The
Grip
The grip is without question the most important
fundamental in golf. The grip affects a multitude of
actions in the golf swing. A poor grip can affect
alignment, ball position, solid contact, ball flight,
lack of distance, fat shots and thins shots, just to
name a few.
Stance and Posture
How you stand to the ball also affects how you can swing
the club properly. A non-athletic setup will not allow
you to swing the club in a balanced, powerful motion.
Spine Angle
Probably the most important angle that one makes in the
golf setup. If you stand straight up with your head held
high, your spine angle in relation to the ground is 90
degrees. Now if you flex your knees and bend from the
hip joints until your spine is tilted to about 45
degrees in relation to the ground, that will be the
spine angle that you should maintain through the golf
swing.
Alignment
If you're not aiming correctly at a target, then you'll
have to swing the club off line in order to get the ball
to go to the intended target. Improper alignment forces
you to correct a mistake with another mistake.
The Backswing
This is the first step to a balanced, powerful swing
motion (assuming the prior fundamentals are correct). It
is most important that one gets the backswing started
properly.
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The
Top of the Swing
This position is short in duration but critical to the
rest of the golf swing. If positions are not correct
here, the forward swing and finish will be adversely
affected.
The Forward Swing
Bringing the club down from the top of the backswing to
impact or "the moment of truth." The forward
swing delivers the club to the ball on the proper bath
with a square face and with power.
The Finish
If it is balanced and free flowing, everything before
the finish was done properly. Your finish will usually
tell you if everything else was done properly. Also, pay
attention to the flight of the golf ball - it doesn't
care what you did, it only reacts to the strike it
receives from the club.
Please note that all 8 positions should be worked on
separately, starting with the grip until you think
you've mastered it. A professional who has a good eye
and a good grasp of the physics of the golf swing will
know what needs work and which positions have already
been accomplished.
Submitted
by Jack
Seltzer (Michigan)
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