Instant Improvement with the Golf Swing

How to get better without trying

Instant improvement with the golf swing is easily achieved from a correct set up and swing concept. Set up is the starting position of stance, posture, grip, ball position and aim & alignment. These elements determine how one swings the club and should facilitate and or offset what the body can or cannot do to hit the ball. Swing concepts happen between the two positions of address and finish and are what you do when swinging the club so as to hit the ball flush and square with power and direction.

But nearly all of what happens between these two positions is naturally occurring and doesn’t require much involvement on the part of the golfer to make them happen. In fact most of the time if the golfer gets involved in trying to make certain things happen it is usually done at the expense of functionality. Here are some examples of how we can make any golf swing better instantly by becoming less involved.

Did you know that the legs and hips open the face in the downswing and did you know that the arms do the opposite, that they close the face in the downswing.  This means that if the grip is weak you are fighting an open clubface and you will not be able to use your legs. Fix the grip, get the left hand more on top in a stronger position and you will instantly get better.

Every golfer has a choice: you can have everything arrive at the top at different times or at the same time. If you start with turn everything will arrive at different times but if you swing the left arm across the chest and allow the right arm to fold in the backswing the continued arm swing will pull the shoulders back and not only will the legs coordinate but everything will arrive at the top at the same time and you will instantly get better.

Many time in an effort to achieve a look golfers try to make things happen, things that happen naturally in any athlete motion like delaying the release. What we want here is only the appearance of a delay but under no circumstances should we pull and delay so as to achieve this look. In fact what we need to do is release the club just like a basketball player who releases the ball to the hoop or the pitcher who throws to the catcher. Straighten the right arm just as you do in any other sport. You will naturally turn and post on the left side without trying and you will instantly get better.

Shift the weight in the downswing? Not all golfers are linear first and even they don’t shift their weight as it is natural for them to be linear first before rotary. It is a weight transfer, a result of body rotation born out of ground forces. Release the club, that way the body will naturally post up on the left side with a complete weight transfer and you will instantly get better.

Why do we need to keep the left arm straight? It is hanging, its swinging and centripetal force will pull it out. But if you try to keep it straight its hard to swing the club as the arm is now very tense and you will probably not be able to release the club in the through swing. Do less, swing the club without trying to keep the arm straight and you will instantly get better.

Trying to get the club down the toe line at the start of the backswing? What the h#** ? Are you arms attached to your toes or are they attached to your shoulders. If your arms are attached to your shoulders I highly recommend that you reference the golf swing to the line of the shoulders. The club starts at a right angle to the line of the shoulders. At the start of the backswing it goes parallel to the line of the shoulders and with the completion of the right arm fold it is put at a right angle and above and the line of the shoulders. Make the clubshaft and shoulders match or parallel at the start of the backswing and you will instantly get better.

We are not hitting it good so lets slow the backswing down. OK, so now you have a slow bad backswing. If you go slow to fast like this the body has to brace to support the acceleration. I personally do not want my body bracing, I want it delivering, that is why I swing the club. Do what Phil Mickelson does and swing the club back and through a few times. This will even out your tempo, you will be able to find your natural tempo, the arms and legs will automatically coordinate and you will instantly get better.

Keep your head down. Really? Why do we need to keep the head down, just keep it back. If you try to keep it down it becomes very hard to turn through and post up on the left side. Just keep it back. This will allow the club to swing through and release from the inside and you will instantly get better.

Lean the handle at impact. Isn’t this the result of the lower body turn bringing the club forward? the arms do NOT bring the club forward unless you want to lose the arms to body connection and not be able to use your lower body. If you are trying to bring the club forward with the arms you are also trying to square the face at this time. Remember the arm swing closes the face in the through swing and the lower body opens the face in the through swing. This is a match and results in a square face at impact refered to as matching the upper body to the lower body. Let the arms do their job so the lower body can automatically do its job and you will instantly get better.

One more: stay in your spine tilt. In order to fully release the club you need counter forces. This means that if you try to stay in your spine tilt you will not be able to release the club and if you don’t release the club you will not use your lower body. Down and forward with the club requires a back and up with the body. This is why so many golfers are standing up at the completion of their golf swing like Annika Sorenstam who came up out of her posture and spine tilt on every shot. Quit trying to stay in your spine tilt that way you can access your ground forces, hit the ball further and straighter and instantly get better.