Golfers are constantly trying to improve golf swing performance.

From a farther drive to a more accurate putt – golfers are always looking to fine tune their swing pattern.

Though paved with good intentions, the road to improve golf swing performance can quickly become a confusing one. Golfer’s innocently make a few swing tweaks here, change a few things there and soon their swing becomes completely unrecognizable.

When aiming to improve golf swing performance golfers must remember not to lose sight of “the three basic feels of the golf swing”.

In the book, “On Learning Golf”, author Percy Boomer explains these three basic feelings and how they are the key fundamentals to a winning swing.

Boomer goes on to write;

“…the three basic feels of the golf swing—the pivot, the shoulders moving in response to the pivot, and the arms moving in response to the shoulders. These are the basic movements of a connected and therefore controlled swing, and they must all be built into the framework of your feel of the swing.

Of course there are many additional nuances and supplementary feels which you will build up and recognize as your game develops, but though you will add to these three fundamentals you will never alter them. Therein lies much of their value. You will get used to taking a sly look at them occasionally as you go round the course, and so long as you keep these three primary feels right, nothing much will go wrong with your game.

And if your game does go wrong, if the shots which you thought you had mastered desert you, all you need to do is to go back to the feel of these three basic points. You just take a peep back at them, and then with one or two shots your mechanism will feel familiar again— and all the other supplementary feels which you have built up by practice will be enticed back.“

Improve golf swing performance and move your game forward without losing your swing pattern!

Incorporate Boomer’s advice into your next practice session.

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Beginner golf swing instruction programs teach their students the importance of proper footwork and its place in the overall swing pattern.

Many students in beginner golf swing instruction programs however, fail to fully appreciate the true role footwork plays in a successful swing pattern.

Beginner golf swing instruction programs are truly puzzled by this.

Correct positioning of the feet is an essential element of swing mechanics and performance. The feet serve two vital functions in the swing pattern: providing balance to control the golfers swing axis and anchor points from which the golfer can generate swing power.

In the book, “How to Master the Irons, an Illustrated Guide to Better Golf”, authors Gene Littler and Don Collett provide some beginner golf swing instruction on proper footwork and positioning.

They write;

“In the over-all concept of the swing, the importance of good footwork is sometimes neglected. If a golfer can learn the basic position of the feet early in their career, this important facet of the swing will give them little trouble in later years. At the outset, they will learn that a perfectly balanced and coordinated swing can only be achieved through proper footwork. It is possible to become a fair golfer with a swing that looks good from the waist up, but you cannot become an accomplished, consistent player unless you are properly balanced from the waist down. And that means good footwork.

While we mentioned earlier that there are three different stances, the basic position of the feet in relation to one another does not change.

THE LEFT FOOT

The left, or front, foot is always turned out slightly to the left. With the foot in this position, a player can transfer their weight to the left side more easily and quickly on the downswing. They can also hit through the ball with greater power and comfort because the directional force of the swing is toward where the left foot is aiming—to the left. You can test this yourself by purposely positioning your left foot perpendicular to the line of flight and swinging a club. There is no noticeable discomfort or awkwardness on the backswing, but as you move into the downswing you should be able to feel the strain and restriction of power in the left side, particularly the left leg.

THE RIGHT FOOT

Position the right foot so that it points almost straight ahead. A common mistake is to address the ball with both feet pointed out, whereas only the left foot should be in that position.

With the right foot positioned so that it points ahead, or almost so, instead of to the right, the weight shift on the backswing becomes more centralized around your spine rather than on the extreme outside of the right leg and right foot.

Check yourself on this point the next time you take a practice swing. If your weight is on the outside of the right leg and foot, the spikes on the inside sole of your right foot will be off the ground. Don’t allow this to happen or you will have trouble balancing yourself during the swing. When a good player reaches the top of their backswing the weight is centered on their right foot and heel. There is a definite feeling of the weight being there, and you can create this feeling by stopping at the top of the backswing for a few moments in the correct position. Repeat the procedure until you can swing back and down through the ball without your weight moving to the outside of your right leg and right foot.

Positioning the right foot in the manner prescribed above does one other important thing: it restricts the hip turn slightly while allowing a full shoulder turn on the backswing, thus creating a live tension in the hips and left side. It is much like stretching a rubber band—the stretch is performed on the backswing, and the counter action, or snap back, takes place when the hips initiate the downswing. The spring-like tension that is built up in the left side muscles through this stretching process of turning the shoulders fully while restricting the hip turn slightly results from the correct positioning of the right foot.“

Beginner golf swing instruction programs know both proper footwork and foot positioning are critical to swing success.

Try incorporating Littler and Collett’s expert advice on footwork into your next practice routine.

Check back soon for more beginner golf swing instruction articles and posts to help quickly improve your golf swing and game!

Learning to execute a proper golf swing is a complex affair for most golfers.

The process can be confusing, especially to the beginner golfer. To successfully coordinate all the necessary body actions into a beautifully synchronized movement can prove difficult task to even the most experienced golfer.

As intricate as it may initially seem, a proper golf swing begins with correct operation of the hands.

The hands “hold” great importance in performing a successful swing pattern. The hands shape the swing controlling the club, club head and timing. Without the hands a proper golf swing is almost impossible to create.

In the book, “The Master Key to Success at Golf” author Leslie King provides greater insight into the key role the hands play in a proper golf swing.

King writes;

“The role of the hands in the operation of sending the ball to its objective is a subject of endless argument. The importance I attach to the hands may be gauged in the first place by what I have to say about the grip. I want to deal with it at some length and in considerable detail.

My belief is that while the beginner needs to give a lot of attention to applying their hands in the manner in which they can retain control and impart feel of the club head and obtain the maximum power from the shaft, the more experienced and advanced player, having developed strong and well-trained hands, more naturally gets the hands fitting into the swing unit as a whole without always realizing it.

For one thing the top golfer has developed a sound and constant grip on the club which in itself PERMITS the hands to work properly. You may find the odd good player with a suspect grip, but you will seldom find a bad one with a good grip.

…The grip is the first step we take towards the shaping of the swing. Slackness or movement on or away from the shaft at any stage of the swing can throw the whole operation out of line and completely wreck the timing.

I go so far as to say that conscientious work on the grip until it is correct in all its details will contribute more than any other factor towards the building of a finely shaped swing. The feet, legs, back, shoulders all have their essential parts in the movement, and good hand-action in itself will not bring these members into play as some pundits would have us believe.

But without the proper use of the hands these other physical members will not be able to function as smoothly as they must“.

The hands play an important part in the execution of a proper golf swing pattern.

Use King’s advice to help you quickly develop a successful golf swing!

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One reliable golf swing tip which promises to help golfers make the most of their practice sessions would be great. Six golf swing tips would be even better!

Golfers spend a ridiculous amount of time at the range and on the course practicing their swing. Without having an intelligently designed practice routine however, many golfers run the risk of losing both confidence and interest in their game. It is here that a trustworthy golf swing tip would be incredibly useful!

A valuable golf swing tip helping golfer’s better structure their practice sessions – creating a program which contributes to building peak performance and interest – is critical to having a successful golf career.

In the book, “The Winning Touch in Golf, A Psychological Approach” author Peter G. Cranford, Ph.D. offers such a golf swing tip. He explains that poor practice habits can be detrimental to a golfers game – resulting in sub-par performance and even worse waning interest.

Cranford writes;

“Unhappiness very often creeps up on us in insidious ways. Illness, fatigue, anxiety, and boredom can gradually erode our interest in life. Such things can also undermine a healthy interest in golf. In order to guard against these dangers, here are some sound precautions:

1. Avoid playing or practicing when you do not feel well. Undue physical fatigue leads to poor golfing habits in addition to conditioning you against practice. However, most fatigue is emotional in origin, and this type can be relieved by forced exercise and recreation.

2. Always stop practicing while you are still interested. If you practice until your interest fails, you will tend not to want to return.

3. Practice first the shots that require the least effort. Begin with the putter and work backwards to the woods. This insures that the great stroke-saving shots will get their due of attention. If you practice wood shots first you are apt to tire, and will have no interest for further short game practice.

4. Do not complicate your swing. Of two ways of hitting the ball that seem equally effective, it is better to adopt the swing that involves the fewest complications. In addition to the inherent value of simplifying the stroke, there is the advantage of being able to hit more shots with the same total amount of effort. There is also a natural tendency for the easier swing to be learned more quickly. It has been found that of two or more acts which precede a rewarding state of affairs, that act which involves the least expenditure of effort receives the greatest amount of net reinforcement.

5. Do not play or practice under conditions that create anxiety or dislike. There are so many such situations that it is not possible to list them all. Some that come to mind are: playing in uncomfortable weather, playing with uncongenial persons, playing with golfers who are either much better or much worse than you are, playing when there are more important things to be attended to…

6. Do not practice when you feel you are getting nowhere by practicing. If you are in a golfing blind alley and you know from your records that considerable practice is not resulting in any considerable improvement, your interest will deteriorate very quickly. Under these circumstances, you must take lessons immediately before you develop an interest-killing frustration.

Generally, a condition of this kind is brought about by a misunderstanding of some golf principle. If, for instance, you have read that it is advisable to lead with the left wrist as a professional player does and you have misinterpreted the execution, you may be using a method ineffective for you merely because a great golfer has advocated it. This grows out of what is known as the “halo effect.” It simply means we are apt to be overawed by authority. Sometimes this places us in blind alleys. It is at this point that we require some other authority to put us straight“.

A golf swing tip instructing golfers on the correct ways to design a winning practice routine is invaluable.

Try using Cranford’s professional advice to help restructure your practice routine for optimal performance and interest!

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For many golfers mastering golf swing mechanics are one of the most frustrating challenges of the game.

Many golfers fail to recognize that their choice of club plays a major role in executing successful golf swing mechanics.

Truth is – using the wrong tool to complete a certain task will make the assignment unnecessarily more difficult and maddening! This same principle applies to golfers and their selection of clubs!

Each club is designed to serve a certain function – distance, loft or rolling. For the club to perform its correct purpose – directing a ball to its intended location, golfers must simply learn to consistently execute one single swing pattern possessing the proper golf swing mechanics.

In his book, “Golf Can Be an Easy Game”, author Joe Novak expands upon this concept in greater detail. He explains that many golfers make their golf swing mechanics and game much more difficult than they have to be. For Novak, golf is an easy game to master, requiring the golfer to perfect one simple swing and let the clubs do the heavy work!

Novak writes;

“Every good golfer learns that it is one thing to swing a golf club, but it is another thing to know what position the club is in while it is being swung.

…this is a good time to tell you what an easy game golf is, and what an enjoyable game it can be with a correct understanding of the simple facts:

(a) A golf club will only do what the player makes it do.

(b) Each club is designed for a specific purpose, and only when it is applied to the ball in its true, natural state will it produce the effect for which it was designed.

(c) Basically, there are only three clubs in golf:

1. The driver, shaped so that it drives the ball on a low trajectory and is therefore used for distance shots.

2. The iron, formerly called a lofter, does exactly what the name implies—it lofts or lifts the ball. This club is used to place the ball into position in certain spots on the fairway or on the green.

3. The putter, which would be better named a “roller,” is so designed that it rolls the ball; therefore, it is the club used to accomplish the very purpose of the game—roll the ball into the cup.

But golfers are not limited or restricted to these three clubs. Golfers get themselves a set of two or three, more generally four, but sometimes even five, drivers. They carry a set of three or six, most generally a set of eight, irons. They usually add to this outfit a heavy weighted club to get the ball out of deep grass or sand traps. And, the above clubs, along with a putter, generally constitute the set of 14 clubs that a golfer is permitted to use in tournament play.

Now, having such an outfit is a perfect waste of material unless each and every club is swung in the same way so that the various differences in the shapes of the clubs can each perform their objectives. In other words, golf is an easy game to play, because the player has a specific club or tool for each shot or effect that is desired. All they have to do is to learn the one basic swing and apply it to each club.

By comparison, the game of tennis is difficult. In tennis, the player has only one club or one racquet, the ball is never in the same position—it is either high or low, in front of them or behind them—and to make their shots successfully the tennis player must learn and be able to play several different strokes. But not so the golfer. If they correctly learn the one stroke, they can simply let the club do the work”.

The correct choice of club is a major contributor to successful execution of golf swing mechanics.

Use Novak’s expert advice to help you get the most out of your clubs – the tools of the game!

Check back soon for more tips and posts to help improve your golf swing mechanics!

To improve golf swing performance, a golfer must know the proper function of the shoulder girdle within the swing pattern.

Many student golfers misunderstand and misuse the shoulder girdle in the swing pattern. Golfers have a tendency to translate the left shoulder downward during the backswing and the right shoulder downward during the downswing.

This is simply incorrect.

To improve golf swing performance golfers must learn that excessive and unnecessary translation of the shoulder girdle is detrimental to swing performance – causing, among other things, losing sight of the target – i.e. THE BALL!

It‘s no surprise that keeping your eye on the ball is critical to improve golf swing performance.

In the book, “On Learning Golf”, author Percy Boomer dispenses some professional advice to help golfers improve golf swing performance. He explains the true function of the shoulder girdle and the important role it plays in a successful swing pattern.

Boomer goes on to write;

“Let us get back to the visualizing of our swing. We have laid our foundation by getting the feel of the pivot from the hips. This movement goes up through the body to the next control point—the shoulders. And here I believe that wrong imagination does a great deal of damage to many people’s swings.

We think that in the fine swing we see the left shoulder come down as we come back and the right shoulder come down as we come forward; so we feel that this shoulder movement is right and tend to encourage it— to the detriment of our swings because it is wrong. And I say it is wrong, cheerfully certain that it is wrong in spite of its almost universal acceptance. How much the shoulders actually dip depends upon how erect we stand when addressing the ball. We should stand as erect as possible and I contend that we should not feel our shoulders go down but should feel that we are keeping them fully up.

As we address the ball we look at it a little sideways —we peep at it. The head is fixed (because you “keep your eye on the ball”), and the movement of the shoulders is not an independent movement of the shoulders at all, but is due to the shoulders being moved around from the pivot. We can only keep the shoulder movement in a fixed groove and make it repeatable time after time, by keeping the shoulders at the limit of upness in whatever position the turn from the hips may have placed them. Any excess of upness (that is, actual shoulder lift) will result in the ball being lost sight of. In short, the fixed head determines the limit of lift and dip of the shoulders.

You will see that this is why you must feel you keep the shoulders up to the same degree with, say, a driver and a full swing and a mashie (a more upright club) and a half swing. The closer you stand to your ball the more upright the swing and the more directly downward your sight of the ball . . . also, the less extensive the swing you can make without losing sight of the ball.

Now try this conception of the shoulder action without a club, and link it to your feel of the pivot from the hips. Feel how the two become connected. This is the first connection in our building up of a controlled swing—and a very important one. You cannot take too much trouble in understanding it and building it up.

From the shoulders our power travels down through the arms, and as to arm action also, I believe, the common conception to be erroneous. Most people think they lift their arms to get them to the top of the back swing. With a modern controlled swing they do not lift them . . . the arms work absolutely subjectively to the shoulders that is why they are controlled.

But, you may say, if I do not lift my arms how do I get them up to the top of my swing? To find the answer, think this out. As you stand to the ball with the wrists slightly up, there is a straight line practically from the club head up the shaft and along your arm to the left shoulder, and as your hands are already waist high it needs only the inclining of the shoulders as we turn (on the pivot) to bring them shoulder high, without having altered their relative positions at all. They have not been lifted; they have gone up in response to the shoulder movement. This accounts for the curtailment and the control of the modern swing.

Naturally, the more flexible we are the more we can get our hands up without breaking up this connection, that is, without moving the arms independently. The triangle formed by our arms and a line between the shoulders should never lose its shape . . . it should be possible to push a wooden snooker triangle in between the arms and to leave it there without impeding the swing back or through.“

To improve golf swing performance, golfers must have both a working knowledge of the shoulders and a clear understanding of their true function in the swing pattern.

Try implementing Boomer’s advice into your golf swing practice routine.

Check back soon for more posts and tips to improve golf swing performance!

Beginner golf swing instruction programs organize their lessons into simple, practical, easy to apply and understand sessions.

This helps student golfers grasp swing fundamentals with greater speed and success.

Beginner golf swing instruction programs know a smooth, consistent swing motion can only result from correct use of the body and arms. For some student golfers however, learning to properly incorporate this body/arm action into the swing pattern can be challenging.

To aid their students in learning this swing action, beginner golf swing instruction programs often inject ingenious exercises and techniques into the lesson plan – each designed to produce and reproduce proper motion in the swing pattern.

In the book, “How to Master the Irons, an Illustrated Guide to Better Golf”, authors Gene Littler and Don Collett offer some beginner golf swing instruction of their own. They explain a simple swing exercise which teaches golfers how to properly use the body to generate “terrific” swing power!

They write;

“One of the best methods I have found of developing a smooth, consistent swing is an exercise most golfers use when they warm up before playing a round of golf. It is a simple little maneuver designed to train a golfer to entrust their swing to their arms and body instead of their hands. Begin by assuming the position of address, and make certain that you are comfortable and relaxed. Then, with the upper part of your arms and elbows in close to your chest, turn your body back so that the arms are about belt high. The left shoulder and left arm are highly instrumental in this turning movement, with both the shoulder and the arm forming a pushing-back type of action.

Next, swing the arms forward until they are about belt high in front of you, making certain that the lower part of the body—the left hip and left leg-initiate the forward swing, as the arms are swung out toward an imaginary target. The right hand also turns over the left hand as the arms are swung forward. Perform this swing back and forth for a few moments, letting your left knee and right elbow flex on the backswing and then your right knee and left elbow on the follow-through. You will soon get the feeling that you are swinging with your legs and hips and that your body is swinging the club. This creates the feeling of the one-piece swing that all of the good players have and talk about.

This swing exercise also emphasizes a feeling that you should have when performing a full swing: that of having your body generating the power and your hands applying it, at the last possible second, with a whip-like action of the wrists and hands. If you have entrusted your swing movements to your body and arms, the hands will automatically lash out and whip the club-head through the ball with terrific accelerating speed“.

Beginner golf swing instruction programs use exercises designed to teach golfers how to properly use their body to produce a smooth, consistent and powerful swing pattern.

Try incorporating Littler and Collett’s swing exercise into your practice routine.

Check back soon for more beginner golf swing instruction articles and posts to help quickly improve your golf swing and game!