The golf swing is one of the most frustrating skills to learn in sports. You can swing the same way 50 times and have 50 different results. Improving and perfecting your swing can help you have a more consistent game and more fun out on the golf course.
Swing Through the Ball
Especially off the tee, novice golfers have a tendency to swing at the ball rather than swing through it, which causes the body to tense up at impact and lose club head speed. To eliminate this tendency, place a tee 8 inches in front of your teed-up ball on the driving range. Instead of concentrating on hitting the ball, have your focus be to swing through the tee in front of you. This will cause your club to be consistent through impact and give you the club speed you need to hit a solid shot.
Hit Down, Not Up
Another tendency for novice golfers is to try and lift the ball off the ground using the club. Golf club heads are designed with loft to lift the ball off the ground. Hitting up on the ball decreases the effectiveness of the club head. If you're having trouble hitting down on the ball, try moving it back in your stance a bit and focus on keeping your head down. Moving the ball back will cause the ball to be hit sooner in your downswing before you can raise the club up. Keeping your head down will force your upper body to stay down as well. As you learn to trust the loft of the club, you will hit better shots.
Use Your Legs
Many players who are trying to get power off the tee for long drives mistakenly put all their focus in the arms and wrists. Big biceps aren't the key to hitting power shots. Your legs and trunk play a larger role in hitting for power. Your arms and wrists guide the club head to the ball. Imagine your body as a giant spring that needs to be coiled up and released in order to hit the ball. Focus on using your legs to create energy that flows through your trunk and down through the club to the ball. Once you start using your legs and trunk for power rather than your arms, not only will the ball fly farther, you'll hit more accurate shots as you allow your arms to focus on solid contact rather than power.
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