Most golf teachers can quickly tell if you have a solid golf swing. All they have to do is watch you swing. The ability to tell if you have a great swing isn’t instinctive. It comes from years of studying the swing’s mechanics and from giving hundreds of golf lessons and explaining golf tips. It takes a lot of hard work to be able to spot a great swing. But the work ultimately pays off in knowing what makes a golf swing great.
Recreational golfers—even those with low golf handicaps—can’t always tell when a golf swing is great. That’s because they really don’t know what the elements of a great golf swing are. They play by “feel” so to speak. That’s unfortunate. Knowing the elements of a great swing provides a target for golfers to work toward in perfecting their swings. Eventually, the work that goes into perfect a golf swing improves their ballstriking and their golf handicaps. Let’s examine the elements of a great swing.
Balance Throughout The Swing
Balance is critical to a great swing. It’s among the first things teachers notice when giving golf lessons. Balance throughout the swing stems from a good set-up featuring the following items:
* Head comfortably positioned behind the ball
* Back shoulder slightly lower than the front shoulder
* Both shoulders aligned parallel left of target
* Neutral hands positioned just inside the front leg
* Knees slightly flexed with the chest stacked above it
* Feet positioned slightly wider than shoulder width
A set-up featuring these elements provides great balance. Without it, you’ll never find the position you need to properly deliver the clubhead.
A Great Takeaway
A solid takeaway also keys a great swing, The subject of many golf lessons, a solid takeaway features a clubhead that travels back along the target line, with the face remaining pointed at the golf ball until the wrists hinge. The hands and shoulders must be in “sync” during the takeaway. In addition, the arms must remain ahead of the chest and the knees must stay slightly flexed. The front knee points at the ball. A good takeaway produces the next element of a great golf swing—a tight coil at the top of the swing.
A Great Coil At The Top
Covered in many golf lessons, the coil at the top of the swing is the seat of power. A great top position also is helps maintain your spine angle. The key to a great top position is to rotate your body behind the ball within the circle defined by your hips. A great coil features a front shoulder rotated to a point directly below the chin, the shaft lying parrellel to the ground directly above the back shoulder, the back knee comfortably accepting the transfer of weight while holding off the tendency to straighten, and the front knee still pointing at the golf ball.
Fluid Downswing
Impact is referred to as “the moment of truth.” But it’s the downswing that determine what tat moment of truth will be. If you downswing sequence is fluid, contact with the ball is solid. The priority in the downswing is to keep the club on the proper plane, with the shaft sitting between your forearms on the way down. A key to achieving a fluid downswing is to keep your front shoulder from spinning open too quickly. The hips and shoulders need to stay in sync and your feet stay planted. A fluid downswing also features rigid spine angles, flexed knees, and a steady head, just like you read about in golf tips.
Solid Impact
Key features of a solid impact features the back shoulder slightly lower than the front, forming a wall through which to hit. The front shoulder, arm, and hip form a straight line. In addition, the hands have returned to the same position they held at address, the front wrist is as flat as can be, and both hands are leading the clubhead into the ball. The right foot has transferred weight to the left without the body or head moving ahead of the ball.
The golf swing is simple. It’s merely a turn backward and forward, with your front knee serving as serving as the hub of both turns. But achieving this simplicity isn’t easy. Knowing the elements of a great golf swing helps. Once achieved, a great golf swing improves ballstriking and helps pare down your golf handicap.
