Golf Swing Simplified

Swing it, boys and girls!

Contents

1. Introduction.

2. Pick a specific target.

3. Alignment. The shoulder MUST point left of the target.

4. Feet. Align to shoulders, parallel to target line.

5. Feet. How far apart depends on balance.

6. Head. Before starting swing, take a last look at target.

7. Start swing with a trigger. Head or hands to signal the whole body that the swing is about to start.

8. When shaft is parallel to ground on back swing, stop and make sure it looks like it is pointing away and outside of target line.

9. From parallel shaft position, flick the wrist so the shaft now is 90 degrees to arm and pointing straight up.

10. At the top the elbow should point straight down.

11. Pump it.

12. Concentrate on the club handle.

13. When the shaft is 90 degrees to the ground, release the club.

14. Continue swinging UP after impact.

15. At the top of the swing, move the left arm back to allow the club to ‘wrap around’ your back.

1. Introduction.

THIS INSTRUCTION IS ONLY FOR PRACTICE.

DO NOT attempt to execute the steps while you are playing on the course or else you will end up with a miserable game. Swing mechanics DO NOT belong in the green.

This instruction is used only for practicing. When you have practiced enough, your muscle will remember the steps and you will only have to enjoy playing golf on a nice sunny day without worrying about swing mechanics whatsoever.

Even though you have grooved your swing, continue practicing the swing when you are away from the green as the golf swing tends to change (for the worst) over a period of time. This is why golf professionals have their million dollars swing instructors on call.

Practice your swing at home or the driving range. PLAY AT THE GREEN. This statement may sound simple but do take it seriously. Disregarding this advice will stop you from playing your best and makes you just another miserable golfer.

Do not worry about getting beautiful swing or trying to swing like you golf hero. They have their own swing style and you your own. OWN YOUR SWING.

Ok lets start.

2. Pick a specific target.

Look at where you want the ball to go. Right, any idiot knows this but most people looks at the ‘general area’ where they hope their ball will land on. Look at a specific spot on the fairway or green. The smaller the area where you want the ball to land, thus your target, the closer it gets to the target. If you aim at a general area; “somewhere” in the middle of the fairway for example, the ball is most likely to NOT go in the middle of the fairway. Mel Gibson said in the movie, The Patriot, “Aim small, miss small.”

3. Alignment. The shoulder MUST point left of the target.

The shoulders are actually align parallel to the target line. When it is aligned properly, it looks AS IF you are pointing the left shoulder to the left of the target. ITS AN OPTICAL ILLUSION.Aiming the golf ball takes some getting use to. In archery, if your shoulder is pointed at the target, the arrow goes where it is aimed at. In golf, the shoulder DOES NOT point at the target. The shoulder must points slightly to the left of the target. You will eventually learn to adjust by HOW much a “slightly to the left” you should aim. This takes practice.

4. Feet. Align to shoulders, parallel to target line.

Preferably each foot directly below each respective shoulder. The feet ARE parallel to the target line. Always check if the shoulder and the feet are aligned properly, they have a tendency to point in different directions.

Where should your toes point to? To begin with, point them directly at 90degrees to the target line. You can experiment with flaring the feet later on and by how much depends on the person size and build. For now point them straight at the target line. Remember. where the toes points to effects ball flight.

No matter how small the differences in alignment of the feet and where your toes points to, it DOES effect the flight of the golf ball by leaps and bounds. This you have to discover what works for you as no one setup can cater for everyone of different sizes and build.

5. Feet. How far apart depends on balance.

How wide apart should your feet be from each other? Swing and if you loose your balance at the end of your swing, then adjust the distance between you two feet till you get your balance. Widen the stance if you are losing balance. Different club will cause you to change the distance between you feet but the difference is very small.

Do not attempt to follow golf manual or diagrams you see in magazines or other media of how far apart your feet should be. Do it by feel. Do what works for you.

6. Head. Before starting swing, take a last look at target.

When addressing the ball, look up at the target and back again to the ball, this helps to keep your chin at the correct height, and not too low when you finally swing the club.

If your chin is too low at address, your swing will be affected because your chin will be in the way of your arms when you swing the club.

ALSO, by looking at the target one last time, you will keep the image of the target in your mind. As every swing guru or golf professionals knows, you need to have an image of the target in your mind before you execute the swing. You very much wouldn’t want to see a bunker or pond while you are swinging because that’s where the ball will go.

7. Start your swing with a trigger. Head or hands to signal the whole body that the swing is about to start.

Watch carefully how the pros start their swing. The all have a subtle move that signals the start of their swing. A simple move like moving the chin an inch towards the target or moving your hands an inch towards the target at the start of your swing. This actually signals the rest of your body the swing is starting. Without this minute movement if is difficult to consistently synchronize the rest of the swing movements.

8. When shaft is parallel to ground on the backswing, stop and make sure it looks like it is pointing away and outside of target line.

No matter what you think, THE SHAFT IS NOT pointing away and on the outside of the target line. It just looks that way. IT IS CORRECT AND PARALLEL TO TARGET LINE. If you look at the shaft when it is parallel to the ground on the back swing, and the shaft appears to be straight behind the ball, then the shaft is actually not parallel (its actually pointing behind you!) to the target line and this will cause your swing plane to flatten out.

9. From parallel shaft position, flick the wrist so the shaft now is 90 degrees to arm and pointing straight up.

Flick the wrist so the club is 90 degrees to the arm AS you continue swinging to the top UNTIL the club is parallel to the ground and pointing at the target. How do you know the shaft is parallel to the ground? Continue reading.

10. At the top, the right elbow MUST point straight down.

When the right elbow is pointing straight down and the right arm is vertical, this will cause the club to be parallel to the ground AND your left hand straight…without you having to look at it.

11. Pump It.

Without moving the body and shoulders, keep the shaft 90 degrees to the arm, start the down swing slowly BUT stop when the arm have moved about 1 feet down THEN move up again to the starting position at the top. Do this twice. This will train your muscle to start the swing with your arms and maintain the swing plane.

12. Concentrate on the club handle.

Start the downswing with the end of the club handle leading the way. At the bottom of the swing, while keeping the wrist cock with shaft 90 degrees to the arm make sure the handle of the shaft IS POINTED AT THE TARGET BEFORE RELEASING THE CLUB. Your aim is to have the end of the club handle pointed at the target when the shaft is parallel to the ground.

13. When the shaft is 90 degrees to the ground, release the club.

Release the club when the shaft is parallel to the ground. What ‘release’ here means is to uncock the wrist so as to have the club head moves towards the ball while the arms are continuing to swing in its path. THIS WILL DETERMINE YOUR CLUB HEAD SPEED.

14. Continue swinging UP after impact.

Finish the swing. Your swing is not finish when when you hear the club hit the ball.

You have to resist the temptation to stop swinging after the clubhead hits the ball. If this happens you are actually decelerating before you hit the ball. You will loose clubhead speed.

Aim to finish the swing. This will ensure that you are STILL ACCELERATING when you hit the ball.

16. At the top of the swing, move the left arm back to allow the club to ‘wrap around’ your back.

Finish the swing just like the pros you see on TV.

PRACTICE this swing sequence in stages.

Stage 1. Address the ball.

Stage 2. Trigger to start the swing till shaft is parallel to ground. STOP

Stage 3. Cock your wrist AS you continue swinging to the top. STOP.

Stage 4. Hold hands high with elbow pointing down straight. STOP.

Stage 5. Pump your arms twice.

Stage 6. After second pump, continue downswing all the way to finish.

Practice this sequence slowly. It may seem awkward at first but keep doing it.

Practice the ‘staggered swing’, 21 days at least, your muscle will remember and execute the swing as you practice without you having to consciously go through each step.

REMEMBER

WHEN PLAYING at the course, forget everything and just swing at the ball as if it is your first time swinging the golf club. TRUST your swing. Your muscle will remember each step.

Do the following

AT THE GREEN

Stage 1. Pick a specific and small target.

Stage 2. Keep ONLY the image of the target in you mind.

Stage 3. Address the ball

Stage 4. Look one last time at the target

Stage 5. Swing that club.

Your concentration and focus is to get the ball from point A to B with the use of a club. Nothing else. Do not worry about swing mechanics but remember to setup proper. If you are about to toss a ball into a basket, you do not consciously think about the angle of throw, or how far your hand moves back before tossing the ball. You just do it. Now swing your club without thinking about swing mechanics.

Most people are nervous on the first tee. This is because they see a million critical eyes watching them from the clubhouse and those behind them. This is the MAIN and only reason for the uneasiness and nervousness.

How to be calm and compose on the first tee? OWN YOUR SWING.

And most of all, TRUST YOUR SWING.

Practice and prepare to be amaze.

Enjoy.

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