Make your swing perfect!

Golf is a great game to play and the swing is an important part of it. But how do you swing that golf club? This article gives you golf swing instructions in five steps for anyone to follow. However you need to bear in mind that different golf players have different body types and hence no two people will exhibit the same golf swing.


There are two main sections to the golf swing, the set up and the golf swing sequence.

The Set Up You need to set up the launching pad for your swing sequence with a golf grip and golf stance. You can sort these two steps out in any order and as you are doing so, visualise your ball flying down the fairway.

1. Get A Grip: Firstly make sure your equipment is functioning properly ie the grip on the golf club. If they are sticky or slippery you can get them replaced at your local golf club store or do it yourself.

Then you need to think about being relaxed as you grip your golf club. If your grip is tight, your arms will be stiff, your tension will build and you will kill that swing.

To grip the club, hold the club in air with your right hand and place your left hand around club such that the fingers are wrapped around the back and the thumb is at the front pointing towards the 12 o'clock position. Then place the right hand just above the left hand with the fingers wrapped around the back and the thumb positioned towards 11 o'clock.

There are three different grips you can use. Just pick the best one to suit you. They are: The Overland Grip: This common grip is where the little finger of the right hand lies on top (overlaps) the index finger of the left hand. The Baseball Grip is where the index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand meet but do not overlap or interlock. The Interlocking Grip is where your index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand overlap each other and interlock.

2. Secure A Stance: You need to keep balanced and secure with a good posture. So keep your legs about shoulder width apart for a firm support where weight is equally distributed over right and left legs on the balls of you feet. As a comparison, try some other leg positions eg with feet completely together and see what kind of support you get with this. Then bend at the top of the legs with knees slightly bent such that they are directly above the balls of your feet.

Relax, Loosen Up, then Start your Swing Sequence.

The Golf Swing Sequence

There are three steps to the swing sequence. They are the back swing, down swing and follow through.

3. Bring On Your Back Swing: The back swing is about creating muscle tension needed to release a powerful down swing and it should be done at a steady speed. Think about the back swing motion as putting your club behind the back. here is how you do it. Take in a deep breath as you draw back your golf club in a smooth arch, remembering to keep your left elbow straight as the club goes straight up and back. With this movement the forearms will naturally rotate clockwise slightly. The left arm swings across your body until the knuckle of your thumb is above your right ear. As you draw back, the club head will trace out a large circle and the natural continuation of motion will turn your shoulders. At the top of your swing your chest will be pointing away from your target and the angle between your lead forearm and shaft will be 90 degrees.

4. Do Your Down Swing: Basically the down swing is when you swing your club down and the club head makes contact with the ball. Start your down swing with your lower body and not your shoulders and slowly release your breath. If you hold your breath at this stage, it will create stiffness in your upper body and effect your fluid motion. As you bring the golf club down, turn your hips towards your target as fast as you possibly can. This creates tremendous clubhead speed. When your club hits the ball your aim is to have the face of the club square at impact to help create a good ball direction. Remember to keep the natural motion of your body carry the golf club to the golf ball.

5. Finish With The Follow Through: This is when your body continues and completes the swing after contacting the ball. What happens is your right arm swings across your body and ends up near your left shoulder and your body will be facing the target. at the completion of the follow through your weight should be balanced on your front foot and hip and back foot on its toes. From this position you should the be able to comfortably watch the ball fly through the air into the distance.

The down swing and back swing should be the very natural result of everything that proceeds it.

You have just watched or imagined your ball fly down the fairway and hence have just finished reading or doing the steps on how to do a golf swing. These golf swing instructions in five steps give you a basic guide and you will improve with practise.