Golf Swing Mechanics

Golf swing mechanics give the basic building blocks for striking the golf ball. There are so many moving parts -- and they all have to be in sync.

The golf swing is one of the most complex movements in sport. It requires you to draw the club in a sequential order, on a specific path, with perfect timing. The swing is a process, a series of precisely executed steps performed in harmony with one another. Any error in order, swing path, or timing can result in a poor result.

Your swing moves will improve with higher levels of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power in your body. The motion involves muscles of the torso or core which are otherwise under-developed in other sports. For golf, the central core physiology is paramount for conditioning and development.

Learning and executing the golf swing mechanics is robotic and unnatural at first. The grip, stance, posture, leg action, shoulder turn and body rotation are treated as independent actions in the beginning. But soon, the strange becomes familiar as modern instruction takes advantage of video technology, improved training techniques and advanced understanding of biomechanics simplify and integrate the parts into a smooth, repetitive whole.

The basic golf swing is dependent on several key factors:

• Your grip
• Posture
• Alignment
• Stance
• Hip rotation & weight shift
• Smooth rhythm

Each of these components need to be practiced to establish the correct technique. Putting all the pieces together makes a good golf swing. Constant practice at the range will develop proper feel, distance control and consistent ball flight.

The video below is a great overview of the basics needed to make and maintain a good golf swing. Have a look. Just click the Play button on the video frame to start.

Basic Swing Tip: Grip, Stance, Alignment

Some Notes on the Video

Notice some key points. In the video, the club used is a five-iron which is the middle of the range of irons; a good place to start. Ball position will vary, depending on the club (for driver and fairway woods the ball will be just off the left heal, for example). Re-run the video and check the following valuable tips:

• Alignment is very important. Any discussion of golf swing mechanics would be for nothing if you were not properly aimed at the target.
• Regardless of the grip you choose, keep the club up in the fingers, not in the palm. At address, you should see the first two knuckles of your left hand.
• For right handers, your right hand is below the left hand. This means at address, your right shoulder is slightly below the left in a normal golf swing.
• Keep the grip pressure light and constant throughout the golf swing.
• At address, your stance should begin with feet shoulder width apart. Feet, knees, shoulders must be parallel to the target line. The right foot should be at right angles to your target line. The left foot is slightly open to help you make a full turn on your back swing. For seniors, who are less flexible, they may want to open the left a little more to help make a bigger turn.
• To ensure correct distance from the ball, check that at address, you can pass your right hand between the butt of the club and your body. Your weight should be on the balls of your feet.
• Bend at the hips. Keep your left arm straight, right arm slightly bent.
• To keep relaxed use the waggle and to reduce tension during the swing, and keep your mouth open. Keeping the mouth open is a useful way to avoid gritting your teeth in attempting to tear into the ball during the down swing. Doing this causes tension, and tense muscles don't unwind as smoothly as relaxed muscles do.
• A back swing begins with the smooth rotation of the hips, not by pulling back the arms and hands. Hold your club across your chest and practice swing rotation. Note the extension of arms throughout the swing in the video. Flexibility is key to a fluid motion.
• At the top of the back swing weight is focused on the back leg. The lead or left leg (for right handers) bends on the back swing, weight shifts to the back leg.

More Golf Swing Mechanics

Another tip: to ensure your back is at the proper angle at address, hold your iron along your spine with one hand. The back of your head should just touch the club when you bend from the hips at address.

Remember, as the video points out, the swing is a swing, not a hit. The swing involves a smooth transition as your weight shifts from evenly distributed over both feet at address, to 60% over your back leg at the top of the back swing and back to 60% over your front leg as you finish the swing through impact.

Check the finish position of your feet after you strike the ball. Hold your finish. Your weight should be over your lead foot (you should be standing with your weight on the outer edge of your lead foot). You should be standing up on the toe of your back foot, since the momentum of your swing through the ball carried you slightly forward through impact.

And there you are. A thing of efficient power and beauty on the practice range!

Managing all these components will leave you feeling very mechanical for the first while. To move all these components together will take a lot of practice. That is what golf instructors are for. They take golf swing mechanics, put them into a blender and out you come as a golfer.

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