How to Analyze Your Golf Swing

Although golf looks easy enough to an observer, hitting a golf ball with precision requires great skill, timing and balance. If your golf game needs enhancement, the problem usually isn't your equipment or the course. Analyze your swing to resolve any issues.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Golf clubs
• Driving range

1. Check your alignment. Many people line up with hips and shoulders pointing in different directions. Draw an imaginary line that points from your knees, hips and shoulders to a target approximately 3 feet to the left (for right handers) of your target. Use two golf clubs at the driving range to analyze your alignment. Place one club with the shaft along your toes (the shaft should point to the target) and hold the other club along your hips or shoulders. You may need a friend to help you determine if you are lined up correctly to the target.

2. Check the position of your hands during the grip. If the ball flies to the right or left, try rotating your hands slightly to the right or left on the grip. Don't rotate the club, just your grip.

3. Note the position of the grip in your hands. You should grip the golf club primarily with your fingers, not your palms.

4. Check your grip pressure. The tighter you hold the club, the more difficult it is to hit the ball on target. Hold onto the club with just enough pressure to keep it in your hands. If you change pressure between the right hand and left hand, you change the ball flight.

5. Find the right ball position for your swing. If the ball is too far forward in your stance for iron shots, you may top the ball or slice it. At the driving range, put the ball on the ground and adjust your body to the ball (not the ball to your body, since you can't move a ball on the course) until the ball is slightly closer to or farther from your front foot.

6. Find the position of your right elbow (right handers) during the backswing. Focus on keeping your elbow tucked into your body for straighter shots or a draw.

7. Sense whether your knees and hips turn inappropriately with your shoulders. Your knees and hips should turn very little compared to your shoulders.

8. Check your swing tempo. Slow the swing down and focus on hitting the sweet spot of the club head with a smooth swing. You can increase swing tempo gradually until you are back at full speed again.

Tips & Warnings

• Swing changes can take a long time to get down. Even Tiger Woods has problems incorporating swing changes and must practice for hours to make swing changes effective.
• Go through your pre-shot routine with every ball you hit at the driving range. You want practice to simulate the real game as much as possible.

Who Can Help:

• Tired of Being Tired? Fight Fatigue and Try FRS for FREE!

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on 6/26/2008 These are great tips. to take it one step further I have put up a site at http://www.CheckYourSwing.com. If you can upload a video of your swing then a whole community of golfers can look at it give tips on how to improve. Check it out.