Do you think golf instructors over complicate things?
Arnold Palmer does.
He may be right.
Palmer thinks instructors over complicate the game. Instead, he says, simplify things—especially when it comes to the full swing. With all the ways we have of analyzing and teaching the swing, he may have something here. After all, he’s among golf’s all-time greats. So chances are he knows what he’s talking about.
Palmer may be right on another point. He thinks you only need to do a handful of things correctly—like keeping your head still throughout the swing or staying compact through the backswing—to play well.
We try to simplify things in our golf lessons when teaching the full swing. We focus closely on the basics. And that seems to work well with students. Below we provide some of the basics we teach in our golf instruction sessions. Ingrain them and you’ll improve both your game and your golf handicap.
- Keep it connected
Staying connected through the swing helps you control it. That’s especially true when it comes to the backswing. Each of us has physical limits. We can only take the club back so far. Two things happen when you overswing: You bend your left elbow and you loosen your grip on the club. Both are bad.
- Point your shoulder at the ball
Your front shoulder needs to move around and down on the downswing. This puts you in the right position to strike the ball squarely and forcefully. Weekend golfers tend to turn their shoulders too much on a level plane. They forget to point it down. This flattens the swing and limits the ability to hit the ball squarely.
- Keep your head in place
This is mostly a matter of concentration. Three keys to doing this, we tell students in our golf instruction session, are getting comfortable over the ball, retaining balance, and planting your feet nice and firm. If your body moves free and easy through the swing, you won’t get pulled off your axis.
- Stay over the ball
Swaying spells trouble. If you sway back on the backswing, you must come forward on the downswing. That makes it difficult to return the club squarely to the ball. Instead, put your weight on your front foot at address. And focus on keeping the right leg in position as you swing. These two adjustments will help keep you still.
- No wrist movement on the takeaway
You’ve probably heard this in golf lessons a thousand times. But it’s solid advice. Beginning your swing with no wrist action—at least for the first foot or so—gets your whole body into the act. It’s called “making a one piece takeaway.”
- Return your back elbow to your right side.
You can’t go wrong if you do this. Be conscious of unwinding the muscles of your front side as you uncoil. Keep your front arm straight and move your back elbow to your side as you start to come down.
Use your right-hand to supply the power and your left hand to guide the club. Avoid the right hand taking over at all costs. You want to get the feel that your hands are ahead of the club at impact.
You could do worse than follow these simple golf tips. They’ve helped many golfers over the years. So they should help you. Work on them when you’re on the range to increase consistency and cut strokes from your golf handicap.