Golf Swing Basics for Beginners – How to Learn It Right
When you start learning something new there is always a lot of excitement. That is especially the case with golf where you can see the progress week after week. Nevertheless, getting solid golf swing basics for beginners can be tricky. It is common to want to move on as quickly as possible and neglect the fundamentals for building a solid golf swing.
I do not want to say you will not learn how to swing the club. You have to do that in order to golf to start with.
What I mean is you might move too fast trying to do things before you master the basics. At that point, it will be harder to fix potential swing issues.
The sooner you build solid foundations, the sooner you will be able to develop your game in the right direction. There are so many different shots you will be taking during rounds. In order to be able to execute all of them, you will have to learn everything the right way. Now, let’s see which areas of your golf swing you should pay extra attention to in order to have a reliable golf swing.
Setup
Every time I think about the golf swing, setup is the first thing that comes to mind. Why? Simply because there is no solid swing without a solid setup. This is where it all starts. It is the first thing you do before hitting every ball when you golf. For that reason, you have to nail down the setup if you want to get good at golf.
Now, your setup will be slightly different for every single club you use and for every different shot you are hitting. In essence, it has the same basics just a bit altered. For you to get to a higher playing level, you will have to learn all those little differences. Don’t worry, once you get the first one it will be easier to get the others.
To start with it would be best if you learned one setup position. Let’s say with a short or mid-iron. Learn it really well until you feel confident to move on. From there it is going to be easier to move to wedges, long irons, fairway woods, and hybrids. The driver setup is again slightly different from the others due to the side bend.
It should not take long to get a hold of all the different setups. Once you have mastered all of them your swing is going to have a great foundation to build on.
Don’t Rush It
Believe it or not, you will not necessarily hit the ball better and further if you swing faster. What you should be focusing on when working on your swing is the tempo. The key is to have solid contact and a good tempo will help you with that. When you strike the ball properly it will go far and in the direction you want it to go.
Rushing your swing will make it much harder to execute it right and can lead to all sorts of trouble. I noticed some time ago my swings turn out pretty bad when I try to rush my swing and hammer the ball. The important thing is to find that sweet spot on the clubface, you can always increase your swing speed gradually as you become more confident.
There are tempo training apps out there that can help you with it as well as numerous other sources available for free. Be patient and learn to swing with a nice tempo. It will help you improve your swing and become a solid ball striker.
Under the Plane
The first time I learned about the plane was in the book “Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf”. Despite the book being published in 1957, all the lessons can be applied to today’s golf. One part of the book speaks about the plane. The plane can be described as the line your club shaft forms at your swing setup.
There are a couple of ways you can swing your club for better results. One way is to swing on the plane and the other way is to swing under the plane. What you should definitely avoid is swinging over the plane. Swinging over the plane usually leads to poor shots. This is when you can see slices that end up way off the target.
The easiest way to know if you are swinging over the plane is if you film your swing from behind. Once you have a look you will know what needs to be fixed. As for everything else, there are a lot of resources available to find the drills to help you work on it.
Keep the Relation to the Ball
It might not be the first thing you look at when you mess up a shot, but it tends to be one of the major reasons for poor outcomes. What I mean by keeping the relation to the ball is to keep the same distance from your upper body to the ball through your swing. If anything you can get a touch closer to the ball, but in no scenario, you should get further.
Losing the relation to the ball can lead to thick and thin shots. There is a good chance you have experienced that and you know the feeling is not so good. Early extension is among the reasons you lose the relation to the ball to name one. Basically, it is any time you stand up and distance your upper body from the ball before you hit it.
Work on keeping your upper body from moving up before you make contact with the ball. It is going to pay good dividends once you get used to it. There are dills you can find that can help you fix it if you are among golfers experiencing it.
Different Ball Positions
If you have ever read or watched anything about golf ball positions at setup you know there are different perspectives out there. There is a general theory that you move the ball from the center toward your lead foot as the club length increases. That is fine and it works when the ball position is the right one.
The thing is, it does not have to be exactly the same for everyone. The same ball position for a 7-iron does not have to be identical for you and your friend. Sometimes a slight tweak can produce better results. The ball can also be moved depending on what type of shot you are trying to hit.
What I am trying to say is that you can follow the general rule. However, don’t be afraid to play around with the ball position in order to find your sweet spot for each club. Go to the driving range and experiment a bit. See what results you get when you move the ball around. You may discover something that works better in the end.
It Is Ok to Make Mistakes
Achieving perfection in golf is next to impossible. There is always something you could have done better, always a shot that should have been better executed, and always a putt that had to go in. This is true for all golfers no matter if they are professionals or recreational golfers. That extends to the golf swing as well.
The only difference is professional golfers’ swings are a touch closer to perfection. Mistakes while swinging are always going to happen. The sooner you accept that the sooner you will be able to have a good time on the course. The goal is to make fewer of them, but they are inevitable. What you can do for your game is to learn from those mistakes in order to improve.
Relax and enjoy the great time you are having while golfing.
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