The concept of playing golf is relatively easy. A person hits a ball as few times as possible with the goal of putting it in a hole. However, for anyone who plays golf, they know that it’s much more than that. Perfecting a golf swing with both drivers and clubs and learning to play a great short game are three aspects of golf that can always be improved.
Positioning For A Great Drive
When taking their first swing, a golfer wants to hit the ball with as much force as possible in the center of the face of a driver. To help make this a happen, three steps can be used:
1. It’s best to start with a wide stance where the knees are slightly bent. A person’s weight should be equally distributed, and their arms should hang down in a natural position.
2. The position of the ball should be checked. It’s ideal to have the ball placement aligned with the inside of a person’s left heel.
3. The backswing of a driver should be slow and methodical. Many golfers who are just beginning the game will tend to go too fast on their backswing. This tends to cause them to go slower than they should when they initiate the downswing. When the driver is taken back with a smooth, slow motion, it should be easier to transition into a more aggressive swing forward.
Swinging With Irons
The process for hitting a golf ball with irons is basically the same as swinging with a driver:
1. Set up in a neutral position. The placement of the ball will depend on how far it’s going to be hit. For longer shots, it’s best to place the ball closer to the left heel.
2. The swing with irons should be shorter than that used with drivers. Instead of trying to hit the ball with great force, the focus should be on creating solid contact. Also, the backswing should be cut down to about three-quarters of that used when hitting with a driver.
3. Finish with a solid, statue-like stance.
The Short Game
There are three tips to playing the greens:
1. To obtain a clean strike on the ball, focus the eyes on an area that’s just in front of the golf ball.
2. Wrist action should be minimized. By keeping the wrist and elbow stiff, it ensures that there will be less movement in the club, which should help it make contact with the club face.
3. While it may be easiest to just use the hands and arms for shots taken on the green, it will help if the shoulders are also rotated towards the whole when the downswing is taken.