Golf is a funny game in a lot of ways. One of the things that many golfers run into which gives them trouble is the fact that the more you learn about the game, the more complex it can become. More specifically, the more you learn about the mechanical aspects of the golf swing, the more complicated it seems to be. Ideally, it would be the opposite – as you learned more and gained experience, it would start to become easier and less complex. In fact, the golfers who are able to keep their swing as simple as possible are usually the ones who are the most successful.

The golf swing only takes a second or two to complete from start to finish. That isn’t very much time, and it certainly isn’t enough time to think about very many mechanical thoughts. If you have taken any golf lessons, or watched golf instruction on TV, you probably already know terms like swing plane, lag, clubface position, pronation, center of gravity, and more. You could fill an entire dictionary with simply the terms that are tossed around by golfers when discussing their swings.

At this point, the problem should be obvious – there just isn’t enough time during the swing to think about all of these various elements. The golf swing is supposed to be a rhythmic, fluid motion, but it can be robbed of its rhythm when technical thoughts start to creep into your mind. The challenge for every golfer is to learn enough about the technical aspect of the swing so that they can make a proper swing, but then not think about those mechanics while actually hitting a shot. It is a challenge that many golfers never quite conquer.

So what does all of this talk about golf swing technique have to do with the shoulder turn in golf swing? Well, everything. The shoulder turn is a crucial element of a successful swing, but it is also one of the simple parts that you can think about while making a swing. Most golfers find their best success when they only have one swing thought at a time – and thinking about making a perfect golf swing through a good shoulder turn is a great plan. You won’t be overloading your brain with information, and you also will be remembering to focus on one of the key elements to a good swing.

It might be helpful to think of your shoulder turn as the engine of your golf swing. By nature, golf is a rotational game – you build up speed by rotating your body toward the target as fast as possible while remaining in control and on balance. Too much side to side movement is a disaster for your swing, which is what makes the shoulder turn such a vital element. If you are able to make a big shoulder turn during your backswing, it will ‘load up’ your swing with energy that can be unleashed down toward the ball. A bad shoulder turn leads to a weak arm-only hit at the ball, and disappointing results are sure to follow. To make sure you understand the importance of the shoulder turn, pay close attention the next time you watch professional golf in TV. While you will see a variety of different mechanics and techniques used to hit good shots, you won’t find any players on Tour without a good shoulder turn. It is simply a prerequisite to playing good golf.