nd Building Block is Posture.

GOLF POSTURE

Golf Posture has 3 important components:

1. Structure & Angles to the Body in the address position
2. Balance at address (standing over the ball)
3. Height & Distance to the golf ball

Remember: The golf swing is a combination of your body & golf club.

All the checklist items will have variations based on the club used. In our example, a 7 iron is being used.

Set-Up Check List:

• feet shoulder-width apart
• back aligned to neck naturally – not forced
• knees flex from the hip joint – not the waist
• push your rear down as in a sitting position for a chair or touching a wall
• torso tilt and rear sitting should equalize weight over the center to the back center of the feet
• hands & arms are under the chin
• both feet can point open with lateral weight more on the lead side (forward 55/45)
• shoulders tilted lower to trail side by 5-10 degrees of slope
• spine angle is also tilted to the trail side to match the shoulder tilt
• distance of the club to the ball depends on the club being used
• slight curvature of the neck but don’t have the chin tucked into your chest

The 3rd Building Block is Alignment.

GOLF ALIGNMENT

Why Alignment is Important?

Alignment provides the means of direction for the golf ball to an intended target.

What is Alignment?

Alignment is the directional line the golf ball will travel from Point A to Point B and a corresponding body line created by shoulders-hips-knees-feet all aligned parallel to that ball line.

In golf, right-handed players always* align parallel LEFT of the target and left-handed players always* align parallel RIGHT of the intended target

Steps in Creating Alignment

1. Stand behind the golf ball, about 2-5 yards and visualize your target.  The target could be the flag on a green, a tree in the background, a cloud in the sky, or a bush.  The target is not always going to be a flag on a green.
2. Pick something in front of your ball and on the visual line you created from behind the golf ball.  Draw a line from your golf ball to the point chosen in front of your golf ball.  It could be a blade of grass, a dark spot, a divot or anything else that stands out to you.  The line you draw is the important part so make sure it is correct to the target
3. Place the bottom leading edge of your golf club at a 90-degree angle to the line drawn on the ground (square the clubface).
4. Place your body parallel to your chosen ball line.  Feet, Knees, Hips, & Shoulders should all be parallel to the ball line.  When standing upright your body is square and it should be parallel left or right of the ball line.

A train knows the direction it is going because the tracks are aligned parallel to each other allowing the train to move safely to its destination.

In golf, the target/ball line is one side of the track and the body lines (feet, knees, hips, shoulders) are the second side of the track. It’s the only way for the golf ball to move safely to its destination and not end up in the trees or over the fence.

There are other methods to creating alignment but work on this system every time you practice.  You must develop a solid routine and stick with it.  If you think you are having trouble aligning properly seek help from a professional to ensure this is done correctly.  It is one of the biggest and most important parts of the golf swing

Work on this system every time you practice until you develop a solid routine.  If you think you are having trouble aligning contact me. 

*Only if a player decides to draw or fade a shot will the normal alignment characteristics change