How to Swing a Golf Club

Guide Note

Whether you've been playing golf for years or are just learning the game, perfecting your swing is a fundamental part of improving your score. You can learn the components of a great golf swing in How to Swing a Golf Club.

Table of Contents

Golf Club Swing Tips

  1. Keep your muscles relaxed and your head up.
  2. Don't take your eye off the ball from the beginning of the swing until after you've made impact.
  3. Keep a firm grip on the golf club throughout the swing.
  4. Experiment with different ways of gripping the club to find one that feels natural for you.
  5. A perfect golf swing takes a lot of practice so don't feel frustrated if you feel awkward at first.

Introduction

(Creative Commons photo by CaymanGirl)
(Creative Commons photo by CaymanGirl)
  • In the game of golf, you'll never have a great score without a great swing. Your swing controls how far the golf ball goes in addition to where it goes.
  • There are five main parts to a great golf swing:
  1. Grip
  2. Posture
  3. Backswing
  4. Downswing
  5. Follow Through
  • The following instructions will help you master each of the five parts, step-by-step. With practice, you'll be able to perform the five components together as one smooth motion.
  • NOTE: If you're left handed, you may want to reverse any left and right instructions, although many people who are left-handed in their daily lives prefer to golf right-handed.1

Step 1: Grip

(Creative Commons photo by Phillip Ritz)
(Creative Commons photo by Phillip Ritz)
  • The following describes some of the most widely recommended golf grip recommendations. However, if there's a slightly different grip that feels more natural to you, don't be afraid to make some modifications. What's important is finding a grip that's solid and allows you to hit the ball squarely.
  1. Take hold of the golf club in your left hand.
    • The shaft of the club should only barely be touching your palm, as you should be doing most of the holding with your fingers.2
    • Your pinkie should be towards the top of the club. Hold the club so that a few inches of the shaft are above your pinkie.
  2. Your fingers should be wrapped around the shaft of the club while your thumb is pressed slightly to the right of the center of the shaft. Be sure not to let your thumb hold to the left of the shaft, since this will weaken your grip and also your game!3
  3. At this point, the "V" that is formed between your thumb and your fingers should be pointing up to your right shoulder.2 Adjust the position of your hand if you need to.
  4. Your right hand will also need to hold the club.4 How you fit both hands together on the club needs to feel as natural as possible. Three popular methods are:
    1. Interlocking Grip: Interlock your right pinkie finger with your left forefinger.3
    2. Vardon Grip: Place your right pinkie finger on top of your left forefinger.2
    3. Baseball Grip: Use all ten fingers to grip the shaft, holding it like a baseball bat.

Step 2: Posture

(Creative Commons photo by jayniebell)
(Creative Commons photo by jayniebell)
  • Your posture, also called the address, is an often overlooked part of the golf swing. Good posture can add power and precision to your game.
  1. Stand, gripping the golf club, with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and keep your head raised.5
  3. Lean forward at your hips just enough so that your golf club touches the ground right behind the tee or golf ball.2
  4. To help you decide where to place your feet as you line up your stance, lay one golf club on the ground in line with your target. Then lay another golf club down a few feet away from the first, but parallel to it. Stand along the line of that second club.5
  5. Relax your muscles and waggle, another name for taking a few small practice swings.2

Step 3: Backswing

  1. Keep your eye on the golf club throughout the backswing.
  2. Swing the the club back and over your right shoulder, allowing the center of your chest to swing with the golf club away from the target.2
  3. Try to keep your front arm straight and bend your back elbow to a 90 degree angle.6
  4. Let your left knee break from its standing position, towards your right knee. This will shift your body weight to your back foot.
  5. Turn your wrists as you swing, so the back of your front hand ends up facing away from you. 7
  6. At the peak of your backswing, the golf club will be almost parallel to the ground behind your shoulders.2


Step 4: Downswing

(Creative Commons photo by Jarrod Job)
(Creative Commons photo by Jarrod Job)
  • Control and concentration is key in as you prepare to make contact with the ball.
  1. Start your downswing by shifting your body weight from your rear leg to your front leg.6
  2. Keep a firm grip on the golf club throughout the swing.4
  3. Concentrate on swinging the club down, following the same path as it took on the backswing, and through the ball toward your target, not at the ball itself.2
  4. When your club makes contact with the ball, your shoulders should be parallel to the golf ball.4
  5. Hit the ball squarely and quickly while maintaining control of the direction that the club is moving. A slight change of angle at this point can send the ball in a completely wrong direction!
  6. Watch the ball!7 Don't look away from it until after you've made impact.

Step 5: Follow Through

(Creative Commons photo by Jarrod Job)
(Creative Commons photo by Jarrod Job)
  • After you hit the ball, your work isn't quite over! The proper follow through can give you that extra control over the ball and distance that every golfer wants.
  1. After hitting the ball, your weight should be almost entirely on your front foot and your chest should be facing the direction you hit the ball.
  2. Rotate your wrists and bend your elbows so the head of the golf club moves up and behind your left shoulder.6
  3. Relax your arms as you bring the club's swing slowly to a stop over your left shoulder.2

Conclusion

  • Dividing a golf swing into five steps can make it seem complicated and difficult. Don't give up! Continue to practice the steps in sequence, and the correct motions will begin to flow into each other and feel natural. Even professional golfers are constantly practicing and tweaking their swing.
  • And remember, golf is a game of control more than power. If you aren't hitting the ball far enough with a reasonably hard swing with good form, it may not be your swing that needs to change—you may just need to use a different golf club.

References for How to Swing a Golf Club

  1. ↑ Wikpedia.com: Golf
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Quamut.com: How to Swing a Golf Club
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 WorldGolf.com: Want to Swing the Golf Club Better?
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Video: How to Swing a Golf Club Like Tiger Woods (Time: 9:06)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Southtown Star: Life 101: How to Grip, Swing a Golf Club
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Ezine Articles: 3 Steps to Swing a Golf Club
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 eHow.com: How to Swing a Golf Club


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