We were all new to golf at some point. Nobody was born a great golfer, except maybe Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus. Jokes aside, it takes some time and dedication to become good at golf. Your golf swing is essential to learn when you get into the game. Here you can find 5 tips on how to improve your golf swing for beginners.

In its essence, the golf swing is a complex set of motions that come together in one seamless move. The sole purpose of that move is to strike the ball exactly how you want it and direct it where you want it to go. Now, we often tend to overcomplicate our swing. The sooner you know what to focus on, the sooner you can master your swing to enjoy golfing even more.

1. Know Your Swing Path

Your swing path is vital for a few reasons. First, it might be the cause that your shots are going all over the place. Second, it could be causing that unpleasant slice you have been fighting. The third, and most important thing, if you can manipulate your swing path you are in a position to hit different types of shots.

You should in any case check what your swing path tendency is. The most common one which causes slicing for a lot of golfers is the outside-to-in path. Maybe you fall in the rare category of the inside-to-out path which could be causing pulls. The third option is the neutral path which is, I would dare to say, the least common one.

If you do want to be aware of how you are swinging the club, you could make a video of you swinging from behind. That will show you your tendency. Besides that, you will figure out why you are hitting certain shots more frequently. After you do that you can start working on controlling the path and improving your swing.

2. Shift Your Weight Forward

This is one of the key components for better contact with the ball at impact and hitting the ball further. Not shifting the weight forward can lead to all sorts of trouble with your swing. It can cause mis-hits in the form of fat or thin shots and even shanks. On top of that, your ball will end up much shorter than it actually could.

When you are just starting to golf, this is one of the harder things to do. It might take you some time to learn it, but it will be rewarding once you do. There are several drills you can find out there that can help you with it. The sooner you get a hold of it, the sooner your ball striking will become better.

3. Clear Your Hips

There is often a misconception about hip movement during the swing. A lot of recreational golfers slide too much or not enough toward the target without proper hip rotation. Lately, I have seen some good content from experienced golf coaches about hips in the swing. Instead of saying hip rotation they use the term hip clearance.

The main reason it is called clearing hips is that by doing that you make enough room for the downswing in order to shallow the club. Besides the better contact you get out of that, you generate more power in your swing as well. It will be well worth it if you look into it and start working on doing it properly.

4. Forward Club Shaft Lean at Impact

If you have a look at any professional golfer at impact you will notice the forward shaft lean. I bet you’ve heard this before. There is a simple reason you will keep hearing it from golf coaches and industry experts. That is the proper way to compress the golf ball at impact and get the maximum distance out of your club.

What forward shaft lean at impact does is de-loft your golf club. It basically turns your 9 iron into an 8 or even a 7. It is one of the reasons professional golfers can hit the ball so much further with all their irons and wedges. The key thing here is going to be your wrists’ position through the downswing which will help with the shaft lean.

5. Keep the Shoulder Tilt

This is the vital component for keeping the relation to your golf ball. By doing it properly you are helping all the other parts of your swing to fall into place. All that will lead to better contact with the ball for a solid golf shot. Not doing the shoulder tilt often leads to bad shots in the form of thick and thin ones.

What you have to pay attention to is for your lead side shoulder to stay below your trail side shoulder during the backswing. After you transition into the downswing the shoulders will reverse their roles. Your trail side shoulder will be below your lead side shoulder. It might feel a bit strange in the beginning if you are not used to it.

One Change at a Time

I always like to repeat this whenever I have a chance. When you start working on swing changes do one single thing at a time. The swing is complex enough even without us trying to change multiple things at a time. Working on one element will help your body to adjust to the changes better and in a shorter period of time.

Nevertheless, that does not mean you will be able to change something quickly. It will still require time and effort to do it. Always start small and slow before making it to full swing and speed. Another thing that is recommended is to do some reps without the golf ball before trying to hit it.

Even when you introduce the golf ball do not worry right away if you mis-hit it. It is part of the process. Your body has to adapt to the new move first, then you can start hitting the ball properly. All in all, diagnose what part of your swing you have to work on first, then take one step at a time. Swing it better for more fun on the golf course.

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How to Get a Consistent Golf Swing – 5 Tips for Beginners

Having a consistent golf swing is the golfer’s holy grail. It is something golfers at all levels try to achieve. However, even at the highest level, getting it is not easy. What consistency at the recreational level means is making as few mistakes as possible. There are some tips that can give you an answer on how to get a consistent golf swing.

Whenever you make some changes to your golf swing it takes time for them to work. It is all a process that requires time and effort. The good thing is, the sooner you start implementing changes, the sooner you will get there. Without further introduction, check below the tips that could help you reach your goal.

1. Nail Down the Basics

I can’t emphasize this enough. If you want to have a consistent swing you absolutely have to work on the basics. By that I mean you have to be really good with basics. When you start golfing and building your swing it is very easy to go off the path. There are so many things that you can start doing wrong.

Once you start doing certain things wrong, it gets harder to fix them. That is why basics are so important. If you start doing things properly from the beginning, it is easier later. When you have solid foundations it is easier to build on. It will depend on how much time you have for how fast you can improve.

The bottom line is, it does not matter how much time it takes as long it is done right. It is the end goal that is important and that is building a consistent swing. That is exactly what you are going to get with solid basics. There are a lot of resources available out there that can help you, embrace them and get going.

2. Have the Right Clubs

There are many golfers that do not pay much attention to the golf clubs they play with. That is fine as long as they do not care about consistency and better result. In case you fall into the category of golfers who care, you should give this a thought. Even if your swing is consistent, the wrong clubs might not show the best results on the course.

In other words, wrong clubs could make your swing look more inconsistent than it actually is. Numbers are possibly the most reliable way that can show you what your clubs are doing for your swing. If you have access to a launch monitor then you can have a look yourself. In case you don’t, you could consider custom fitting.

Golf club fitters can see what is happening when you swing and suggest you different club options. They go through the process with you and at the end make a suggestion for which clubs work the best. The right clubs will definitely contribute to consistency and help you to get your game where you want it to be.

3. Focus on Technique

I know this seems obvious, but there is a reason why this is important. Let’s say you are just focusing to hit the ball as far as you can. While doing that, you completely neglect how you are hitting the ball. There is a good chance that your ball is not going to go a long distance no matter how hard you try to hit it.

The simple reason is you are most likely hitting it wrong. That has all to do with your swing technique. When you focus more on how you swing instead of how you hit the ball the results are better. Once your technique is better you will discover you don’t even have to hit it so hard in order for it to fly further.

Having a solid swing technique will help you become a better golfer faster. Even if you are hitting it shorter than you want in the beginning, as long as the technique is good the distance will come. On top of that, you will be able to hit all kinds of different shots when needed. Work on your swing technique and golfing will be more fun than ever.

4. Play to Your Strengths

There is a good chance you have a tendency when you are swinging your club, just like the majority of golfers who are natural drawers or faders of the ball. Granted, there are probably way more natural faders out there compared to drawers. No matter which category you fall in, you should use it as your strength.

You can notice that easily by paying attention when hitting the ball. If you are slicing it more, then you are a natural fader. In case you are hooking it more, you are a drawer. When you embrace that and adjust your swing to your preference, it will be easier for you to get a more consistent golf swing.

5. Practice With Purpose

This is extremely important if you want to obtain the best results possible. There are way too many recreational golfers that hit the ball without any purpose when practicing. Just have a look next time you go to the driving range. They just hit ball after ball executing the same shot time after time.

That is one of the reasons you might feel you are hitting it way better on the range than on the course. The reality is every shot in your round of golf is going to be a different one. Therefore, you should hit different shots with different clubs each time you practice. Mix it up, hit different length shots with each club, and try different ball flights or different shot shapes.

Make a plan for when you are going to practice. Have different targets on the range to hit. When it comes to drills, do drills for the same area you are working on at once. Don’t mix different drills in the same practice session. Doing the same types of drills will help you improve what you are working on faster. When you finish one area, move on to the next one.

Enjoy Golfing More Than Ever

The process of getting better at golf is awesome. That is especially the case in the very beginning when you can see big improvements on a regular basis. The better you get, the longer it takes to get to the next level. Nonetheless, it is not impossible. Everyone wants to get better, even professional golfers at the highest level.

One of the key things when it comes to improvement is a consistent golf swing. But it is not all in just grinding to become a better golfer. A lot of it is in enjoying each and every moment on the golf course. The fact is, the better you get, the more you will enjoy playing. Get working on your golf swing to have more fun while playing.

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Most Common Golf Swing Mistakes – How to Avoid Them

New golfers have one thing in common. They want to improve as fast as possible. The reasons are simple; play better and lower the score. The most important thing that leads to the promised land is a consistent golf swing. Once you have that nailed down, the doors start opening. Below you can read 5 tips on how to get a consistent golf swing.

If you were to start gathering all the information about the golf swing, you would spend a long time doing it. Because of its nature, a lot has been written and said about it. That is all fine if you want to do it. However, there are some tips you can focus on that can help you to become more consistent.

1. Solid Setup

This goes without saying, a solid setup is crucial for a good swing execution. Basics play a big role in any sport and golf is no exception. Among the golf swing basics, setup is number one. The reason is, it all starts from there. Imagine building a house and having a bad foundation. It will probably not turn out well.

Your golf swing setup is the foundation you build your swing on. For that reason, you have to make sure the setup is in check for every type of shot you are trying to hit. There are several things you have to pay attention to when setting up your swing. All of them are equally important to make it work.

• Ball position – make sure it corresponds to the club you are using for the shot
• Feet width – this is important for both clubs and distance
• Feet alignment – it will affect which way your ball is going to go
• Grip – how you grip your can impact the contact and where the ball is going to go
• Relation to the ball – be aware if you are standing too far or too close to the ball

2. Straight Lead Arm

When it comes to solid contact, keeping your arm straight through impact is very important. It can make all the difference between topping or chunking the ball and hitting it solidly. The fact is there are some professional golfers that get away with slightly bending the arm at the top of their backswing. Nonetheless, most experts recommend keeping it straight.

That translates to not overswinging. In other words, you should ideally end your backswing at the point before your lead arm starts bending. It helps with more power in the swing and leads to solid contact. The same goes for the follow-through. You should try to keep your lead arm straight as long as possible when finishing the swing as well.

3. Trail Elbow Tucked In

I would say the trail elbow position in the swing is often overlooked. Yet it plays an essential role in the swing outcome. Any situation when you extend your trail arm during the swing can lead to mis-hits. Not just mis-hits, but also loss of power and distance. It is equally important during the backswing, downswing, and at impact.

During the backswing, it helps keep your lead arm extended and helps get the club in position to store energy for impact and release. When it comes to the downswing and impact it helps the club to lean forward for solid contact. Keep the trail elbow tucked in at takeaway and the second part of the downswing and your striking will improve.

4. Side Bend Through the Swing

One of the biggest reasons for mis-hitting the golf ball is loss of relation to the ball during the swing. That is most often seen in the form of early extension. Every time early extension happens it leads to thin or fat shots. In order to become a consistent hitter, you have to keep the relation to the ball during the swing.

Side bend through the swing, more precisely through the downswing, impact, and follow-through, will improve your hitting. There are two key things that can help you to achieve that. One is the tucked-in trail elbow I mentioned above, and the other is the trail hand extension. If you do both those moves properly you can hit balls better than ever.

5. Swing Tempo

Now, this is a segment that recreational golfers rarely ever think about. It is easy to focus only on hitting the ball and swing parts. When you do only that, you are missing one of the key components of consistent ball striking. I used to fall into that category as well. Then I started noticing almost every time I was rushing my swing, the results were not good.

The point is not to swing as fast as you can, but actually to do it with a flow. When your swing tempo is moderate there is a better chance your strike is going to be better. Next time you are at a driving range, try to slow down your swing, especially the takeaway. Find a nice swing rhythm and you will improve your ball striking.

Practice and Patience

As we all know golf is a lifelong learning process. What we also know is that it usually takes a certain amount of time to get good at golf. I know, good is relative because it can mean different things to each golfer. Not everyone has the ambition to become a scratch golfer, and there is nothing wrong with that.

At the same time, I am certain everyone who golfs wants to become better at it. To do that requires practice. Not any type of practice, but practice with a purpose. To make it work, in every practice session, you should have a plan. Work on certain swing parts at a time, the results will be better. Most importantly, have patience and have fun while doing it.

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