The post 5 swing fundamentals every golfer needs for more consistent results appeared first on Golf.

The post 5 swing fundamentals every golfer needs for more consistent results appeared first on Golf.

It doesn’t matter how good of a golfer you are, because part of what makes the game so fun (and frustrating) is the fact that the work never stops.

For instance, just because you shot one over today doesn’t mean you’ve “figured it out” and all of a sudden are on your way toward becoming a scratch player. Without continuing to hone your skills and work on the fundamentals, there’s a good chance you’ll see regression in your overall game.

But there are so many elements to the game of golf — especially in the swing — that it can be tough to zero in on which fundamentals are the most important. To help, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Justin Parsons walks through five must-know golf swing fundamentals that will improve your game.

In the video below, Parsons, who coaches 2023 Open Championship winner Brian Harman, leans on the major champ to demonstrate the importance of each fundamental (courtesy of Titleist’s YouTube channel). So take a look and start your path toward lower scores today.

Master these golf swing fundamentals to lower your scores

In the video, Parsons says that the one thing that’s clear to him during his time teaching golf over the past 10-15 years is that understanding the basic fundamentals goes a long way in how successful you are as a player.

“The way that we stand, how we grip the golf club, how we setup to the golf ball — these all have a massive impact on the golf swing,” he shares.

So what are Parsons’ most critical golf swing fundamentals? He describes five of them.

Setup, aim, alignment

It all begins with the proper setup, and Parsons acknowledges the importance of this by saying much of the good (and bad) in your golf swing comes from how you set up to the ball.

“There are a lot of things about your golf setup that are going to have a big impact on how your golf swing’s going to operate and move,” he says.

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Parsons then dives into how setting up correctly can impact whether or not you aim properly.

“For example, if I’m a player who tends to aim to the right too much, my golf swing is going to get flatter, so I’ll potentially get inside [on the swing path] and will hook the ball,” he says.

So treat the setup as your baseline to everything else in the golf swing.

Distance from the ball

It might sound basic, but one of the most commonly asked questions I often hear is how far away someone should stand from the golf ball. Since I’m just a mid-handicapper and not a golf teacher, I’ll allow Parsons to explain why this fundamental is so important to understand.

“The best players in the world are very consistent with their distance from the ball [while in posture],” he says. “How we set up to the golf ball, how we hinge our hips, how we get our spine into position, and where our balance points are, that’s a huge impact on how the golf club’s going to swing up and around our body. If you’re too far away from the ball and you’re going to get off-balance in your swing, your swing itself will move into different positions.”

Stop overcompensating for faulty mechanics

Something interesting that Parsons addresses in the video is a common one among amateur golfers — trying to overcompensate for faulty mechanics.

A personal example of this is my brain trying to speed up my hands due to a lack of rotation in my backswing. Since I don’t have solid fundamentals from the start, I’m working to play catch up — which is something that Parsons discusses.

“There are so many complications that occur from faulty fundamentals,” he says. “I always try to trace a player’s initial assessment back to their fundamentals [as a coach], as it’s somewhere where we can build the foundations of what they’re doing, and something we can revisit without confusing them.”

Stay in posture through the golf swing

Next, Parsons discusses how many different types of golf swings he sees — whether it’s from a PGA Tour player or just an amateur who’s looking to get better. His reminder? There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, so long as your fundamentals are solid.

“I like to see people staying in posture through the golf swing — certainly through their backswing,” he says. “I also like to see the change of direction from the backswing to the forward swing.”

Balance and sequencing

Expanding off having good posture, Parsons then lists balance and sequencing as the final golf fundamental that every player needs to dial in for more consistency.

“I like to look for good balance, good sequencing and good posture more than I might look at positions,” Parsons says. “If your fundamentals are good, your body is in a position where you’re asking it to do things you’re capable of, and your sequencing and balance are good, that’s a good way to swing the club effectively.”

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The post 5 swing fundamentals every golfer needs for more consistent results appeared first on Golf.

The post The top 10 fundamentals needed for a great golf swing appeared first on Golf.

The post The top 10 fundamentals needed for a great golf swing appeared first on Golf.

I teach a lot of beginners. I have had many golfers take their first lesson with me.

I love teaching beginners because I know if I can get them set up well with a good grip and posture the ball will get in the way and the ball will fly.

While hand-eye coordination is nice, I don’t think it is as important for golf as maybe some other sports due to the fact that the ball is sitting still when you hit it and a good setup is more important than effort relying on being good at sport in general.

If you have tried golf and not had the success you wanted, take a lesson with a good teacher who likes teaching beginners and if you can get set up well, good things will happen.

The fundamentals that you need are learned and not always intuitive.

1. Lead hand grip

Your lead hand grip needs to be in the fingers (likely not comfortable) and as your arm hangs (likely not comfortable too, sorry!).

When you hold the grip properly in your fingers there will not be any gap between your fingers and the circle they form around the grip of the club. It has nothing to do with just grabbing the club in the most comfortable position.

Your lead hand should be as your arm hangs so that you can see some knuckles relative to the degree that your arm hangs palm facing in.

Your thumb should NOT be straight down the center of the grip in most cases and it should be off center. Many golfers are a bit surprised to learn that their thumb should not be down the center of the grip. For a right-handed golfer, the left-hand thumb should be right of center.

2. Trail hand grip

Your trail hand grip should cover the thumb of your lead hand and be secure but not tight. You can overlap or interlock one finger but the ring finger of your trail hand should be on the physical grip of the club.

If you have really small hands this may be difficult and in that case, you may consider a 10-finger grip.

The thumbprint of your trail hand should be on the grip of the club but its location may vary based upon your desired ball curvature.

3. Posture

Proper golf posture should be bent forward from the hips so that your chest of over your toes so that your arms can truly hang with your hands directly below your shoulders. Proper posture will help the club get down to the ground properly.

Many newer golfers aren’t comfortable with bending forward enough from the hips. It can be a bit uncomfortable to truly bow properly and have your eyes get closer to the ground. This is correct and will help with balance and power.

Incorrect posture where you bend your knees too much and squat will often produce topped and thin shots and difficulty staying in balance. Don’t confuse comfort with correct.

4. Stance Width

When the ball is on the ground stance width should be approximately hip width and not wider other than with your driver. A stance that is too wide will lead to too much lateral motion and turn into a sway. If your feet are the right width it is almost impossible to sway.

5. Backswing path

Every setup and swing are different and best when how each person is built is considered. A good backswing is generally circular in motion which allows rotation and allows the club to get around enough to return to the ball on the proper downswing path. Keeping your lead underarm close to your chest on your backswing will help to stabilize the club face and coordinate arm swing with body rotation.

6. Backswing length – It depends

Your maximum backswing length should reflect your flexibility level. You do not want to swing your club past your point of flexibility as it will make it very difficult to make solid contact as you will likely come out of your posture to avoid injury or straining.

7. Down to the ground

Once you are set up well and make a circular backswing to the length that your body will allow, if the ball is on the ground, you need to get the club down to the ground by allowing both arms, in particular your trail arm, to straighten down toward the ground as if you were throwing the club head into the turf. While it may be counter-intuitive, you do not need to lift or help the ball into the air but make sure your club hits the turf.

8. Proper release

On your forward swing, you want to release the club head and allow it to swing. This certainly is influenced by having a proper grip position for you.

Avoiding tension in your hands, wrists and arms will make this so much easier. When you allow the club head to release the club face will be more square at impact and the club will be moving at a higher rate of speed.

A good sign you are releasing the club head well is if you hear a swoosh noise at the bottom of your swing when the club is close to the ground.

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9. Speed

Once you have the set up building blocks and a solid swing you want to add speed. I will add speed to a fundamentally sound swing, but not until then. One of my favorite speed-generating training systems is the stack system. You can also do a swoosh drill with your club upside down and listen for the grip end to make the maximum noise possible.

10. Balance

Balance is the glue that holds all the fundamentals together. You can have the perfect setup and swing with speed and if you lose your balance it can certainly ruin great contact. You want to be in balance at address, throughout your swing and at the end of the swing as well. One of my favorite balance drills is practice swings with feet together. This requires balance throughout the swing to be able to maintain this position.

The building blocks to a successful set and swing are the keys to success and consistency. There are many of these skills that people think they do, but many do not.

A proper grip that is in the fingers and in a proper position to deliver a square club face is not intuitive and in most cases not comfortable until you see the ball fly and then it quickly becomes more so.

Same with posture in that proper golf posture may not be intuitive and in many cases is more from the hip than the knees that many golfers default to without coaching. Pay special attention to these building blocks to have a repeatable swing that holds up under pressure.

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The post Why ‘hitting angles’ are the secret to a rock-solid setup appeared first on Golf.

The post Why ‘hitting angles’ are the secret to a rock-solid setup appeared first on Golf.

The setup is the most critical part of the golf swing. Players all too often work on the bits and pieces in the swing once the club is in motion, rather than first fixing flaws that happen from a static position. But more times than not, the origin to a player’s swing fault lies in the setup.

The benefit for players working on their setup is that it’s mostly talentless. Anyone can work on and perfect their setup if they understand a few concepts, regardless of handicap or skill level. It’s not a complicated movement, either: Your body isn’t in motion, your brain just need to tell it what to do.

To set up to the ball more efficiently, players should properly get into their hitting angles. A hitting angle, in a nutshell, is the general shape that your body will be at impact. If a player can preset where they’ll be at impact, it is easier to return to that efficient and dynamic position when they actually swing. That’s what makes hitting angles so valuable.

To start, The upper body should be slightly back behind the lower body. The lead side will be fairly straight with tuck in the trailside, and the lead hip will be slightly above the trail hip. Note the green highlights below.

Proper arm structure is imperative as well. The player should have their trail arm bent and in front of them. The trail arm will be slightly below the lead arm and in a “pushing position.” This will also drop the trail shoulder below the lead shoulder.

This is nothing new, by the way. Many of the greats from the past get into very similar positions, Peter Thompson and Jack Nicklaus to name a few.

Your final setup checkpoint is your trail wrist. With these body angles, the trail wrist can have angle to it as well. This enhances the pushing motion and is the desired angle in the trail wrist at impact, which allows a descending blow.

The setup is the most easily controllable area of your swing, which is what makes it so important. Once you start correctly, the backswing is simply retaining your angles. The impact position is just a more dynamic version of your start position. This is a simple way to swing the golf club. Next time you’re in front of a mirror, look face-on and check your body position for these angles. Find your proper hitting angles, and you’ll be hitting better shots because of it.

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The post Golf swing basics: 4 drills to refresh your fundamentals this season appeared first on Golf.

The post Golf swing basics: 4 drills to refresh your fundamentals this season appeared first on Golf.

When it comes to your golf swing basics, there are four things that golfers need to prioritize above all else: Your grip, your posture, your stance, and your impact position. They’re all items golfers should be checking readily, but especially before you start playing a heavy stretch of golf, like before the start of the season.

Enter Todd Sones, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher who is here with a few tips to help you nail down your golf swing basics.

Golf Swing Basics #1: The grip

While there are lots of different types of grips, and making the necessary tweaks depends on your unique body, a good golf swing basic is for golfers to start with a neutral grip. To do this, Sones toe stand in a relaxed-and-upright position, with your arm hanging in your natural position. Allow the club to fall into your left hand, then hold your arm and the club in front of you, then place your right hand on the grip. The club should be in the fingers, not the palm.

Golf Swing Basics #2: Posture

Good posture is one of those golf swing basics that amateurs don’t think about enough. To make sure your posture doesn’t get sloppy, Sones says to stand in an upright position and place a club across your hip bones, just below your waistline. Move slowly into golf posture; the feeling you’re looking for here is to bend from the hips, not your back. you can help with this by keeping your back straight, and pushing the club back into your hips as you tilt your upper body forward.

Golf Swing Basics #3: Stance

The final of the setup-related golf swing basics that Sones shares is a tip to help with your stance. Now that you have a good grip and posture, you can set the right stance by holding the club in front of you with your left foot staggered behind your right. Set the clubface behind the ball, keep your right foot in place and step into the shot with your left foot, making sure it’s in-line with your right foot. Finish off your stance, Sones says, by making a small step too your right with your right foot.

Golf Swing Basics #4: Impact

Now that your setup is in good shape, Sones wants you to nail down your impact position — the most important part of your golf swing. Do this by taking your new setup position and making an abbreviated backswing, so your left arm is parallel to the ground and your club shaft forms a 90-degree angle with your arm. Once you get set in that position, swing through and stop post-impact. At this point, Sones said, your arms should be pointing straight at the target with your clubshaft parallel to the ground.

The post Golf swing basics: 4 drills to refresh your fundamentals this season appeared first on Golf.