Golf Swing Fundamentals Can Be Key To Your Game

You are probably aware that you stand the best chance of improving your game if you improve your golf swing fundamentals. This brings you improved length and accuracy. The swing is actually an awkward and complex series of movements and there is more to developing a good fluent swing than just practicing it day after day.

The Three Golf Swing Fundamentals

There are three golf swing fundamentals that you should focus on. These are the backswing, downswing and impact/follow through. How you control and execute these three golf swing fundamentals determines how good or bad your swing is.

Let’s have a look at each in turn. The first of the golf swing fundamentals is the backswing. This coils your body up ready to unleash its power to the club with a powerful and controlled downswing. It is fundamental to getting the maximum clubhead speed at the point of contact. The important factors here are the rotation and the extension of the arms and club.

The next fundamental phase, the downswing, is very dependant on the correct setup – your stance, posture and grip, and is controlled by your legs and hips, with your arms following. Your lower body moves first, then your upper body rotates, your body weight switching from back to front.

The power and loft achieved, and hence distance, is determined by the speed and angle of the clubhead at the point of impact. Your posture is very important here, and the correct distribution of weight between your forward and back feet. Then finally, the last of the golf swing fundamentals, the follow through, is extremely important for distance.

If you slow your swing down before impact, you will lose length and perhaps even injure yourself. You hands should finish up close to your head.

Flexibility and Strength

If you concentrate on these golf swing fundamentals, you will significantly improve your game. It takes a lot of practice to perfect this unnatural and difficult movement, and golf-specific flexibility and strength exercises will tone your body so that it can accomplish it fluidly and effortlessly. The golf swing fundamentals are a major key to your game, and you should direct your energies to getting them right. Your joints and muscles need to be trained so that you can carry them all out in one fluid movement with maximum power and control.

Simple Golf Swing

If you're tired of all the "information-overload" golf instruction products on the market, and want to simplify your golf swing, I would strongly recommend the Simple Golf Swing DVD.

Mike Pedersen
Golf Performance Coach