Swing: The Golf Secret Every Pro Knows and Every Amateur Needs to Learn
Of all the golf swing basics that you can learn there is only one that I can think of that would really help you to possess a more powerful and consistent golf swing. No more over the top swings, slices, fat shots and duffed shots, just solid golf shots with little to no curvature on the golf ball.
I know this probably reads like one of those outrageous adverts you read on different golfing websites but it is absolutely true: there are only a few simple golf swing technique principles that when understood and applied correctly will unlock your golf swing from its golfing purgatory.
This particular golf swing basic is the one that is unfortunately undervalued by most, and yet by learning to incorporate it into your golf swing technique you are going to improve your golf swing consistency and lower your golf scores and golf handicap.
I'm pretty sure that if you ask most amateur golfers what they would like to have more than anything else it would be a more consistent golf swing technique. In fact the majority of golfers who attend my golfing school want exactly this.
Every golf swing technique influences just two fundamental elements; distance and direction. When we think about the distance that is being produced by a golf swing technique we are describing a golf club head travelling very quickly from the top of the back swing through to its collision with the golf ball and the subsequent distance generated from the collision.
When we think about the direction that is being produced by a golf swing technique we are describing the amount of rotation the golf club face imparts to the golf ball which influences the amount of back spin and side spin that is generated after the collision and the subsequent direction it travels in relationship to your target.
Let me say it again; every golf swing you create influences the distance and direction of your golf shot, and what determines the quality of the ball flight is the collision with the golf ball.
The distance your golf ball travels is influenced by a force that originates from within you and is transmitted through the golf shaft into the club head and finally into the golf ball. In physics forces influence things like golf clubs to start and stop moving and to move golf clubs from one path to another.
The force that's created by your golf swing always has a direction, although not always the ideal direction for producing longer and straighter golf shots.
• When the golf club moves away from the ball into the backswing a force is influencing it.
• When the golf club gets to the top of the back swing and changes its direction a force influences it.
• When a golf club strikes the golf ball a force influences it.
You see, every time you swing your golf club a force (either a push or pull) is influencing the direction of your golf swing. Now I know that at some level you already realise this, but I'm not so sure that when you hit golf balls at the driving range in your attempt to improve your golf swing technique that you really understand how important the influence of force is on your golf swing.
There are two things we want to do with the force we generate in our golf swing technique.
1. We want to give it a direction in the backswing-down swing and follow through phases.
2. We want to deliver it at the correct time into impact
Study the simple action of a pendulum because I guarantee that this simple device will help you to understand how to unlock the full potential of your golf swing technique. If you've ever watched a pendulum you would know that a weighted object is suspended from a pivot point and the weighted object swings backwards and forwards.
As the weighted object swings backwards and forwards from the top of its backswing to the top of its finish position it moves in an arc and the radius of this arc remains constant throughout the to and fro motion.
Briefly stated the forces acting on a pendulum are balanced forces keeping the weighted object in a consistent path and trajectory and this is precisely what we want to achieve with our golf swing technique.
A balanced force in a golf swing is a force that moves your golf club just like a pendulum from the backswing position to its finish position with a smooth gradual acceleration and rhythm.
Now think of your left arm and wrist as being the lever of a pendulum and imagine it swinging backwards and forwards from the top of your back swing to the end of your finish position. This rhythmical motion of your left arm should be smooth and unhurried as it moves in an arc towards the golf ball.
You can actually feel the swinging motion of your left arm simply by folding your right arm behind your back and swinging your left arm back and through, and as you do this let your left hand roll or rotate as it passes through the bottom of the swing arc about where the golf ball would be positioned all the way to the finish of your stroke.
Now place a nine iron in your left hand and do the same thing. Swing it backwards and forwards with your right arm behind your back and let your wrist hinge and unhinge and then rotate or roll through the bottom of the arc naturally by not fighting the swing; just let it swing back and through without interference.
As you swing the nine iron backwards and forwards gently increase the length of the arc without adding additional effort and allow your body rotation to increase and remain in sync with the swinging motion of your left arm.
One important point to remember is to never change the path of your hands as you swing the golf club down through the bottom of the swing arc. Keep the path and trajectory of your left hand in or extremely close to the same path as the backswing. This is very important and the way to do this successfully is to let gravity and momentum have a primary influence on your left arm swing.
The second you apply additional force to your left arm as it travels down towards the bottom of the swing arc the faster it will shift your hands and golf club off their correct path which will definitely lead to poorly hit golf shots.
The left arm swing: the golf club technique that controls the hand path in the downswing and is very important to concept to understand, apply and master. Practice this simple technique until your feel the golf club swinging freely without interference.
When you can swing the golf club with a smooth hinging and unhinging motion with a full rotation at the bottom of the stroke you will be well on your way to improving your golf swing technique.
Remember that a pendulum travels from a backswing position to a finish position with a consistent rhythm or beat and so does a golf club. The very second you try to hit the golf ball you no longer have a golf swing, you have a golf hit.
Hitting requires more energy and is less effective than a swinging motion and is the single biggest reason why amateur golfers don't generate the level of consistency that pro's do.
So the big question you need to ask yourself right now is this; do you want to swing the golf club with confidence and hit golf shots just like a pro or would you rather hit inconsistent and frustrating golf shots just like...?
Lawrie Montague has been a PGA golf teaching professional for more than twenty years and has coached thousands of golfers from novice to tour player. You can visit his video golf instruction channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/golfconfidencepro to gain free access to more than thirty five of his unique golfing lessons covering every aspect of golf development.
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