In many ways, golf is a confusing game. Want to make the ball curve to the right? Swing to the left. Want to make the ball fly high up into the air? Swing down through the shot.
You get the idea. Nothing is straightforward in golf – it seems that everything is the opposite of what you would expect.
The same can be said for power and distance. Want to hit the ball impressive distances with each club in your bag?
Learn how to swing ‘slower.’
That’s right – if you want to hit the ball farther, you are going to need to learn how to swing “slow” (or more specifically, “controlled”) and easy while maximizing your swing speed at the moment that matters most. Don’t worry if that doesn’t make a lot of sense right away – this is a concept that many golfers never manage to grasp.
The Only Moment That Matters
For all of the work that is put into your golf swing, your club is only touching the ball for just a fraction of a second during each swing. Impact lasts for just the blink of an eye, as the club face slams into the back of the ball and sends it rocketing off into the distance.
Despite this fact, most golfers try to make their entire swing fast, not just the moment of impact. Unfortunately, this is a mistake. There can only be one fastest point in your swing, and if you are trying to swing quickly, that moment is not going to be at impact.
The entire goal of your golf swing should be to maximize your swing speed at the exact moment when the club contacts the ball. You aren’t going to be rewarded in any way for having a fast swing speed at the top, for example, so what’s the point of swinging fast before you need to? Everything you do with your technique should be designed to allow you to accumulate speed all the way up until the moment of truth at the bottom of the swing.
An excellent way to make sure you’re maximizing your swing speed at the moment of impact (and no sooner) is to practice what is called the “whoosh drill”.
The Pros Do It Right
If there is one specific thing that is frustrating about watching golf on TV it’s the ability of touring professional golfers to hit the ball incredible distances with seemingly very little effort. You have certainly seen it for yourself – a pro golfer makes a swing that looks totally effortless, and yet the ball explodes into the sky and doesn’t come down for more than 300 yards.
How do they do it? Is it the equipment? What’s their secret?
The ‘secret,’ if there is one, is that pro golfers don’t waste swing speed like amateurs do. The average amateur player hits their maximum swing speed well before the club ever reaches the ball, Meaning that the club head is actually in the process of slowing down when impact occurs. On the other hand, the typical pro is a master of reaching top swing speed at the perfect moment.
They key to this is largely how the pros swing in the proper ‘sequence,’ that being how they start their downswing with the bottom (legs) and then move that motion up toward the top (shoulders and arms).
When many beginner golfers try to swing ‘fast’ the result is an attempt to move the hands and arms too quickly which causes the upper body to get ahead of the lower body – this is often referred to as ‘getting quick at the top.’ While this motion feels intuitively as though more swing speed is being generated the opposite is actually true.
There’s No Need to Rush
When you stand over the golf ball preparing to hit a shot, you need to understand that there is no rush to complete the swing. Sure, you don’t want to take so long preparing for a shot that you hold up the pace of play, but the actually swinging motion itself can take its time to develop. The ball isn’t going to roll away – so start slow and build up to a powerful strike.
There are two key points in the golf swing where amateur golfers are prone to rushing. The first is the takeaway. You can also say that swinging slower is a good easy golf swing practice. But no matter how slow you hit the ball, it lasts for just a blink of an eye. For some golfers, it lasts for much faster than that. So why bother, right? Wrong! The moment the clubface hits the ball is crucial. Considerably, it’s the only moment that matters. You’ll only make matters worse if you swing it too hard, fast, and high. What you do need to ace though is this. Time yourself when you start to increase tempo before impacting the ball. This means you need to increase speed up until the impact. No sooner as that will ruin the game. When you swing lower, that is directing the clubface toward the back of the ball. Make sure you keep your swing more grounded. Keep both hands low to reduce the height of the shot. You can hit farther but lower with the help of a strong clubhead. That’s one way to go about it. Many players snatch the club away from the ball when they start the swing, setting the stage for a swing that will be rushed from start to finish. A quick takeaway means that your body will not have time to get into the right position to support a powerful downswing move.
The other danger point in the golf swing is the transition. This is likely the number one culprit when it comes to amateur players rushing through the golf swing.
As soon as the backswing finishes, many players decide that they need to take the club down to the ball as fast as humanly possible. Rather than getting their legs involved to develop real power, these players simply throw their hands down toward the ball and slap at it with an arms-only swing. Not surprisingly, the results are consistently disappointing.
Rushing the swing, whether in the takeaway or at the top, is always going to lead to weak contact and below average shots.
Even Tempo and Lower Body Power
No one part of your swing should look rushed or hurried when compared to the rest.
This is why the professionals are able to make swings that look so effortless – they don’t hurry at any point.
The best swings are the ones that build gradually from start to finish, with a steady acceleration of the club occurring from the top down into impact.
To maximize your power by accelerating the club all the way through impact, you need to use your lower body correctly from the top of the swing. As soon as the backswing is finished, your legs should take over the job of turning your entire body toward the target.
It is essential that your legs are the first thing to fire from the top – if your hands and arms win this race, you will be destined to create a weak downswing. Use an even tempo and hold your arms and hands back while your legs initiate the action. If you can do this correctly, the effortless power seen in the swings of professional golfers may soon start to appear in your own game.
The angle of attack
There can be many sides to how you hit the ball. And this one, in particular, is concerned with the flight of the ball. The angle at which the clubhead impacts the ball is important. This affects not only the swing path but also the golf ball flight. It puts the golf ball on a path that only the angle can predict. So here are the different ways in which you can impact the golf ball.
Out-to-in club-path
This is when you step up to the ball right when taking the swing. Sounds tricky. But it’s the default swing path for many beginner golfers. And the out-to-in swing-path needs correcting. Because with this angle, you won’t know where the ball will land up. It’s a fatal mystery!
In-to-out club-path
To create more pop in your shots, the in-to-out club-path is much preferred. What this swing means is you hit the part of the ball that’s closer to you. That is, it’s on the inside of your line of sight. When you impact that ball from the inside half. It results in a straight shot. But most golfers find this swing path or attack angle awkward. And it’s most likely to fail than advance at such a club-path. Squared club-path – THE WINNER!
When you hit a squared swing, it means the clubhead is aligned to the ball. In other words, the clubface stays “squared” to your line of target. It’s as if you’ve placed the clubhead on an inclined plane when making the impact. You want to aim for this angle of attack. Because it’s credible, solid, and 100% effective. And it sets the foundation of an easy golf swing. So you get an in and out and in swing path. Hitting the ball straight with no damage done to the body. Isn’t that great?
Hit with your body, not just your arms
A good way to approach your golf game to take an easy golf swing is this. Use your body more than your arms to take a swing. What does “use your body” mean? Most beginners assume that in golf only arm strength is necessary. That’s wrong. Your body movement and power is also very essential. You need to power the clubhead with your body. This not only keeps your game consistent. It makes things much easier when you want to avoid irreversible damage. Position the clubhead directly behind the address. Lock your body in a position that’s firm and dead-stop. And take a shot as if you’re not striking the ball, but dragging it through the air. You will feel your technique getting more accurate when you hit with your body.
Don’t flip your swing
Making the mistake of flipping your hands during a swing is ruinous. It does nothing to help you take an easy golf swing. But not to worry. There is a sharp and effective way to correct it. But to help you get to the bottom of this. Why do you flip your hands anyway? This unfortunate technique is to drive the clubhead squarely to the ball. It creates more tension, twisting, and you lose most of the power. Quite frankly, flipping your swing also leads to a weak or scooped shot. You’re most likely too close or even ahead of the ball. Between the ball and you, here’s what the distance should be for an easy golf swing. Angle your left forearm slightly ahead of the ball. Don’t cup your left wrist, rather maintain a slightly bowed position. This will lessen the tension in your arms and can properly align the hands and arms. The front of the left hand should be facing away from the target. The key is to make sure the back of the hand is toward it. Once you get this technique right along with balancing your weight. Weight transfer is a tricky little business to master in golf. The left side of your body should be slightly angled toward the target. You can create a downhill slope with your left shoulder at a higher point. This with the back of your left wrist facing toward the target will promote an easy golf swing.
Getting a straight iron play
This tip helps you hit the most solid and consistent runs. When you hit a solid iron shot, it elevates your score. Here’s what you have to do. First, maintain a firm footing. You don’t want to spin out of a shot, do you? Between both feet, your back foot needs to be more grounded. You keep the back foot stable until the ball is flying across the green. Second, shift a little forward. That means face toward the target. This slight shift in weight helps with your downswing more than you think. Third, extend the right-hand (if you’re a right-tie) or left-hand holding the club. This extension will help you maintain a proper swing arc. You won’t let go of the club. Aiming for the ground beneath the golf ball with your club. You’ll notice a straighter and longer shot each time.
What You Can’t See Also Matters
As a golfer, you need an instructor to tell you what’s wrong. You can capture a slow-motion video of yourself on the turf. To figure out if you’ve got the adjustment and fundamentals right. This is all fine. But in theory, there’s a lot that could possibly go wrong. To aim for an easy golf swing, watch out for the following things.
Where are you looking?
Your face angle is just as important as your angle of attack. Don’t shift your face angle as you’re about to make the impact. Try to keep it square, in tandem with the swing, and firm. How you maintain the face angle can affect your downswing. Lock in your face angle on the target. Rather than carry it forward with your wrist movements. Because frankly, your wrist movement is quick and minimal. And you don’t want to get side-tracked.
Understand golf swing intention
It’s true that you can strike better if you have a specific goal in mind. You’ll go through tens of random swings and make hundreds of random shots. They aren’t getting you anywhere. Match your golf swing technique with your intention. Visualize a target, the speed, and the shape. When you’ve got all this jotted down in your head. The master is you and not luck or happenstance.
Body alignment is crucial
So you know that to drive a clean shot, you need to use your body. But in what manner? The way your body parts are segmented or “aligned” is very important. And only an instructor will be able to correct your stance. No matter how aware you think you are about your alignment. You can also go as far as improving your grip or posture. But what about the rest of it? How do you produce speed and force in every swing? And how does that impact the way you shoot? For example, one crucial aspect of this is the hip joint and pelvis alignment. If you skip rotating your pelvis, it’s a good thing. Rather take in your hip joint to hit a stronger and more consistent backswing.
Conclusion
What you think you know about taking golf swings is about to change. So stop taking advice from your golf partner and enhance your easy golf swing technique. It’s fool-proof, professional, and effective. Now, you’ll know what to look for when taking a swing. Your posture, grip, technique, alignment, etc. These fundamental learning tips are essential for a beginner as much as a professional. And don’t think, even for a second, that professionals don’t fail. Learning and mastering golf is a lifelong journey. And to play it correctly, even after 10 years of experience, can feel as if you’ve just started.
Pro golfers are actually trying very hard to create power, despite the appearance that their swings are slow and effortless. However, since they understand the correct techniques and mechanics involved in developing power, their swings have a beautiful appearance which the envy of amateur golfers everywhere.
You can’t hit the ball 300 yards without generating a good amount of club head speed, and you can be sure that the pros are actually swinging very fast – only they are swinging fast at the perfect moment in the swing, not all the way through the swing.
Master your tempo and timing to max out swing speed at the bottom if you want to follow the lead of your favorite tour professional – your swing may ‘look’ slower to the casual observer but you’ll know that your only applying your max speed at the only moment that really matters…IMPACT!