Golf Swing

How mundane can a golf swing be?

Watching pro golfers do textbook swings doesn’t seem that intimidating. After all, how hard can it be to do one swing?

In reality however, textbook swings are hundred times harder than what people will mostly assume in the first place. Hitting some golf ball 2 inch in diameter using a clumsy 40 inch driver can be pretty exasperating. Novice golfers will find it ridiculously difficult to hit, and even more difficult to control.

Over the years, technology has allowed golf more forgiveness in terms of the golf swing precision. Such that massive 460cc drivers with massive clubfaces allow solid hits even on off center shots. Yet still there is the wanting for a proper golf swing.

How to Swing a Golf Club – Textbook Approach

The biomechanics of golf swing is a complex rotation of the body. The golf swing consists of the Address, wherein the golfer stands at ready in front of the ball. Then there is the Full Swing, which consists of two portions: the Backswing and the Downswing. The backswing is where the golf club is set on a position of control and power, and the downswing is the action in which the ball is hit, and this is where the force of the swing gets multiplied into distance.

To start the proper golf swing, there is the address. At the address, the golfer stands at ready in front of the ball. For the right handed golfer, his left shoulder should align with his hip and both should point at the intended direction of the ball flight. Depending on the type of club you’re using, you may stand nearer or farther from the ball, as long as the club face can touch comfortably the ball. Some golfers practice half swings before the actual swing just to make certain that the golf ball is in lane of their swing path.

The textbook grip is usually held with both hands, the right grip before the left grip (or if during the address the left grip is over the right grip). The club is usually held near the back of the golf ball but not resting on the ground. Feet must be slightly apart until balance is very stable and legs slightly flexed –as long as there is enough reach afforded for the club to the ball.

The backswing can be seen as some back spring motion where force is directly proportional to the supplied backswing starting point. To achieve longer, farther shots, the backswing is set farther. Precision and controlled shots are set with a shorter starting backswing point.

Improving Your Golf Swing

At some point you’ll realize how better golfers (than you are) seem to drive longer and cleaner. The difference with good golfers and bad golfers is the precision of their swings. True enough, the golf swing is the most difficult skill to master in golf. There is only a limit as to how far you can drive a ball and still retain precision. And in golf, longer drives would also mean lesser strokes and a -1 par on the score sheet. Only if you can maintain a healthy precision with long drives though.

That’s where golf swing training aids come in handy, as a good number of them are aimed to promote accuracy. Like for instance the Golf Dust. This is a golf impact indicator that allows golfers analysis of their swings. It marks the hit spot on the club face, telling the golfer useful facts about the swing, whether it is a full hit or a mis-hit. Then the golfer can adjust accordingly.

Then there is the Super Swing Trainer, which is a fine example of golf swing training equipment that forces the golfer’s swing to adapt to the golf teaching tool. Such guide helps develop and master a better plane swing until these consistent golf swings will become almost automatic.

The Golf Swing is difficult to learn. And it is even more notoriously difficult to master. There’s no sidestepping this but to practice and practice the golf swing until consistency is achieved. So how would you improve your golf swing, by golf swing teaching aids or by playing more?