Beginners Golf Swing Blog

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If you’ve been battling a hook for a while you understand how frustrating they can be. Everyone else is, more than likely, slicing the ball, and you are playing from the opposite side of the fairway.

But… the hook really is pretty easy to cure. Try this sequence of corrections, and most likely the hook will be fixed in no time. Your goal in correcting a hook is to swing from outside to in.

1) Weaken your Grip – You could be playing with a grip that is too strong. You’ll want to simply rotate both hands around the grip and towards the target. This will make it much harder for the clubface to naturally close through the impact zone. Don’t over do it, and like everything else, testing is crucial. Make sure to test this, before moving on, unless you are positive that you already play with a weak grip.

2) Move the ball forward in your stance – It is common of players that slice the ball to play the ball forward in their stance. So copy them. If you hook, the result should be a relatively straight ball. (Side Note: Whether you hook or slice, your first goal should be to learn to do the opposite.) Moving the ball forward in your stance should get some things back on track.

3) Aim to the left (to the right if left handed) of the target – Start out with an open stance to the target. This will put that clockwise rotation on the ball that you are looking for. Just open your stance a little bit, and swing along the line of your shoulders.

4) Make sure that you are finishing with your weight on your forward foot – This is the single best solution for the hook. If you hook the ball, chances are that you finish with some of your weight still on your back foot. This causes you to come around the ball with a closed clubface. This is the number one cause of the deadly snap-hook. Finish with all of your weight forward, and you’ll never experience it.

By: David Nevogt

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The golf slice is a massive impediment to any golfer who wishes to be the best player that they can be. Because in every round with every club you are losing massive amounts of distance and you are only scratching the surface of how good you can be.

To put the problem in context, lets say that you are capable of hitting a 5 wood 200 yards if you hit a straight shot. If you slice with the same club, all things being equal, your ball will only travel around 180 yards.

But if you draw the ball, and all other conditions are equal, the ball will travel around 220 yards because of the topspin that you will impart on the ball which will result in serious yardage when your ball hits the ground.

So you can see from this example that if you can turn a slice into a draw, you will gain 40 yards with your 5 wood.

And this effect will translate into every club you hit in your bag. Could you play golf with those extra yards?

You bet you could.

To cure a slice you will need to first ascertain precisely what is causing your slice..is it an open clubface through impact? Is it a cutting across action as a result of an out to in swing? Is it because your backswing is too steep?

Or is it a combination of these things?

To cure a slice you will need to study some decent teaching sources either in books or DVDs. You could visit your local golf professional but the danger here is a placebo effect which has you back in your old groove after leaving your pro..without any real reference for you to ‘self correct’ with a thorough understanding of what your major fault is which causes you to slice.

By: Terry Gorry

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Do you make this mistake and cost yourself 15 yards off the tee?

In an effort to hit the golf ball harder to pick up a few more yards on your drive, do you grip the club really hard on the downswing, thinking that if you could just put a little more power into the shot you could launch a bomb? Only when you get out to your ball you find that it is actually shorter then your normal drive? (that is, IF you can even find your drive?)

Extra Grip Pressure Kills Swing Speed

Your extra grip pressure may be costing you 15 yards or more off the tee – particularly if you squeeze with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand.

The “secret” to driving the golf ball as far as you can is to increase your clubhead speed. For every 1 mph increase in clubhead speed you add about 2.5 yards of distance to your drives.

Anything you can do to speed up your clubhead speed will improve your distance.

Conversely, everything you do that slows down your clubhead speed will cost you distance.

To Swing Faster, Allow the Forearms to Rotate Through Impact

Maximizing your clubhead speed at impact involves allowing the forearms to rotate through the impact zone. Your right forearm should cross over your left forearm after contact with the golf ball.

Physiology May be Working Against You

You may be making a physiological mistake that is robbing you of forearm rotation, and therefore robbing you of distance!

If you have your right thumb on top of the shaft – what I call a 12:00 position – it is a quite normal reaction during the downswing to push with the thumb and squeeze with the right forefinger to control the club.

The Right Thumb at 12:00 Prevents Forearm Rotation

The problem is that using the thumb and forefinger activates a set of muscles on top of the forearm that prevent rotation, thus slowing down club head speed!

One of my students has taught woodshop for 30 years. When we discussed grip and the right thumb position, he related it to the way students are taught to hold a hammer. For precise nailing in fine woodworking the thumb is placed on the top of the hammer handle. He had always thought that lining the thumb up at 12:00 was more accurate because of the alignment. He had never considered that placing the thumb along the top of the handle activated muscles that worked to limit forearm rotation!

Bing!

You could see the light bulb go on.

His forearms were not rotating through the impact area in his golf swing because his thumb position was activating the forearm muscles that prevent forearm rotation.

Move the Right Thumb from 12:00 to 10:00

When we moved his thumb to a 10:00 position the results were immediate. His distance and his accuracy improved dramatically.

But there was more.

Through long habit with his thumb on top of the grip he had learned to squeeze with the right hand thumb and forefinger on the downswing. We used the “finger-wrap” drill to finally get him to stop squeezing.

Finger-Wrap Drill to Eliminate Grip Squeeze

To use the finger wrap drill, take your normal grip and address the ball. Without changing your hand position on the grip take your right forefinger from underneath the grip and wrap it around the top of the grip. Leave your right thumb in position on the grip (forefinger will rest on top of the thumb). The grip will now be between your right forefinger and middle finger.

Make your normal swing. It looks and feels awkward, but the results may surprise you.

Relaxed Thumb and Forefinger Adds 15 Yards

Pay attention to the way your grip pressure feels, particularly through the impact zone. Keep the pressure from your thumb and forefingers light. The finger-wrap drill is an easy way to learn how to keep from squeezing with the wrong muscles that slow down swing speed. Your golf ball will fly straighter and your drives will be longer. I’ve had students pick up 5-6 mph in swing speed and 12-15 yards immediately without any other changes to their golf swing, and the answer was right at their fingers!

By: Eric M Jones

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We want and sometimes need to hit the golf ball a distance, right.

So you want to be able to hit your golf ball a long way.

Take a golfer, any golfer and if you have a couple of hours ask them how they are hitting the ball.

” I’m hitting my drivers great but my long iron play absolutely sucks!”

Ask the same golfer the same question a week later.

“I’m stiffing my long irons like a pro, but I’m hitting my woods like a bum”

As golfers we all want to improve our long game, so we have to sometimes analyse why certain things keep happening and why we are inconsistent.

The problem with golf is we use so many different tools to play the game, add to this each club requires a slightly different approach so its no wonder we can get a little confused.

In terms of hitting the ball further think of it in this way, if you can sweep the ball off the tee with your drivers and hit down on the ball with your long irons you are more than half way to being a good distance player. The key is to remember to try and alternate between these two fundamental concepts and you will hit the ball further.

Drivers are usually the longest clubs in your bag (unless you’re using a long putter). This means you are standing further away from the ball, which has the effect of making your swing more rounded.

The real secret to lowering your score is to remember what a driver is for. It is designed to hit the golf ball a long way in order to put it in a position for your next shot. Drivers do not have much loft and so are teed up in such a way as to encourage you to sweep the ball off the tee for maximum launch angle and distance.

Driving in golf can sometimes be overly “macho” and land us in trouble, it isn’t really about showing the guys how far you can smack a golf ball (although that is fun) its about hitting the ball as far as possible, as accurately as possible.

There is an old saying in golf that “The woods are full of long drivers”, I guess that’s probably true, but it should probably read, “The woods are full of wayward long drivers”.

By: Peter Ward

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There are 6 Fundamentals that you must understand in order to Learn to Play Golf Better:

1. Relax
2. Watch the Ball
3. Balance and Footwork (Setup)
4. Proper Grip
5. Proper Stroke
6. Strategy

These are listed in order of priority. So, for example, you will not be able to apply a consistent strategy without making sure you are first relaxed and then also watching the ball.

Most golf teaching professionals teach only three of these Fundamentals – Setup, Proper Grip and Proper Stroke. That is only HALF of what must be worked upon and mastered in order to improve your golf game!

Did you know that the KEY to relaxing physically is to first learn HOW to relax your grip on the club? But in order to truly relax you must also know HOW to relax mentally.

Did you also realize that you must learn HOW to watch the ball? Watching the ball is more than just seeing it at impact.
Did you know that the KEY to consistent accuracy is balance and footwork (setup)? How are you going to apply a consistent course strategy if your accuracy stinks?

Is the Proper Grip for you the same as for everyone else? What is the most popular grip on the PGA Tour?
Is the Proper Stroke for you the same as for everyone else? What Keys are there to maintaining a simple swing?
What about Strategy? Can strategy change? How important is strategy? How do you apply strategy when playing golf?
These are just a few of the many questions that will be answered in the Learn To Play Golf Better system.

By: Robert Bradshaw

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