Watch any golf game, and you’ll see the professionals swing at the balls as if it took little to no effort. But it’s like with any other profession: they make it look so easy because they’ve practiced relentlessly throughout the years. And as a result, they can make a second-long swing look like anyone can do it.
The truth is, it’s extremely difficult to get to that point. And if you’re a new golfer, then you probably look and feel awkward when swinging the club.
Keep reading to see what you can do to improve your golf swing and become a better golfer.
Work on Your Grip
The key to good technique is a solid foundation. And with golf, the foundation is your grip. After all, if you don’t have a comfortable and correct grip, it won’t be easy to maneuver the club.
In general, you want to have a neutral grip so your shots won’t veer in either direction.
The pressure is vital too; imagine you’re holding a tube of toothpaste pointing down with the cap off. There should be enough pressure that you don’t drop it, but not so much that the toothpaste comes squirting out.
Lead With the Correct Hand
When you swing, you should be aiming with the opposite of your dominant hand. For example, if you’re right-handed, then you need to lead with your left hand.
To make this more intuitive, take practice swings with only the non-dominant hand on the club. Now add the dominant hand, but try to get the same swing feel. The dominant hand should be there for support only.
Fix Your Aim
Many beginner golfers get their aim wrong straight off the bat, which then ruins the rest of their game.
You shouldn’t be aiming with your body. Instead, you should aim the club face towards the target. As for your body, it should be parallel left of your club face (or parallel right if you’re left-handed).
Take a look at your feet too. If you extended the lines from your toes, they should be parallel to your target line.
Have a Specific Target in Mind
You can play better golf by consciously aiming for a target. And we don’t mean just the green.
Instead, pick a specific thing in the distance, such as a house or bush. This tip is similar to the one people give for high-fives; instead of aiming for the general area of the other person’s hand, look at their elbow while high-fiving, and you’ll land all of them!
This type of tip works because you’re honed in on one spot. With a better and narrower focus, you’ll have more accuracy with your swings.
Have a Pre-Shot Routine
Humans are creatures of habit, so having a pre-shot routine you’re comfortable with can really improve your golf game.
It doesn’t need to be anything complicated either. It can be as simple as putting the ball down a certain way, then hitting it after one practice swing.
All that matters is that you pick a routine that establishes a good rhythm and pace for your swings. It should be repeatable so you can use it during all your games.
Experiment With Stances
If you’ve done some reading, then you’ll know that there are different golf stance positions you can use. However, don’t be stuck on using those in a textbook way.
Ultimately, what matters is that you feel comfortable when swinging, so feel free to switch things up and experiment with different stances. When you’re flexible, you’ll play better golf since you’re not standing in awkward positions.
Practice, Practice, Practice
We can’t emphasize this enough! If you don’t keep up with practicing your golf swing, then you’ll make little progress. In fact, if you’re spotty with it, you might even lose some of your skills, as it’s heavily based on muscle memory.
It’s not a bad idea to go out to the driving range a few days out of the week to hit some balls for an hour or two. Gradually, it’ll feel more natural to get the club between your hands and to swing it too.
If you don’t have a driving range near you, then there are commercial simulators available too. These are highly immersive and allow you to practice golf without driving for hours to get to the nearest range.
Record Yourself
You might feel like you’ve mastered your golf swing, or you might think there’s something missing from it. Either way, it’s beneficial to record yourself taking golf swings so you can see things from a third-person perspective.
Pull up videos of pro golfers to compare your swings. From there, you’ll probably spot glaring errors you can fix immediately.
Another idea is to have a more knowledgeable golfer friend watch you. Not only can they tell you what you’re doing wrong, but they can also show you in real time.
Perfect Your Golf Swing
To be good at golfing, you need to have a decent golf swing.
At first glance, it sounds like a simple thing, especially if you watch pro games. But once you get a club in your hand, you’ll know just how challenging it can be to master things.
Thankfully, there are ways to bump up your golf techniques and impress everyone on the greens. Follow our tips in the article, and you won’t go wrong!
If you liked reading about golf swing techniques, then find other interesting articles on our blog page now.