How To Swing A Golf Club

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How to swing a golf club?

It all starts with learning how to swing the golf club correctly. Even after a few games in, many of us keep practicing incorrect swing mechanics.

Getting the minutiae of golf swing correct can avoid potential injuries and go a long way in improving your golf handicap. We have seen a number of players who are stuck at a certain golf capability permanently.

Rising above the golfers’ block is just one swing away. So we are detailing the simple yet nuanced process here.

Tips to improve your golf swing

There are some key points that help you improve your golf swing. These help you get maximum control over your club movement.

Ball position

 

Your feet must be planted solidly on the ground before taking the golf swing. If you oscillate back and forth between your heels and your toes, it will impact the swing adversely.

To get a good balance on flat ground, you must first practice with something that’s harder to stand still on.

A curb is one such place where you can polish your balance.

Make sure you have the correct clubs. Even if you are playing with a second-hand set, make sure you have bought clubs with the right swing weight.

This is an important concept which judges the weight distribution of the club according to the individual’s strength

Divot thumb

Never try to launch the golf ball straight up or straight forward. The trajectory of the golf swing should be tilted circle around you. This way you will be launching the ball at an angle from the ground which lies between 0-90° but never the extremes.

The golf swing is about using the entire upper body. If you focus only on your arm movement or only on your waist movement, you are unlikely to find the golf ball with the sweet spot of your club very often.

Your arms will be the center of the radius along which the club moves. On the way, you start engaging your hips, legs, and hands. If you only move your hands, they will not yield enough power to the swing.

When you rotate the whole body in measured amounts, the golf swing draws power from that.

Swinging

The mind can be a powerful ally and a devious enemy. Do not let the calculations and probability of the upcoming shot get into your head.

Leave your golf club until you have figured out the trajectory of the ball.

Your hands can get sweaty and send the golf club flying out of your hand. Once you are on call to make the shot, only then hold the club tight and make your stroke.

Give yourself time to find balance, waggle, and take aim.

Operate calmly and keep your mind concentrated on the moment.

Newbies are excused if they take a smidgen more time to take the correct golf swing.

Resist the urge to swing hard every time. Swinging a golf club is one graceful stroke of power. It is not a move of aggression.

When you pace your swinging correctly, it gives the body time to transfer weight across the right parts. This is crucial if you want to consistently hit the sweet spot and control the distance and the angle of the ball flight.

Always take the swing with the right form. Your body must be aligned correctly though the entire process. At each and every step, your hands need to be in a certain position and so do your arms, hips, legs, etc.. We have elaborated each and every step below.

Initially, trying to follow this may slow you down. But once you have practiced it long enough, the right golf swing will come to you naturally.

How to swing a golf club?

1. Address:

Loosen your limbs. Stand with a little more than the shoulder-width distance between your feet. Your feet must be pointed straight. Lean towards the ball, feet remaining in the same stance.

Extend your hips back by curving your spine.

Bend your knees slightly in the action.

The tee and the ball must be ahead of the toe line

Place the clubhead slightly behind the ball in front of your toeline. The clubhead should be resting at the midpoint of the distance between your feet. This pose adjusts the center of gravity of your body. It gives you stability during the golf swing. Once you have attained this position, do not fidget or shuffle your feet.

If you are a right-handed player, grip the top of the club with the left hand. Lower the right side of the body and grip the club below your left hand with the right hand.

Address

2. Grip:

There can be three types of grips on the golf club. Practice whichever makes you feel more comfortable with the club.

The most common grip is the Vardon grip. Here the last finger of the tailing hand goes between the index and middle finger of the leading hand. If you initially find this grip difficult, you can keep the trailing and leading hands close but not touching. This is called the Ten finger grip.

3. Golf-swing Trajectory:

As mentioned above, the golf swing always follows a circular path at an angle to the horizontal. The tilted circle gives you consistent results with the ball. If you aim upwards you might scoop the ball and send it only a short distance.

4. Backswing:

Backswing

Give yourself a light waggle before you start the swing. Do not change the position of your feet or club once balanced. The waggle gets your active juices flowing and warms you up for the golf swing.

As you swing backward first, the clubhead must move parallel to the target line. It will denote that the path of the club is correct. The clubhead should be parallel to the ground as well, as it passes right above the ground.

When the club crosses halfway back towards the top, the weight of the body begins to shift to the dominant side of the golfer (i.e. right side for the right-handed player). At this point try to keep the right side close to your body and let the left arm extend.

5. Complete backswing:

To complete half the swing, the golf club head must reach the top of the back-arc.

Swing your left side to reach this point.

You must rotate your hips in the action. The rotation angle of hips must be half that of the arms. At this point, the left knee should turn inwards to help the hip.

Complete backswing

6. Halfway downswing:

The downswing is cardinal because this is where you hit the golf ball. As you bring the golf swing down, turn back the left knee and lean the right knee inwards. Your head must be positioned straight.

As the club traces its path back, it once again comes parallel to the ground. Here it must again confirm to the target line that you estimated earlier. Your steady movement must not be ruled by gravity alone.

The lag when the club is parallel to the ground gives you the opportunity to control the momentum of the club. You should decide here whether you want to hit a long shot or lower the momentum for a shorter distance.

7. At impact:

At impact

To make the impact maximum, your right leg and knee must be bent and leaning towards the left knee. It should balance itself on the toes. If you do not turn the right leg at this juncture, the power from your body will not be efficiently transferred and you stand the chance of physical jolt in the upper body.

8. Follow-through:

Both arms are fully engaged in this action. They both swing forward and the right shoulder points towards the ground to make this full extension happen.

9. Conclusion of the swing:

Because of the flow of energy, you will find your arms extending out and rotating around the head. The shoulders swivel with them.

The idea is for you to control the club. If done right, the club will direct the golf ball correctly. These are general guidelines that give you a fighting chance on the golf course. Once you master your game, you might find yourself making slight changes to the procedure.

Here’s a video that will guide you on how to swing a golf club like a professional, especially for the beginners along with the below-stated steps:

Conclusion

As easy as a golf swing looks at its face value, it is an action of precise movements. Many golfers end up paying the price for swinging like a gorilla, with their handicap. They judge the distance and angle correctly but it does not translate into the shot. Following these steps might slow you down initially. But you will find the ball constantly following your instinct.

That’s why we compiled these resources and words of wisdom for the amateur golfers out there. I hope you have enjoyed our tutorial about how to swing a golf club?

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Dominic J. Leon
Dominic J. Leon. I am a golfer with a deep passion for golf right from my childhood. I have added unbiased product reviews for all the latest golf equipment from the market leaders. Follow me on: Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin, Tumblr.
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