What is the Proper Way to Swing a Golf Club?
Mark Twain called golf "a good walk spoiled." While it may be impossible to completely disprove Twain's stance, a diligent golfer can at least make golfing a more pleasant experience by learning the proper way to swing a golf club. The key to learning to swing a golf club is practice. A certain level of balance as well as a combination of strength and fluidity must be combined in order for a golfer's swing to produce shots that on target.
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Work on the Grip
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Work on making sure the grip is being done properly. It is important that your hands do not move when swinging a golf club. Too much movement is a primary cause of wayward shots. Practice the single overlap grip. For a right-hander, put the right hand's pinkie finger overlapping the index finger of the left hand.
Keep Good Posture
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Practice good posture by swinging the golf club with your toes slightly pointing outward and your feet being approximately shoulder-width apart. Lock your knees and then release the tension and bend them just a little bit. In addition to bending at the knees, you also need to bend at the hips. Keep your back straight to promote straight shots as well as a healthy back.
Hang Your Arms
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Let your arms hang directly below your shoulders. Keep your arms loose until it comes time to begin your swing. Hanging your arms under your shoulders keeps your body aligned with the ball.
Begin the Backswing
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Move your club backward and upward as you begin the backswing phase of your shot. As your weight naturally shifts to your back foot, tilt your shoulders so that the front shoulder points down and the back shoulder points up. Lift the instep of your front foot as your momentum takes you to your back foot. Stop the backswing when your hands reach the area just above your shoulder.
Start the Swing
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Move your weight onto your front foot and move your hips forward. Do not dip your hips. Try to keep them on the same lateral plane. Begin to bring your golf club around. As you swing, the weight that was on your back foot should all come onto your front foot.
Visualize
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Pretend there is another ball a few inches in front of the ball you are actually hitting. This forces you to hold your swing straight for an extra moment. This extra moment might be what makes the difference between a straight shot and a slice.
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