Learning how to correct your golf swing is essential to allow greater contact between the ball and your golf club at impact. Even minimal errors can compromise the accuracy of your shots.
Knowing how to fix it right away would enhance your gameplay. If you wish to grab some tips on how to properly hit the golf ball, look no further.
In this article, we will cover questions such as
- What is the correct golf swing?
- How to golf swing properly?
- How to correct your golf swing?
How to Correct Your Golf Swing
Slicing or hooking the ball is one of the common mistakes you can commit when playing golf.
Beginner golfers are no stranger to this error as well as those players whose bodies grew accustomed to wrong swing techniques.
Needless to say, you would lose extra yardage when you do not know how to do a proper golf swing.
Fortunately, we will tackle the answer to What is the proper way to swing a golf club in this article.
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Mastering the proper stance
Before we can address the queries – what is the proper way to swing a golf club or what is the correct golf swing, there are several points that we need to consider in terms of stance.
Placing your front foot slightly ahead of the golf ball is the first key point that you need to remember. Doing so will allow your golf club to rest near the center of your body.
Feet should be slightly wider than your shoulder width, So, how to do a proper golf swing?
Of course, hitting the ball comes with several considerations based on the golf club that you use.
If you are carrying bigger clubs such as drivers or hybrids, it would be best to play them more towards your front foot.
On the flip side, golf clubs such as irons (which are smaller) are better played towards the middle of your stance
Another factor to take into account in mastering your stance is handedness.
If you are right-handed, you should place your left foot about one foot (or less) closer to the hole than the golf ball. Otherwise, your right foot should be the one near the hole.
The next thing you should do is to get close enough to the ball, but not too much.
It would allow the middle of the clubface to reach the ball, even with your arms straight as you put it in a relaxed position. Standing too close would only bend your elbows.
At the same time, standing too far away from the ball is discouraged because it would put your arms in an outstretched position.
Hence, slightly bend your upper body towards the ball and your torso away from it to get the precise distance.
Alignment is also essential in your stance. It is also a crucial step in how to do proper golf swing. So, how to golf swing properly? Make sure that your shoulders and feet are aligned.
Since it would indicate that the imaginary line that crosses from your back to the front shoulder is directly pointing at the ball or your target. It is often referred to as squaring your alignment.
One small detail that you should also not forget is to bend your knees slightly. If you wish to drive the ball to greater distances, you should work on your stiffness.
Bending your knees is often called the athletic stance and you should precisely have it. Swinging your club with your knees straight would be so unnatural.
Hence, it is certainly not the answer to what is the correct golf swing.
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Having a grip
What is the correct golf swing? Of course, you need to equip yourself first with the right techniques before you can learn how to golf swing properly.
Getting a grip is one of the steps that you should observe if you wish to know what is the proper way to swing a golf club.
There are more ways on holding a golf club. What technique you choose does not matter as long as you do it in a relaxed manner.
This is because a relaxed grip allows turning over of the clubhead as you take a swing.
Doing so increases the chances of getting a more accurate shot or greater distance. Closing through impact is the term used for this process.
Many amateurs often hold their golf clubs with so much power, thinking it would allow them to hit the ball more solidly.
However, that is not the case since grips that are too tight would cause your muscle to tense; hence, hindering you from achieving an excellent swing.
So, how to do a proper golf swing in terms of the grip? What you should do is to make it as comfortable and as natural as possible.
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Swinging the club
What is the correct golf swing? Lifting your golf club back to its starting position and bringing it above your head is the backswing.
It is the first thing you need to accomplish so it is essential that you carefully observe its three phases.
Phase one is moving your hands straight back and at the same time keeping them close to your back leg.
The next phase is doing a slight wrist break while moving your arms parallel to the surface or ground.
You should make sure to keep the club end perpendicular to your left-arm if you are a right-handed golfer.
The last phase is about rotating your torso back further. It would allow the clubhead to be slightly behind your hands when you reach the maximum in your backswing.
What is the proper way to swing a golf club? It would be following through with your downswing.
You know you are doing it right if it feels like you are pulling the clubhead as you swing down.
To make this happen, you should let a 90-degree shaft/forearm angle increase and then loosen it up quickly at impact.
This is crucial since it would dictate your clubhead speed while you maintain balance and control.
The next step on how to golf swing properly is to let the shaft lean forward towards the target upon impact.
Doing so would allow your hands to be ahead of the clubhead, resulting in a great shot just before the ball hits the ground.
Of course, make sure to use your hips to transfer energy into your shot.
Relying on your hands alone for power is not enough. And that answers the question of how to do a proper golf swing.
Needless to say, following through is a critical step on how to golf swing properly. Hence, forgetting to do so would be such a disaster.
You would be able to follow through properly if you can release the club properly. Of course, keeping your eye on the ball throughout your swing is also essential.
Lifting your head way too early would only cause you to miss hitting the ball.
Fixing common golf swing problems
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Correcting the slice
How to correct your golf swing? Keeping your knees bent and having it flexed while you are at backswing can help prevent the ball from curving during flight.
The urge to straighten your back knee during the backswing is high but you should try to avoid the impulse as much as you can.
If you let your knee travel backward, it would only prompt slicing of the ball. What you should do is to keep it underneath your hip and in a flexed manner.
And that is how to correct your golf swing when you encounter slicing problems.
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Correcting the hook
When you strike the ball and it moves slightly to the right and then dramatically in the opposite direction, it means you are hooking the ball.
It typically happens when the ball spins in a counterclockwise motion. Meanwhile, spinning happens when you hit the ball laterally and not from back to front.
So, how to correct your golf swing and avoid hooking? Make sure to check your grip.
If there are more than two visible knuckles on your left hand as you hold the club (considering you are right-handed), turning to a weaker grip.
Ensuring only two knuckles are visible would be the right step on how to correct your golf swing. In case this is not the problem, try looking at your stance next.
What you can do is fix the distance between your feet or your stance. It should not be aiming too far on your left.
However, you should also not try to aim it too much to the right. You should just find the right balance to ensure it aligns with your target.
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Correcting swings that do not squarely hit the ball
What is the proper way to swing a golf club? One of the things you should do to make sure your swings hit the ball squarely is to keep your head down.
At the same time, your eyes on the ball throughout the backswing. Keeping your head back would be a poor choice since it makes the ball more difficult to hit.
Final Thoughts
How to correct your golf swing? The answer to this question is a series of techniques that you need to evaluate.
It includes stance, grip, alignment, and of course, swing mechanics.
Once you ensure that all factors mentioned are performed properly, you can achieve greater yardage as well as speed when playing on the course.
More Information
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Last Updated on December 4, 2023 by Paul Roger Steinberg