Golf Swing Improvement Tips for Beginners

The quest to improve your golf swing will be ongoing for as long as you play the game. Accept that now. Many golfers don’t and they wind up quitting the game. It’s a shame because their inability to accept that working on your golf swing is part of the game deprives them of the ability to enjoy the moment. Don’t let that happen to you. This article offers a few golf swing improvement tips to help make the game both satisfying and fun.

Golf Swing Improvement Takes More Than Practice

Yes, practice is important. But it’s equally important to practice the right things. Everything from preparing your thoughts, your setup, to all the stages of your actual swing can affect the outcome. Improving your golf swing requires knowing the correct form at each stage and recognizing where your own movements fall short.

Improving Your Golf Swing Takes Mastering Your Body

Approach golf swing improvement from the inside-out. Start with mastering your body’s movements on the course. If your body is not moving correctly, you won’t ever be able to make a perfect golf swing with any power or accuracy consistently.

For every golf swing problem, there is an underlying “physical” reason why it keeps happening. You’re not turning at the right time or far enough. You’re swinging too fast or not fast enough. Your feet are improperly planted. Your body weight is shifted too far or not far enough. You’re swinging down when you should be swinging through. And on and on and on. Improving your golf swing is about the mechanics of coordinating body, club, and ball movements in the right way.

Your body dictates how efficient you will be with your golf swing mechanics. Ever felt like you can’t make a full turn or backswing? Do you think the solution is hitting more balls or taking more golf lessons?

It’s not! It’s improving your golf-specific flexibility.

Once you address and improve your physical limitations, your golf swing mechanics fall into place, with very little effort.

The right approach to golf swing improvement is to look at the faults in your existing swing and the body motion issues behind them. Then, practice the fundamentals related to correcting those faults until they are ingrained in your muscles. This will give you confidence on the course, and that confidence will lead to success and more enjoyment of the game.

Improve Your Golf Swing by Improving Your Golf Setup Position

One of the most basic changes you can make that will let you see an immediate improvement to your golf swing is to keep your head still and look straight at the ball. The position of your head should be straight in line with your spine. Your nose should be raised up a bit so that when you start to swing, your left shoulder tucks under your chin. Players often make the mistake of tucking their head into their chest to try to keep their head still and look straight down at the golf ball. The problem is that you can’t perform a proper golf swing while in this position.

To help you keep your head straight and your eye on the ball, try this little exercise. When you approach the ball, assume the correct stance with your feet and knees in Triangle Position. Keep your head and back straight. Bend forward slightly at the waist, and look straight at the ball. If you try to swing in this position, your left shoulder will most likely hit your chin.

Now, while keeping your eyes on the ball, raise your head slowly until your left shoulder does not hit your chin. To ensure that your head does not move from side to side, keep your eyes fixed on the ball. Slowly go through the backswing and downswing portions of your golf swing. Do not hit the ball, but do the follow-through. Practice this portion of your golf swing, focusing on keeping your head straight and eyes on the ball.

Learning to keep your head in the correct position is essential to developing a good golf swing, so practice this exercise several times. As you do, make minor corrections to your head and body position as needed to keep your eyes straight on the ball and your left shoulder (or right if you’re a lefty hitter) from hitting your chin.

Allow this exercise to “train” your body. Once it does, your muscles will “remember” the correct position you need to be in to perform the movement correctly. Your body will then instinctively do assume the correct position when you setup to begin your golf swing.

To Improve Your Golf Swing, Relax

Training your “muscle memory” to relax is an invaluable tool in improving your golf swing and the rest of your game. Relaxing your muscles will help you to maintain the proper balance that is so important to a great golf swing. Regardless of the golf clubs you use, your balance is the primary foundation of your golf swing, and the way to achieve good balance is to practice. When your body is out of balance some muscles are shorter than normal, and others are longer than normal. This disrupts the flow of proper golf swing mechanics.

A good way to practice improving your balance is to assume the address position with your club, relax your body, and try holding it there for about 30 seconds. Watch the video to see the proper way to setup to address the ball.

To relax, take a few practice swings. Does it feel like you have more weight on one foot than on the other? Is one part of your body more tense than another?

As you stand addressing the ball, focus on forming clear mental pictures of your target. Concentrate on where you want the ball to land. Mentally “feel” your swing. Feel the speed and timing as you stand still in setup mode. The clearer your mental pictures, the clearer the roadmap your body will have available to follow as you begin your golf swing. Once again, you are training your muscle memory.

Keep that “feel” in mind when you begin your swing and hit the ball.

Practice These Two Golf Swing Improvement Tips

Keeping your head straight and relaxing during setup are just two basic parts of improving your golf swing. You can work on either of these exercises separately or combine them. Training the muscles of your body to properly perform specific movements takes time and practice. The effort spent improving your golf swing will pay off on the course. Through exercise and practice, you will be able to slip into the proper address position and perform an effortless, powerful golf swing.

Now, golf is fun again!

So when you think of playing better golf, think of these golf swing improvement tips.

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