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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