Beginner Golf Swing Instruction – The 4 Fundamentals of Successful Swing Performance!

Beginner golf swing instruction programs know – to develop a successful swing – student golfers must completely master four fundamental components of the swing pattern – the grip, the address, the backswing and the downswing.

Though simple to define and explain, truly mastering these four components could take students years. Regardless of the amount, beginner golf swing instruction programs believe taking the time to fully teach students the fundamental components is time well spent.

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. Littler and Collett outline the four fundamentals of swing performance and explain its importance to the golfers game.

They write;

“Mastery of golf’s fundamentals is the first step toward better golf and consistent iron play. The fundamentals form the framework and the foundation upon which the entire swing is constructed.

Actually, building a swing is much like an architect building a house. If they build it hurriedly—without a good set of plans—it becomes structurally weak and the slightest of pressures could send it tumbling to the ground. Such is the case in golf.

Since you are the principal architect of your swing, how can you develop it so that it will consistently repeat itself, swing after swing, no matter what club you may have in your hand? Where do you start and what should you work on to develop your swing? The answers to these questions lie principally within the framework of golf’s four fundamentals: (1) the grip, (2) the address, (3) the backswing, and (4) the downswing.

Developing The Swing

From the outset, every golfer should realize that certain procedures must be followed if they are to develop a swing.

There is a certain fundamental process, or sequence, involved in learning how to play golf, and it cannot be circumvented.

THE PROCEDURE. To the beginner, and even some advanced golfers, this fundamental process of learning how to play golf may seem a little involved, but it actually is not, particularly if you develop your game in an orderly, sensible manner. The orderly sequence would be this way:

1. You learn to swing first by practicing the fundamentals.

2. Secondly, you learn to control the ball by practicing intentional fades, hooks, high shots, and low shots.

3. Finally, incorporating the first two phases into your over-all game you learn how to score by playing as regularly as you can.

Obviously, you cannot learn control and scoring techniques before you master golf’s fundamentals. Many have tried—and are still trying—but they cannot hope to improve unless they overhaul their swing completely because the swing habits they have formed are permanently ingrained within their muscle structure. Doctors will tell you that it is easier to form a habit than break one, and in golf this is especially true. You will progress faster and will become a more consistent player if you form the correct habits of the swing than if you learn to play in a haphazard manner…

…The average golfer, however, courts disaster if they become too conscious of their hand action through the ball. That is why this swing exercise is so important, because it will teach them every fundamental movement in the swing without too much of a mental effort on their part.

If you will practice this swing—the right way—for five or ten minutes a day for six months, you will be surprised at your progress in developing a fundamentally sound swing.

Another reason it is so important to you is that it makes the swing perform automatically. After a while, your swing becomes less and less a conscious effort and your reflexes take over. The great players of today swing almost totally by masterfully controlled reflex actions in which they do their shot planning behind the ball; then they step up and hit it without thinking too much, because they have committed their swing to “muscle memory.” In the long run, the closer you can come to making your swing a reflex action, the better player you will become.

My advice in this regard is to make a thorough and diligent search for a swing that is completely natural for you and which embraces the fundamentals. Then stick with it”.

Beginner golf swing instruction programs know – to have a successful golf game – student golfers must master the four foundational components of their swing pattern.

Try incorporating Littler and Collett’s expert advice into your practice sessions, making your winning golf swing automatic!

Check back soon for more tips and posts on beginner golf swing instruction!