What do you need to do for the perfect golf swing? Grab it, take your stance, take a long stretch, and head for the next hole with a lot of momentum! The perfect golf swing could easily be taken from numerous books. However, you will hardly ever read about the indelible characteristics of your swing as a whole. Of course, it is always good to have some knowledge about golf swings in general, but that's not what this article is all about. It's only about giving you into the depths of your mind something that will get everything sorted out. So, are you ready? Let's get started!
Grip
The grip determines how you're going to hold your club. To form an ideal grip, place it in front of you with the head angled downwards, between both hands' thumbs at the same height, and with enough space for one more finger on top of them both. This distance should be enough so that when extending both arms forward they would be just slightly above shoulder height, whereas the bottom of your hands would touch your chest.
Now that you have discovered this simple way to hold it, make sure you stick with it! A lot of people don't realize how important this is. Those who are trying to achieve proper swing should consider this step as a must-do. And now bear in mind these two things: Always keep your grip relaxed and avoid rotating either one of your hands clockwise or anticlockwise. You can compare them with screwdrivers. However, if they are turned too much, they will not stay straight anymore. It's called an end-over-end motion, described as "rolling" through impact, which causes the clubface to close at impact (not what you would want to happen!). That's why your grip should be held as firm as a vise, yet relaxed at the same time.
The Stance
We all know that a proper stance is necessary for a good swing, but do we really know everything there is to know about it?
There are 3 fundamental parts of this matter:
- Width between both feet
- Position of the clubface
- Angle of the shoulders
Width Between Both Feet
Most people tend to forget that width between both feet has an enormous impact on how they're going to hit the ball. If you're standing too close, it will be very difficult for you to achieve maximum speed. However, if you try taking yourself back too much, you will end up hitting it shorter than usual. There is a golden medium, which you must find on your own, where you would be able to balance everything out (yes, it's not that easy).
Position Of The Clubface
This one is also very important. If the clubface is pointing downwards, your ball will start curving around like crazy. But if its position is too horizontal, trying to hit it will become close to suicide. Keep in mind that it should point upwards so as to form an angle of about 30 degrees with the ground. This way, you can strike the ball properly and accurately every time!
Angle Of The Shoulders
One more thing that makes a huge difference it comes to golf swings is the angle of your shoulders. If they're pointing to the right, your ball will end up going on a left curve. On the other hand, if you hit it while facing too much towards the left, in all probability, you will have no clue where it is going to land!
The perfect shoulder position would be slightly turned away from your target with around 20 degrees of space between them. This way, you won't have any problems hitting that tiny white ball in just one straight line!
The Swing
Last but not least there is this very crucial part of playing golf called the swing. Even though it sounds easy enough when put this way, in reality, it's anything but! When swinging through impact, there are two types of motion you need to follow: horizontally and vertically.
Horizontal motion implies that the clubface must remain pointing at your target throughout the whole swing, while vertical motion is all about getting your body behind it. This means that you have to lean back as much as you can without losing stability, which will make sure that there is enough power in order to hit the ball with some real force!
But which irons do I use for the perfect golf swing? How can I improve my golf swing with simple means? What does my wrist position have to do with my golf swing? In our guide, we will show you five simple steps and tips for training that will help you improve your golf swing!
Improve golf swing through correct stance
As with many other sports, the right balance is the key to success in training and playing golf. The stance during the golf swing must enable optimal weight shifting and also provide sufficient mobility in the trunk for a through the swing.
It has proven ideal to position yourself about the shoulders width at the beginning. Depending on the length of the shaft, the stand should then be made a bit narrower or wider.
The feet should be aligned parallel before the swing to ensure optimal weight distribution. During the golf swing, the weight is also on both legs.
The right address position is part of the stand for the perfect golf swing. To do this, take the club in your right hand. The right leg is positioned at a right angle to the trajectory and the left is turned slightly towards the target.
Now grab the club with the left hand. The knees are bent slightly and the upper body is bent forward so that the club's head rests on the green.
The right golf swing iron
Depending on which golf club is used for the golf swing, it makes sense to widen or narrow the stance a little. Long drivers have a longer swing radius and therefore require a slightly wider stance to maintain balance. Short golf swing irons are lighter and therefore easier to trade. If such iron is used, the stand should be narrower.
The position of the wrists during the golf swing
The position of the wrists is very important for the perfect golf swing. The key here is the correct position of the wrist in relation to the racket. The so-called "square" position at the highest point of the golf swing is ideal for a long swing. In this position, the wrists are straight, in line with the golf club.
Kinking the wrists during this phase will increase the swing radius and ultimately prevent the ball from reaching its destination.
Improve golf swing by rotating your hips
The rotation of the hips during the golf swing creates enormous tension in the body, which when it dissolves is transformed into force and transferred to the ball. The hips should therefore be carried along with the swing. If you golf with a stiff hip, you are losing the valuable potential for a perfect golf swing.
Improve your smash factor
The smash factor in golf states how high the ball speed is in relation to the clubhead speed. It is therefore a good indicator of the effectiveness of the golf swing. The higher the smash factor, the further the golf ball flies.
You can achieve a perfect golf swing with an optimal smash factor if the speed curve is linear and reaches the highest speed when hitting the golf ball. Practice makes perfect!
How to know when your swing is improving
A golf swing is right when it works solidly and produces consistent results at the moment of impact. Adam Scott won as many majors with his technically almost perfect golf swing from the textbook as Jim Furyk, whose distinctive loop in the backswing was for a U.S. Open title was good. This proves the proverb: The result justifies the means.
However, there are some details and movements that many professionals make alike. These movements create the best conditions for a good swing movement and are suitable as good tips for the golf swing of the amateurs.
More tips for the golf swing
- Practice the right stance. Stand shoulder-width apart and feet slightly turned outwards. The ball should be in line with your left inner heel when you hit it. With your left hand, place the club on the ball so that your upper body is slightly bent forward. The knees should be slightly bent and the head should be a little behind the ball. The weight should be evenly distributed on both feet.
- Mind the length of the club. The shorter the club, the further the ball travels towards the center (and behind it) and the closer it is to the feet.
- Watch your shoulders. When swinging, the shoulders rotate around a central point in a proper golf swing. The right foot, the right knee, and the right hip build up resistance to the rotational movement, which creates pressure under the right instep. When swinging back, the tension should be felt in the back of the thigh facing away from the target.
- Don’t forget about the pressure. The pressure that was distributed on both feet when responding moves under the right foot. The upper body rotates to the right while the arms are carried along in the same position as when speaking. This creates a so-called one-piece takeaway.
Golf pros like to emphasize the importance of maintaining pressure on the club during the downswing. They associate this feeling with both direction and length control. Inertia plays a role in this. Or in the case of a golf swing: the resistance that arms and golf clubs exert against the rotation of the body.
Many golfers begin the downswing with their arms, which often results in poor contact with the ball. If you instead initiate the downswing with your legs, hips, and back, your arms will automatically fall inward. The chance of a draw or a straight hit increases immensely this way.
The professionals can be seen that they are already moving their legs towards the target while their arms are still moving the racket backward. This creates an optimal transfer of energy from the body to the clubhead to the ball.