Golf tip articles based on the key terms in golf.
Articles explaining the meaning of the term, how it applies to each aspect of the game, and how to do it correct vs. wrong (e.g. each type of club).
Since we’re a golf-centric website, this page is aimed at helping you mitigate some of the biggest golf swing issues or mistakes. After all, golf is a complex sport, and the golf-swing is pretty difficult to master if you don’t have a personal trainer, that provided you’re not a “natural”. Just pay a visit to the closest driving range and if you have the “magic eye” you’ll be able to see dozens of golf swing mistakes in a matter of minutes.
And that’s not abnormal or shocking, because after all’s said and done, the golf swing involves many moving parts, hence there are literally dozens of things that can go wrong. However, you can dramatically improve your game just by getting rid of the obvious mistakes, the foundational problems respectively, which are the main culprits when it comes to creating follow-on errors. It’s the slippery slope theory basically: if you get the fundamentals wrong, nothing works as it should.
Let’s begin with the athlete's bane: not warming up before your game. Yes, this may sound like an obvious error, but you won’t believe how many people don’t engage in a warm-up session before trying to hit that 300 yards off the tee. It’s a rookie mistake not warming up, and it’s very common. Why is this happening? Well, Saturday morning golfers usually don’t know that golf is a serious sport that requires warming up.
So, don’t forget to warm up properly before starting hitting your sticks in a golf-frenzy. Before starting your round, go and take a couple of swings with each club in your bag; we'd recommend you start with the wedges, and then progress through fairway metals and driver. Remember that warm, loose and limber muscles are the key to achieving that powerful yet relaxed swing we’re all seeking.
The second biggest mistake is arguably choosing the wrong club or set of clubs. It’s not very clear to us why, but many golfers live under the impression that all golf gear is basically the same, it’s just the branding that’s different. That’s what happens when you fail to do proper internet research, or at least ask for advice on an online-forum, or from someone who really knows the golf 101s. It’s pretty obvious that having proper gear is essential in any endeavor, including golf, hence buying the right clubs (fitted correctly to match your swing type and all that) will help you eliminate many swing issues, which may be due to literally crappy clubs. So, choose your clubs carefully before blaming it on bio-mechanics.
The third biggest mistake is swinging too hard. There’s an old saying, don’t try too hard, and the same applies to the golf swing. However, there are many culprits for today’s fixation with the power side of the game, including golf gear manufacturers, which seem obsessed with marketing-metrics about distance/power gains. Basically, the finesse aspect of the game was hijacked by the dark-side (power side); we’re only joking a little bit, because golfers themselves seem to have been asking for it, as all you hear is more distance, more power; as a consequence of “power greed”, many players tend to swing too fast and too hard.
Ideally speaking, a hard and fast swing will deliver a longer shot, but the world we’re living in is far from ideal. In order to achieve the perfect shot, you’ll have to strike the ball exactly in the middle of the club face, and the average golfer is not capable of doing that routinely. The morale of the story is: slow it down a little bit, and you’ll see how your shots get cleaner, more consistent, and, in time, you’ll achieve better distance.
Gripping too tightly is another rookie mistake, which can also be blamed on trying to swing too hard.
So, gripping too tightly is the other side of the coin so to speak, and makes for another common error. If you look closely, you can literally see the swollen veins popping out of the wrists/hands of the rookies as they hold on desperately to their clubs, as if their life depended on it. The golf swing is actually an athletic motion, and in order to do it properly, you must be relaxed and a little loose for best results. If you grip too tightly, you’ll get the opposite effect, i.e. due to stiff and ineffective muscles, your swing will be slower than expected.
Poor alignment is what inexperienced golfers do every day of the week, and it’s one of the main culprits when it comes to bad shots. To give you the TL;DR version, proper alignment means that your toes must be lined up parallel to the target line. The stance line and the target line can be compared to 2 rails on a railroad track, i.e. they’re both going the same direction, with the left rail being aimed slightly to the left of the right rail, i.e. not at the same point.
Another thing to keep in mind is that alignment must be checked out regularly, as every professional golfer knows by default. You can practice your alignment skills by placing alignment rods or even golf clubs during your practice sessions, or, why not, ask a friend or a professional to make sure you’re getting it right.
Poor timing is yet another critical element when it comes to swinging mistakes. Timing is the science of making a swing look unhurried and fluid, or natural if you prefer. And yes, timing is a critical aspect of pro golf, and the secret behind an impeccable and productive golf swing. If you want to achieve good timing, you’ll require serious practice, not to mention lots of repetition. But it can be done, especially if you seek the help of a professional.
Having a poor grip can be compared to having bad tires on your car; basically, the grip is the only point of contact between the club and your body, where the rubber meets the road so to speak, hence having an incorrect grip will result in literal disaster. A proper grip should be firm, yet not tight; another no-no procedure is to hold the club too much in your palms. Doing so will not allow your wrists to move freely, so try to hold the club with your fingers mostly, as fingers are way more sensitive compared to palms. The most common error when it comes to poor grip issues is having a grip that’s either too weak or too strong. Just breathe deeply, relax, chill, don’t try too hard and allow your hands grip the club so as the palms face each other, in a natural fashion that is. The V shape created by your finger and thumb must point at your right shoulder.
No acceleration is another common swing mistake, and the obvious sign of an amateur who fails to create a proper swing that progressively and smoothly builds up acceleration/speed is that he’s scooping at the ball. This phenomenon is a telltale sign of lack of trust in one’s swing, and it’s closely related to the timing issue addressed previously. If you swing properly, the club should build-up speed and power as it comes down, in a free-flowing action, as opposed to literally decelerating on the forward swing.
Shooting at the flag is another bad idea, provided you’re not Bubba Watson. You should concentrate and put all your effort into hitting the center of the green and nothing else. From there on, it’s a putter’s job. That’s another good reason for working hard on your putting skills, as putting has a higher success rate compared to sand play and chipping.
If you consider the fact that the true power of a swing comes from leverage, the lack of a full shoulder turn will make you lose that leverage. So, if you’re that kind of golfer that makes a fake shoulder turn, you will destroy any chance to use the torque and power stored into your shoulders for achieving that killer golf-swing we all know and love.
Finally, a few words about swinging over the top. This term is used by many golfers, but most of them don’t know what they’re talking about. And no, it’s not that movie with Sylvester Stallone. Keep in mind that the golf swing is moving both back and forth, as well as up and down. Rookies tend to begin to turn their shoulders on the forward swing (at the top of the swing that is) instead of allowing their arms to fall down on an inside path. What does it mean? Well, the club will swing wide over the ideal swing-trajectory/path, and then it will cut across the target line.
If you’re a right-handed golfer, like most of us, swinging over the top ends up in the famous slice, also known as banana ball. The truth is, due to lack of experience and practice, people tend to make the golf swing more difficult than it really is. If you want to see rapid improvement in your game, just get rid of these basic (yet big) swing mistakes; check out video tutorials on Golf Info Guide, and you’ll see it’s really easy, just start doing it today.
