Top 10 Swing Tips Ever!

[ASEAN NOW News]

Golf is a game that is full of tips. If you regularly practice around other golfers, or if you play with a regular group of friends, you are sure to hear countless tips each time you visit the range or the course. Keep your head down.

 

 

Change your grip. Adjust your stance. There are numerous tips that can be sent your way, and you have probably heard more than your share over the years.

 

The sharing of tips is not only a way to potentially improve the play of other golfers, but it is also a way to promote camaraderie with the discussion that golf tips often encourage.

 

Unfortunately, there is a downside to sharing tips – most of them are useless. Sure, golfers mean well when they share a tip with their fellow player, but that doesn’t mean the tip is actually going to help in the end. The average golfer is not a golf instructor, and is really not qualified to be offering up advice as a result. Anytime you receive a tip while out on the course, you need to be careful to consider the source.

 

With that said, there are still plenty of golf tips which can help you play at a higher level. Following, you will find a list of the top ten swing tips ever offered up in the game of golf. These are tips which can apply to the swing of nearly any player, so feel free to put them all to use in your own game.

 

Please note that all of the tips below are written from the perspective of a right handed golfer, so you will need to reverse them if you play left handed. Let’s get on to the list!

 

#1 – Take Your Time

It is easy to rush in the golf swing. After all, you are probably trying to hit the ball a significant distance, especially if you are standing on the tee, so it is only natural to swing as hard and fast as possible. However, most of the time, that level of effort is going to do you more harm than good. The best golf swings tend to be those that allow speed to develop gradually, with the club accelerating all the way down until it arrives at impact.

You want to pay particular attention to taking your time when it comes to the transition. Most amateur golfers rush through the transition, quickly shifting from backswing to forward swing as they hurry to hit the ball. Sadly, this is where many players get off track – and there isn’t enough time between the transition and impact to fix what has gone wrong. You can easily create a number of different problems as a result of a faulty transition, with the slice being among the biggest issues to surface when you rush at the top.

During your next trip to the driving range, make it a point to take a bit of extra time at the top of your swing. Start by hitting some soft wedge shots while using an extra-slow transition. Just pitching the ball a short distance down the range while keeping your transition slow will help you to feel how important this part of the swing is to your overall performance. As the clubs get longer and the swing gets faster, be sure to keep track of your transition to ensure that it doesn’t speed back up unnecessarily.

 

#2 – Pick Out a Specific Target

One of the most-important things you can do for your swing, and for your game as a whole, is to pick out a very specific target for each and every shot that you hit. When you have a specific target in mind as you swing, you will be far more likely to stay committed to the swing at hand. Indecision is a sure sign of doubt in your game, and doubt is something that can throw you off track in a hurry.

It doesn’t matter what kind of shot you are hitting; it is always important to have a target picked out before you take your stance. While most golfers do a good job of picking a target while they are hitting an approach shot, the same cannot be said off of the tee. When the average golfer takes their driver from the bag in order to hit a drive, they usually just aim ‘for the fairway’ before swinging away. That isn’t good enough, as far as target-selection is concerned. Rather than aiming for the fairway in general, pick out a specific target in the distance that you can use to guide your swing.

Once you get into the habit of picking specific targets, you will see just how useful this strategy can be. You will likely notice that there is more confidence and commitment behind your swings, and you will also start to feel like you have more margin for error on your shots. The mind is a powerful thing on the golf course, and training your mind on a very specific target before each swing can pay big dividends.

 

#3 – Relax Your Grip

It is hard to provide tips that relate to the grip, because everyone feels comfortable holding onto the club in their own way. There are a variety of different grips used in the game, and many of them are capable of producing quality golf. However, there is one golf grip tip that can be applied across the board by every golfer, and it is the fact that the grip should be relaxed in order to promote club head speed and a clean strike. Many golfers squeeze onto the grip too tight as they swing, and those players lose power as a result.

Of course, trying to swing the club while holding on lightly to the handle requires you to walk a fine line, because you need to hold on tight enough to keep control of the club from start to finish. You can’t have the club flying out of your hands as you swing, so the grip does need to be tight enough to hold on – but no tighter. Work on finding a grip pressure that will allow you to swing freely while still controlling the club and you will be a better golfer for the effort.

 

#4 – Quiet Hands in the Takeaway

This is a point that could benefit amateur golfers perhaps more than any other. The average player uses their hands far too actively during the takeaway phase of the swing, and they pay the price when the club is off-plane by the time the backswing has finished. If you would like to keep the club in a good position all the way through to the top, you need to keep your hands out of the takeaway while your shoulders do all of the work.

To move the club back away from the ball, focus on simply turning your left shoulder away from the target. If you can make that one move successfully, you will be on your way to a perfect takeaway. In reality, the correct takeaway is rather simple, but most golfers overcomplicate it and wind up making mistakes. Specifically, you want to focus on your wrists during the early part of the backswing – if your wrists are quiet and stable, you should be on the right track.

Making the change from a takeaway that is driven by your hands to one that is driven by your shoulders can be difficult, so you will need to invest some time on the range before heading to the course. Start with some of your shorter clubs and gradually work your way up to the long clubs as you get more and more comfortable with this style of takeaway. In the end, you should be left with a swing that is more-reliable and just as powerful as the one you left behind.

 

#5 – Play to Your Strengths

Before hitting any shot on the course, you are going to be faced with a series of choices. Which club are you going to hit? What are you going to use as your target for the shot? Are you going to try to hit the ball higher or lower than usual? These and many more questions will need to be answered during the planning phase prior to taking your stance. As you work through this process, one of the most important things you can do is to keep in mind the strengths that you have as a golfer. By playing to your strengths – and away from your weaknesses – you can achieve better outcomes in the end.

It is tempting to pretend like you don’t have any weaknesses in your game, but that simply isn’t true for any golfer in the world. Even the best players in the game have weaknesses that they try to avoid whenever possible. It would be great to be able to hit any shot at any time depending on what the course throws your way, but that simply isn’t a skill that you are likely to possess. Don’t fall into the trap of trying shots you really can’t execute just because you want to prove that you can do it. The beauty of being able to pick your own shots on the course is the fact that you can make decisions which suit your strengths. Be smart about club selection and avoid those shots that really give you trouble.

That isn’t to say that you should just give up on trying to fix shots that give you problems. During your practice sessions, you should absolutely work on improving your game in the areas that it is weakest. However, you should still play to your strengths on the course. As you get better in some of your weak areas, you may not need to avoid them in the future. Just remember, the driving range is for practice and improvement, and the course is for scoring your best. When on course, always pick the shot that gives you the best possible chance to succeed.

 

#6 – See the Club Hit the Ball

Okay – so this is a pretty basic tip, and it is one you have probably heard before, but it still warrants a spot on our list. When you swing down through impact, you need to make an effort to ensure you actually see the club hit the back of the ball. This is an easy point to take for granted, but it is extremely important to the quality of your play. When you watch the club hit the ball, you will be more likely to make solid contact, and solid contact is essential in the quest to lower your scores.

This is a tip that is often considered to be the same thing as ‘keep your head down’, but it is actually different in a meaningful way. If you focus on keeping your head down, you are going to limit the movement that takes place in your shoulders because you will be trying to keep your head quiet. You want your shoulders to be able to turn through the ball on the way down, so you don’t want to think about keeping your head still. It is actually okay if your head moves a little bit through impact, as long as your eyes are watching the ball the whole time.

 

#7 – Stay Perfectly Still While Putting

Moving onto the greens, one of the best tips you can receive while putting is to keep your body as totally still as possible throughout the stroke. Unlike the full swing, when you need plenty of help from your entire body in order to produce speed and power, putting is all about precision and control. It takes barely any effort at all to roll the ball toward the hole, so you will want to focus on the precise control of your stroke in order to have success. One way you can control the club (and the ball) beautifully is by keeping your body as still as possible while the putter swings.

To keep your body still while still making a proper stroke, you need to understand what parts of the body are actually responsible for moving the putter back and forth. Ideally, it will be the job of your shoulders to move the putter, while your arms and hands go along for the ride naturally. By placing the control of the stroke in your shoulders, you can eliminate much of the unnecessary movement that often causes putts to veer off track. As you swing the putter, your lower body should be perfectly still, as should your head and your torso below the shoulders.

One good way to focus on keeping your lower body still as you putt is to think about the position of your kneecaps. These are two specific points that are easy to focus on, and you will instantly be able to tell if they happen to move. While the putter swings, focus on keeping your kneecaps perfectly still in the position that they held at address. If you can accomplish that simple task successfully, there is a good chance you will roll plenty of good putts throughout the day.

 

#8 – Don’t Slide

As far as golf tips go, this is a simple one. Your only job in order to comply with this important tip is to avoid sliding during the swing. That goes for both directions – you don’t want to slide away from the target, and you don’t want to slide toward the target, either. Ideally, you will be able to keep your weight in the middle of your stance as you swing back, and your weight will only move forward toward the target in the downswing as a result of your rotation rather than a slide. Balance is crucial in golf, and staying away from any kind of sliding action will quickly make you a better player.

There are two common points in the golf swing for a player to slide. The first is during the takeaway. As the club starts in motion, some players will slide away from the target, allowing their body weight to move with the club. The other common spot for a slide in the golf swing is during the transition, when some players will slide their lower body toward the target before they get started with any kind of rotation. Obviously, you want to avoid both of these mistakes in order to make your swing as powerful and consistent as possible.

To steer clear of the backswing slide, focus on the position of your right knee. As long as your right knee holds its position while the swing is starting, you should be able to steer clear of that early slide to the right. As far as the transition slide goes, it’s all about starting the move down with the rotation of your lower body toward the target. Do your best to turn your left hip open to the target as your downswing begins. If you can make that move reliably, there is little chance you will wind up with a slide.

 

#9 – Finish the Swing

The finish position that you reach when your golf swing has concluded will tell you a lot about the swing that you have made. Golfers will a full, well-balanced finish position are usually those who use their bodies correctly throughout both the backswing and downswing. On the other hand, players who fail to get all the way to a full finish – or fall off balance somewhere along the way – need to make some corrections.

When you get a chance to watch some golf on TV, pay attention to how the players hold their finish positions. Most top players will hold their finish until the ball has landed, displaying great control and balance. This should be your goal. By swinging all the way through to the finish, you will typically accelerate the club through impact, which is an essential part of good ball striking. Work on reaching a balanced finish while practicing on the range and commit yourself to finishing each swing in the same fashion when you get out on the course.

 

#10 – Have Fun

So this really isn’t a swing tip per se – but it is one of the most important tips that you can receive. When you are at the golf course, whether you are practicing on the range or playing a round, you need to remember to have fun at all times. This is a game! Too many players take the game too seriously, and they wind up taking the fun out of it as a result. If you aren’t going to have fun while you play, you might as well find something else to do.

Before your next round, take a few moments to think about why it is that you are spending time on the golf course. What do you hope to get from the experience? What is it that draws you back out to spend your money on golf time and time again? Most likely, the answers that you come up with will be things like spending time outdoors, spending time with your friends, getting exercise, and more. Sure, you want to play well along the way, but that isn’t the main motivation for most people to hit the links. By keeping your motivation in mind, and keeping your mind focused on having fun first and foremost, you will find that golf becomes a far more-rewarding experience in the end.

 

We hope the ten tips listed above are helpful as you work on your own game.

 

Golf is a tremendous challenge, which is a big part of why so many people love to play. Embrace the challenge, use the tips on this list to help you play a bit better, and encourage those around you to play their best as well. Golf tips will always be a part of the game, and they are a big part of what makes it so much fun. Good luck out there!

 

Originally posted on Golf Info Guide

[malathione]

And here I was thinking the list would start with convince your wife...

[TigerandDog]

If you want really simple and effective swing tips go to YouTube and look at the Mike Malaska videos. Tips are explained in PLAIN english, and clearly demonstrated in the videos. Just about everything we are taught about the golf swing is poorly explained and demonstrated, and in most cases it's actually wrong.

[4MyEgo]

Very few know this, it's all in the.....

[Tropposurfer]

1 hour ago, 4MyEgo said:

Very few know this, it's all in the.....

Hahaha ... what not to look like hahaha. A powerful hitter when he meets the ball well yes, but one of the most inconsistent hitters on The Circuit.

[Tropposurfer]

Good breakdown of the fundamentals.

Lots of amateur problems identified and addressed.

I always listen to other golfers when making comments and tips (don't get too many now as I play off a fairly low handicap) but as the writer says all too often they're coming from people who can't analyse their own swings let alone another's. I pay careful attention to what my pro teaches me though ☺️

I practice all of what is described, as best I can, as a part of my natural game now, and practice these every time I play and go to the range.

I particularly like the remarks on "sliding" and pausing momentarily at the top of the swing, and about the 'light, feeling' grip. The mention of too fast a take away is really important (Norman, Nicklaus, Davis all use this slow take away -so do I from watching over and over their teaching tapes), turning with the shoulders and leaving the wrists out of the swing until they naturally break on the backswing and then downswing is also absolutely vital. I would add the phrase; get back to and onto your left side (orthodox swings) at or before you begin the downswing i.e. "activate the legs" as Norman describes it. The few biggest mistake I see are:

1. Poor positioning of stance at address to the ball and the target at address - if the stance is <deleted> so will be the swing!
2. Moving off the ball - "sliding" as our writer describes it.
3. Too fast a swing.
4. Too vertical a lifting of the club.
5. No pause at top.
6. A weak right hand on grip, swing and strike (orthodox swing).
7. Strangling the club - not enough papers in the grip will really help 'strangling' by the way.
8. Poor, partial rotation of the shoulders -  the back/centre of the shoulders should point to the target at the end of the backswing (for a long club, for shorter clubs this is amended by the naturally shorter swing-arc e.g. wedge).
9. It's the swing that should bring the head and eyes around to the target, not the head pulling the swing around.
10. Trying to use the wrists to get the club back and up to too vertically compensate for the lack of body rotation, shoulder turn. Which is easily seen as a partial, shorter swing arc and very 'flicky' wrists. This is often seen as trying to "steer" the ball with the hands. "Low and slow" Norman says.
11. Hitting off the back-foot not the centre and front side of the body - to have any chance of hitting the ball where its meant to go and with distance and avoid amateur slice one must get back to the ride side very early in the downswing. This is easy to see in pros as they activate, power-up in the legs at the top-pause and then beginning of the downswing.

I'd recommend Normans teaching tapes for anyone. Very simply, easy to understand and transferable over and over on the course.

1. Not swinging fully, and pulling up and out of the swing which keeps one topping, hitting behind, skying, slicing. All these prevents hitting through the ball to the target point seen in the minds eye at address.

[jensmann]

On 9/17/2021 at 10:00 AM, ubonjoe said:

I don't suggest children intentionally going on a overstay. It can cause problems doing it since technically they are illegally in the country. Children under the age of 15 are not fined for a overstay but that does not make it legal for them to stay in the country.

There is no reason for a child with Thai nationality to overstay since they can easily get one year extensions of stay.

excellent !!!

[Will B Good]

Swing thoughts can be critical.

 

Pro: Smooth take away, brace right leg, shoulder to chin, drive right elbow into hip, swing in to out.

 

Amateur: Did I lock the car, new barmaid is tasty, is the wife seeing someone, please don't go OB