At Stick and Hack we pride ourselves on being a community of golfers who love the game but don’t take it too seriously. However, every now and then we want to showcase the cerebral part of our content and that despite our best efforts to the contrary, we do know a thing or two about golf. Granted, we had to go find this information elsewhere, but nonetheless, here it is.

Thanks to Dan Smith, founder and editor of BirdiesCrazyGolf.com for his contribution to the Stick and Hack nation.

7 Top Tips for Improving Your Golf Swing

No matter what clubs or equipment you have in your golfing arsenal, one thing is for certain – if you don’t get your golf swing correct, it will cost you the game. 

A golf swing is much more than simply stepping up to the ball and hitting it with as much force as possible. It’s a delicate sequence of movements that, when stitched together in one fluid motion, ensure that you create the right amount of impact on the ball and send it exactly where it needs to go.

We’ve previously spoken in-depth about how to perfect your golf swing, but here we’ll give you our seven top tips for improving your golf swing that, when carried out properly, will give you a powerful move that will leave your competitors in awe!

1 – Correct Ball Placement

Depending on where your ball has landed following your previous shot, and on where you need it to go next, you need to make sure that the ball is correctly positioned away from you, and that the club you choose is the correct type for the job at hand. 

To get the best shot, your club’s head should be laying flush against the ground and directly behind the ball. If you’re choosing to position your ball on a tee, make sure to place it so that the equator is an equal height with the crown of the driver or, if you’re going to be using a flat iron, place the ball on the tee only ever so slightly off the ground.

2 – Position Your Club

As you begin to bring your club up into the air for your takeaway, make sure that your club is in the correct position for the path you’re taking. There are three takeaway paths, and each one requires your club to be positioned differently.

If you’re going for an inside takeaway, make sure you bring your clubhead towards your body as you carry out your swing. This takeaway is the best technique to use for a draw or a hook.

To get the perfect fade or slice, you need to use an outside takeaway. The perfect club position for this involves moving the clubhead away from your body as you begin to drawback, which will make the shaft of your club point to the left of your target. 

But, if you need to take a straight shot, go for a square takeaway and position your clubhead in line with the target as soon as you begin your swing. This will make the club’s shaft point directly at your target.

3 – Use Your Hips

The temptation to use your torso to turn when you begin your backswing is something that every golfer needs to try and not give into. Using your torso will result in misplaced weight distribution, which can kill the shot.

Instead, make sure that you’re using your hips to turn your body as you begin bringing your arms up, moving upwards as you start raising your club and pausing as soon as you reach the top of your swing. 

You want your swing to be as fluid as possible, and using your hips instead of your torso will stop any rigidity occurring. However, make sure that you’re not overly swaying your hips, but instead allowing them to move naturally with the flow of the shot.

4 – It’s All In The Wrist

As you reach the top of your swing, the way that you’ve positioned your wrists will have a great impact on how the rest of the shot goes.

Make sure that your left wrist is positioned at a 20-degree angle, and is not bowed or cupped, as this will result in your hands arching upwards. 

To ensure you get it right every time, begin hinging your wrists towards the end of your backswing, once the club begins to become parallel with the ground. This will make the ball soar through the air in a straight line and won’t create any sidespin. 

5 – Transfer Your Weight

As you start to bring your club back down towards the ground during your downswing, it’s important to make sure that the weight you’re holding in your right foot now needs to be transferred over to your left foot.

This is a delicate balance and needs to be done as gradually as possible in conjunction with the speed of your downswing. Again, make sure that you’re using your hips to achieve this weight transference, and to bring your shoulder back down. 

If you don’t transfer the weight properly, your right foot will still hold the majority of it and this can result in a reverse pivot which, in turn, will lead to not enough force meeting the ball upon impact.

6 – Keep Your Spine & Head In Place

The perfect 45-degree angle that you’ve kept your spine in throughout the swing needs to be maintained as you make impact with the ball. So, instead of immediately looking up, keep your spine in this position until you’ve reached the follow-through, as it will not only result in a much more powerful strike but will also reduce the chances of your club hitting the ball either too low or too high.

Likewise, your head also needs to be kept in the same position as looking away from the ball before you’ve made impact could distract you from where the ball is placed on either the ground or its tee, and you could miss the shot altogether!

7 – Don’t Drop Out Too Early

Once you’ve made impact with the ball, it is easy to think that you can just drop out of your position and go back to your usual stance. The ball is in the air after all, right?

Although it’s tempting to look up and see where the ball is going the second you’ve made impact with it, you actually need to make sure that your follow-through is as balanced and consistent as the rest of your swing.

Keep your hips pointed towards the target, which is where they will have naturally found their way to through correct weight transfer, and finish with your weight fully on your left foot. 

Following through properly will ensure that the ball is lifted from the ground or the tee properly, and will give it everything it needs to get a good amount of distance and height behind it. 

Conclusion

Following these simple tips and applying them to your swing will result in enhanced performance, and will also help you get a better understanding of where everything needs to be for each stage of your swing. 

Remember, consistency is key, so keep practicing and pretty soon you’ll be playing your way around the course with improved skill and new found confidence.