Swinging a golf club is not easy to perform. It takes time and patience to invest in the training process to swing a golf club properly. It is even necessary to study the technique to achieve satisfactory progress.
A good player becomes one who learns to analyze all the factors in the environment that can affect the quality of the game. It is useful to focus on details such as body posture, grip, alignment, angles, movement, etc.
Golfers around the world, along with professionals, have been patiently working for years to achieve the perfect golf swing.
No worries, with the right instructions and dedication to practice, you are on your way to becoming a great golfer.
This article covers the basics of proper golf club swing.
The instructions that follow are not necessarily appropriate and perfect for every player, on the other hand, they represent a good basis that will serve you for proper play. Remember “perfect golf swing” does not exist.
If you want to make the process easier the option is to work with one of our elite golf instructors at KonnectGolf. Working with professionals is always a safer option.
Once you tackle the basics you will be at the starting point for further progress and improvement of the game.
Proper golf stance
The first phase of the correct swing of the golf club is the posture, i.e. the correct posture of the body. To steer clear of shooting the air, we teach you how to make good contact with the ball.
Many golf players make the mistake of keeping their upper body straight while their knees are bent, which causes the golf club to swing above the ball.
Proper golf posture allows the body to lean towards the ground and thus return the golf club to the middle of the ball.
Stabile posture maintains your balance during the swing. So when you bend your knees and lean forward you are in a natural athletic position that should be comfortable.
You will know that your posture is proper when your weight is transferred to the ball of your foot.
From this position, you can rotate your body from one side to the other, and most importantly, maintain balance.
Getting in Position
Let’s present the correct posture in detail:
○ Set your feet so that the weight is distributed on the middle part of your feet
○ Face the ball, place your hips back, and lean your upper body and spine forward
○ Then bend your knees slightly for extra stability
You are now ready for the further steps of a proper golf club swing.
Proper iron setup
When you swing an iron, the goal is always to hit the golf ball.
To enable this process, place the shot so that the head of the stick catches the ball before the low point of your swing.
To get just that timing, your posture and attitude to golf depend on three key points:
○ Golf ball Position – Set the body position so that the golf ball is in the center of it. Position yourself so that the ball and feet are leveled.
Put your hands in a neutral position and keep in mind that they should never be behind the ball.
Place your lead foot forward and hindfoot back in equal proportions, all shoulder-width apart
○ Hip position – this step is very simple.
Head towards the target with your guide hip. In this way, you have provided the body with a position where you can hit the golf club from the inside
○ Upper body position – tilt your body a little further away from the target, something like moving your head back. This should get you to align the middle line of the golf position with your lead ear, which would be ideal
Proper driver setup
Properly adjusting the driver is just as easy as adjusting the iron. However, this time it is momentum with a different goal.
The target is to hit the golf ball at an upward angle. Compare your posture with the posture presented in the iron setup.
○ Golf Ball Position – this time we want the golf ball to be in a slightly forward position concerning the posture of the body.
While holding the stick extends your hand in front of you, the place where the head of the golf club touches the ground is your center.
Then move the stick forward a little which will be a place for tee up.
○ Hip Position – same procedure as with iron, you will place the lead foot forward towards the target. This step is important to achieve a perfect driver swing.
○ Upper Body Position – tilt the upper body back again so that the lead ear is aligned with the center of your posture.
Even though you haven’t swung yet, these are very important steps to get to the right momentum, so be patient, we’ll get to that.
How to hold the golf club
To ensure a good grip you also create the basis for the proper golf swing.
○ Hold the club with your lead hand
○ The handle should run diagonally across your palm
○ Your lead thumb should be positioned on the club
○ After overlapping, overlap or interlock your lead index finger and trail a pinky finger
How to Grip the Club
The most important thing to achieve a good swing is the setup.
Swinging a golf club is a set of steps – how you position and hold the golf club determines the remaining swing sequences.
Build a proper golf grip
If you want professional help and more information on mastering proper golf posture, check out this Interactive Online Instructions, become a member on Konnect Perform, and make an appointment with one of our coaches.
The following step-by-step guide will briefly explain how to form the necessary golf grip.
It is important to determine where the golf shot will end, so the way you hold the golf club is important.
The way the stick is held determines where the stick is turned about the swing.
There are three ways of holding a golf club:
○ Overlapping
○ Interlocking
○ Ten-fingered grip
These grips refer to the connection between the right and left arm.
In the following text, more will be explained in a detail, but the essence is that your hands are close and ideally overlap.
The unavoidable piece of advice regarding golf flu is pressure.
Wondering how tightly to hold a golf club? The best feeling will be produced by the idea of holding a fruit, plant, or animal that you must not squeeze and you must hold firmly enough so that it does not fly away.
What is the Best Grip for You?
Placing the fists on the handle is important to hold the golf course properly yet not enough.
Some players prefer a strong grip, some a weak one, and some a neutral one.
Which one to choose and which one suits you will depend on you. It is a personal thing that depends on your overall form of hitting, also on your body and preferences.
Step-by-step guide for how to swing a golf club
Top of the Backswing
As previously emphasized, the quality of the swing depends on the posture and setup. When you swing towards the target, your club head follows the circle that ends above your left shoulder.
Backswing requires rotation of the body and wrists. A little advice in this step is to keep your elbow close to your body to avoid the so-called chicken wing.
For many beginners, this situation is often a problem.
By the time you reach the highest point of your backswing swing, the club head should stop properly over your right shoulder.
Be sure that this position will not provide an ideal shot every time but will unwind through your downswing and return the club to hit the ball
To become aware of your body and movement and combine all the sequences into one spontaneous professional move, in the beginning, it is ideal to stand in front of a mirror and exercise.
The Downswing
If you have mastered backswing then you will find that downswing is a return to balance. Your balance should shift towards the front or lead foot before you unwind to face your target.
So the downswing starts by moving the left knee over the left foot. You will notice that your hands naturally relax more accurately while keeping your wrists in a hinge position.
Keep in mind to leave your head behind the ball, so that your hips and chest rotate.
Most golfers cope with the same problem, weight transferring and rotating their arms and bodies during a golf swing.
Too active hands and the body almost inactively results in a missed ball. The opposite of this is if you just unwind your body, the golf club will be swung too close.
Finish position
This position is a combination of two very simple moves. To get through the ball imagine forming an L with your backswing.
A relaxed grip will guide you to unlock the wrists to hit the ball and then lock them at the end of the desired process without much effort.
As for the chest, if they were turned away from the target when backswing, make sure to put them back and place them in a position exactly opposite the target when finishing.
Wondering what this allows us to do?
Well, this helps to complete the downswing and end up positioned in a balanced position. If you have almost all the balance on the front foot, it means that you have correctly transferred the weight during the swing.
Let the momentum of swing lead the golf club.
Follow through
Many beginners make the same mistake by trying to lock themselves in after hitting the ball, unaware that it affects the natural flow of the golf club’s swing.
So after the shot, your right shoulder should be lowered and your arms fully extended.
The right knee completes its transition to the left knee, and you simultaneously transfer your body weight to the heel of your left foot while your right foot is on your toes.
Heads Up
The position of the spine is extremely important when hitting. That is why it is important to follow the instruction that the position of the head should be downwards.
In the case of raising ahead, the spine changes its inclination, which causes the swing to go past the target.
Summary
There we have a quick guide to help you swing a golf club – I sure hope you’ve found it helpful.
This is a quick guide to help you learn or improve that golf swing – I expect you to find it helpful enough.
Improvement is the key
Remember: Challenge yourself. Challenge opponents and improve.
Regardless of the basics of golf swing being the same, many of the best golfers use them as a base to upgrade and thus create the space to reform the swing that gives them the best result.
Constant practice leads to improvement. Try new techniques to improve your golf game.