Playing golf as a beginner can be intimidating and frustratingly challenging. Millions of golf swing tips for beginners are available at your fingertips, which may be highly perplexing because most of them contradict each other, leaving you to figure out which are good and which aren’t that helpful.
Like most golfers, I struggled as a beginner golfer when I first picked up a golf club years ago.
But, after hours of research, I was able to test and prove which beginner golf tips you should pay attention to and which you should disregard. In this article, we’ll go through all the golf swing basics that you need to know.
| Key Takeaways One of the first golf tips you should remember is to avoid trying to piece together your golf swing from other random tips. You should ignore them and focus on the golf swing as a whole. As a new golfer, you must learn your golf swing in a specific sequence, or you may struggle your entire life with the most typical flaws, such as casting the golf club, scooping, swinging over the top, and slicing. The golf swing is a self-contained ecosystem built on cause and effect. When you perform “A,” the output is predetermined to be “B, C, or D.” Looking at the golf swing in this manner simplifies it and makes the entire process easier to understand since everything has a logical order and sequence. |
Beginner’s Guide to the Golf Swing
When you play golf, there are specific fundamentals you need to understand and master. You can consider them your best chance at improving your golf swing’s consistency and overall game.
These fundamentals are intended to help you focus, be more consistent, and be better organized. But one thing to keep in mind as you go through the tips is consistency. Once you develop a consistent swing, half of the battle is already won.
So without further ado, here are the top golf swing tips for beginners to start you off on the right foot:
Always Grip the Club Properly
Everything starts with the grip, which is arguably the most fundamental component of the golf swing. Often, the issues you will experience will likely be addressed by simply modifying your grip.
In general, there are three types of grips: the weak grip, the neutral grip, and the strong grip.
In a weak grip, the ‘V’ shapes point to the left side of your head. This grip encourages a less closed club face through impact and a more out-to-in swing.
Meanwhile, in a neutral grip, the ‘V’ shapes point up toward your nose. As its name implies, this grip is meant for those who hit the ball fairly straight or prefer to play both shot shapes on the golf course.
Finally, a strong grip ensures that the ‘V’ shapes formed by your thumbs and hands point to the right side of your head. Generally, it’s the grip most students are directed to use since it can help someone who swings over the top or has issues with slicing the ball.
Which grip to use is a matter of personal preference and entirely up to you. Having said that, here are the steps to perform the neutral grip properly.
How to Do the Neutral Grip
If you favor using your right arm, the neutral grip is achieved by gripping the golf club with the clubhead resting on the ground and facing directly ahead of you.
Grip the golf club underhand with your left hand just above the halfway point so that:
- Your thumb is on the top of the shaft
- two knuckles can be seen from the address position
- The crease between your left thumb and index finger points at your right shoulder.
Then, with your right hand, grasp the club as follows:
- The crease between your right thumb and right index finger points in the general direction of your right shoulder.
- The fleshy region of your right palm is where your left thumb rests
- Your right thumb rests further down the shaft over the top, and all of your right hand’s fingers, save the pinky, are in contact with the grip.
You can either overlap your right pinky into the crease between your left index finger and left middle finger or interlock your left index finger and right pinky with your right pinky touching your left hand. See also: Ultimate Guide for Left-Handed Players
Here’s a video testing the different golf grips:
Address the Golf Ball the Right Way
Addressing golf balls consists of two parts: great posture and alignment. It’s crucial that you master both of these.
Posture
Ensuring proper posture is extremely important as it helps establish an excellent foundation for a consistent swing with a solid coil.
See to it that you’re always in the correct position. Bend over the ball using your hip joints rather than your waist.
Check out the video to see how proper posture at address is done:
A rounded back is a sign of poor posture; maintain your back straight but take care not to arch it. Also, don’t forget to bend your knees slightly.
Making a few practice backswings at address can help you determine the optimal position to enhance your swing mobility.
Alignment
Without proper alignment, you won’t be able to achieve the results you want. It’s common for many golfers to assume they’re correctly aligned even when they’re not. Both your shoulder and foot lines should be parallel to your intended target line.
Picking a point a few feet in front of you on the target line and setting up square to that point is a handy little tip to help you establish proper position. It’s easier to evaluate whether or not you’re square when you’re turning to a spot close to you as a reference.
A simple tweak to achieve proper alignment can significantly help improve your game.
See Also: Ultimate Guide for Left-Handed Players
Practice a Smooth and Controlled Backswing
Once you’ve sorted out your grip and address, it’s time to start working on your backswing.
Learning how to perform a backswing properly isn’t nearly as complicated as others make it seem. All you need to do is find a technique that works and practice it consistently.
All that matters is a solid strike that regularly flies down the target line, and whichever backswing helps you do that while not putting undue strain on your body is one you should stick with.
The point of the backswing is to rotate away from the target. Try to rotate your shoulders during a full swing until your left shoulder (if you’re a right-handed golfer) is just about beneath your chin.
As a beginner, you should concentrate on maintaining a level head and moving it as little as possible.
For added power, you may want to hinge your wrists as you take the club back so that the club is virtually parallel to the ground at the top. Use the same principles, but with less wrist hinge and a shorter swing if you want less power.
Throughout the turn, focus on the ball or a spot near it. Perform the backswing in a comfortable fashion and at an unhurried pace.
Make a Nice Downswing Through the Ball
At this point, your aim is to swing back through the ball from the top of the backswing to complete the downswing.
To prevent hitting it fat or thin, keep your eyes on the ball, your feet anchored, and your head as level as possible.
As the clubhead approaches the ball, rotate your shoulders back towards the target and let your wrists naturally unhinge.
“Killing the Ball”
Accelerate through the ball at a steady pace, but don’t try to “kill” the ball at first. Attempting to swing too hard tenses the muscles involved in the swing and negatively affect your form.
You need not worry; you’ll gradually swing faster as you develop more consistency and gain experience.
Perform Necessary Adjustments Based on the Issues You’ll Encounter
Now that you’ve covered the basics, you need to acknowledge one thing: there’s no such thing as a perfect golf swing, and at times, you’ll have a predominant miss.
There will always be something you need to work on, whether it’s a slice, a hook, a ball that’s too low, a ball that’s too high, a tendency to top it, hit it fat, or hit it near the toe or heel.
That’s what we’re going to cover next.
Most Common Golf Swing Issues
The first few times you pick up those golf clubs, you must remember that many factors can affect your game. For instance, your swing’s success depends not just on your technique but also on the clubs you use on the course. After all, you’re choosing from different types of clubs throughout a game, and each has its own challenges that you need to overcome.
As a result, it’s not surprising that you commit several mistakes. The following are the most common issues you will encounter and the simple solutions to correct them:
Poor Alignment
Poor alignment is a frequent golf swing issue that causes many players to struggle with consistency and improvement. Most new golfers aim too far right or left of their targets, resulting in numerous shots or putts that miss the mark.
To correct this, practice positioning your feet and shoulders when you do your drills at the golf driving range. Place a club or alignment stick along the line of your feet and the target line.
Your feet should be parallel to the goal, and the golf club should be aimed squarely toward it. Once you get comfortable with this, it becomes an excellent way to align yourself during a round.
Golf Slice
Golf slices, which are shots that curve from left to right out of the target, are quite common. It occurs when golfers with weak grips have an open clubface swing with an outside to inside swing path on the downswing. A slice ball flight is produced as a result.
The most effective method to fix a golf slice is to strengthen your golf grip so that at least two knuckles are visible on the left hand. Then, swing the golf club with a square face. This will cause the club to go more on an inside to outside downswing path, resulting in a straighter ball flight.
Topped Golf Shot
The topped golf shot is one where the top of the golf ball is struck, resulting in little air time. As a result, the ball moves forward with little to no distance. This shot usually occurs when golfers rise out of their stance on the downswing, moving further away from the ball, making solid contact more difficult.
The best fix is to practice hitting shots with your buttocks up against a chair or wall, which helps your behind to remain pushed back. Maintaining the distance your chest is from the ball at set up and holding it all the way through impact is also beneficial.
Fat Golf Shot
The fat golf shot occurs when you strike the ground behind the golf ball, creating a large divot before making contact. This happens when the golfer fails to shift their weight correctly in the downswing, leaving all their weight on the rear side.
To fix this, keep your feet together when practicing. It causes the weight to shift from the rear to the front. Stand with your feet close together and take golf swings, making sure you bottom out in the same spot on the grass each time. This drill ensures a consistent ball-first, turf-second golf shot.
Inside Takeaway
Regardless if you’re using the best super game improvement irons around, it’s still common for a beginner such as yourself to take the golf club inside too quickly at the start of the swing. The arms and hands roll, and the clubhead gets dragged inside, causing problems with the rest of the swing.
Put a tee in the butt end of the grip and practice swinging with the brush toward the rear thigh. This assures the clubhead will work better back in the takeaway with it outside the line of the hands. Doing this will also get your golf swing on a better plane right from the start.
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