Are you a beginner, are you looking to improve your golf game? If the answer to this question is yes then read on below.
The game of golf can be very frustrating at times and all we want to do is throw our clubs in the water along with the balls we have just put in there from the tee, am I right? I know how that feels!
The game can very frustrating at times but I think that is the fun in it and that is what brings us back for more, ultimately driving us to improve on the previous games.
it seems as though there is too much information out there these days that are all contradictory to one another, especially when you start listening to your uncles mate who played golf 30 years ago! I feel that if 90% of golfers focused on mastering the basics then their game would improve drastically.
I have put a list together below outlining the tips that I think would help most golfers in their quest to improve their handicap.
Tip Number 1 – You Have the Correct Equipment For Your Ability.
This is probably one of the most underrated tip of all, you see it all too often beginners out there on the course with the most expensive gear on the market, it looks great but without the experience or skills to use it is worthless. I would definitely recommend going and speaking to your local pro at your club if you have one, if not speak to the guys at the shop where you would normally buy your equipment, they will be able to guide you towards the best clubs for your ability and within your budget, if your budget allows you may even want to be fitted for your clubs.
Tip Number 2 – Perfecting Your Stance and Posture.
You could compare your stance and posture to the foundation of your golf swing, you wouldn’t attempt to build a house on a rubbish foundation, so why would you think to build your swing with a rubbish set up.
Ball Position
You want to make sure that the ball position is correct, if the ball is positioned too far forward then you may be prone to issues such as slicing the ball or topping the ball, however if the ball is too far back you may struggle to get your desired loft. The ball position will change as you move through the clubs in your bag, long irons and woods the ball should be further forward in your stance and as you move to more lofted clubs it should move backwards, try to avoid it going further back than the middle of your stance.
Distance To The Ball
This may sound obvious however it is something you see a lot of, players standing way too close or standing a million miles away. You do want to feel comfortable, you don’t want to feel too cramped or as if you are having to reach out for the ball. Being too cramped may lead to not being able to rotate your body properly and reaching may cause wildly unpredictable shots both left and right. As a rule of thumb most golfers set up and have the end of the club approximately six inches from the body, however this may vary from person to person.
Back Posture
Proper back postures is not only important for the golf swing it also helps to avoid injuries. You want to have your spine straight, try to avoid hunching where your spine would almost be in a C shape, also try not go the opposite way where your spine would be in an S shape.
If you look at the set up of Rory McIlroy, who in my opinion has one of the best swings in the whole of golf then you can get a good idea of what a proper golf set up should look like.
Tip Number 3 – Perfecting Your Grip.
Another very overlooked part of the golf set up is your grip, there are a few different ways that you can golf the club, inter link, overlap and all 10 fingers on the club, by far the most popular is the interlinked grip. Now that you have the type of grip that you are going to use (remember to stay consistent with it), you are going to need to think about the position of your hands on the club. If your hands are too far forward i.e., rotated towards the target this is called a strong grip and may cause issues with being able to get the ball airborne especially with your irons, and may only get the ball a few feet off the ground with your woods or driver. If your hand position on the club is too far back i.e, rotated away from the target this is called a weak grip and may cause the club face to be open at impact and therefore making the ball land right of the target or even slicing the ball far to the right.
Another aspect of the grip is grip strength, you do not want to be gripping on for dear life and it feels like you are trying to strangle the club, however you also don’t want to hold the club too softly where the club may fly out of your hand.
Tip Number 4 – Using Your Hips on The Downswing.
When you get the top of your golf swing you want to start the downswing with you hips, a lot of beginners think that the golf swing is all about swinging their arms, that is not true at all, it is all about the rotation you can get through your whole body. If you can master the hip rotation your golf swing will improve dramatically, there are many benefits you will get from proper hip rotation:
- Greater club head speed; this will increase ball carry.
- Better body position; better body position at impact improving ball striking.
- Improved tempo; more constancy with a repeatable swing tempo.
One thing you could do is film yourself at the range and over exaggerate the hip turn, it will feel strange at first but as you do it more and more it should start to feel better and more natural.
Tip Number 5 – Practice and Consistency.
Practice makes perfect as they say, well in my experience you will never perfect the game of golf, I feel that once you get better a one aspect of the game another aspect needing work. However what consistent practice does do is create muscle memory and your swing then becomes second nature to you!
I would also say that make your range sessions count, don’t just go to the range get 200 balls and whack every ball with the driver in 30 mins, go with a plan and stick to it, take videos of your swing and analyse it if need be, don’t take it too serious though always remember to have fun!
Take Away
If you have made it this far then congratulations and thank you for listening to me ramble on.
I have said it before people are far too quick to dive in at the deep end and start whacking their way round the course with the best of gear without building the foundation needed to improve your game.
In my opinion if you master the basics and follow the tips I have provided above then you will be better than 90% of golfers out there in no time. I try to live by the 80/20 rule that states you will get 80% of outcomes come from 20% of inputs, so in other words learn the basics and you can still achieve greatly and it works for everything in life and golf is no different.
Feel free to leave a comment below or ask any questions.
Thank You
David Brown
Website: WWW.THEGOLFGEEKUK.COM
Email: david@thegolfgeekuk.com