The golf swing is one of the most impressive feats of athleticism in sports. Sure, it may not require the same explosiveness as dunking a basketball, but the margin for error in a golf swing is so small it’s remarkable when the pros flag a shot from hundreds of yards away.
Anyone who’s picked up the game can attest to golf’s difficulty. No matter how gifted an athlete you are, golf will humble you.
There are many ways to hit a bad shot on the golf course. (Trust me, I’d know.) But what’s the biggest swing mistake high-handicap players commonly make?
In the video below, GOLFTEC Director of Teaching Quality Josh Troyer explains.
The biggest swing mistake
GOLFTEC provides instruction for thousands of golfers each and every day — and they’ve put together quite a database of swings. And while there are tons of ways to hit a bad shot, the No. 1 mistake among high handicappers is easy to point to.
“Bad players tend to swing the club too many degrees out to in as they come to hit the golf ball,” Troyer says. “So their path is too far out to in.”
When you have a path that is too far out to in, you’ll cut across the golf ball through impact. This is a key ingredient in mega fades and slices and will rob you of tons of distance if it’s not fixed.
How can you fix it?
If you’re someone who have a huge out-to-in path, you’re in luck. There’s a relatively simple way to address the problem without making any making swing changes.
All you want to do is make a bigger turn during the backswing than you normally would. Then, when you initiate your downswing, try to feel like you’re keeping your back to the target a split second longer as you begin the transition with your lower body.
“Really exaggerate the amount of turning that you get,” Troyer says. “Then as you start down, move the club down before you start opening your shoulders. That’ll make it easier to keep the club traveling on a more in-to-out path and make it easier to avoid those big slices.”
If you want to get some expert insights into your swing — and learn how to eliminate this swing mistake — book a swing evaluation with GOLFTEC below.
