I’m going to give you some great golf backswing advice that’s going to help you a lot. There are two mistakes that you can make in the backswing. And then I’m going to tell you the correct way to do it.

The first mistake is, if your shoulder doesn’t move and doesn’t turn backwards, then your arms will run into it and the shoulder will tilt up in the air. And if you do that, the golf swing will look too vertical, and you’ll hit the ground and you’ll hit a lot of shots off to the right.

On the other hand, some of you think so much of turning that you turn your right shoulder and your hips together, and the golf club gets way around inside.

So, for those of you that do this, you’ll wind up hitting a lot of tops because the club won’t swing back down.

So, let me give you some golf backswing advice. This is the correct way. After you’ve addressed the golf ball, the right shoulder starts turning backwards. And that way, this enables the golf club to swing up on the correct plane.

So, if you can move your shoulder out of the way and don’t turn your bottom much, the golf club will move up on plane as you turn away from the golf ball.

Now, I’m going to tell you the role that the knees play during the entire golf swing. The correct posture in golf, in order to improve your golf swing, is that you bend at your hips, over the bones that are on both sides of your hips.

We don’t sit in this sport. We have our knees slightly flexed, and then we bend from the hips.

In the golf swing, the knees never ever get straight in the backswing. They stay flexed the entire way.

The game of golf starts and ends right here. Good players play the sport from inside the right knee as they turn. It doesn’t go out and it doesn’t go straight. But it stays where it was at the beginning of the backswing, so as we start back the knees don’t move.

Now, the downswing: As the arms start to unwind the knees don’t move at all. The centrifugal force, the speed of the golf club swings into the ground.

As the club passes you and your left hip starts to move out of the way, then, and only then, does the right knee start to get straighter in the downswing after impact.

And the entire time, make sure that you don’t lock your left knee in the downswing. Keep it slightly flexed as you swing through. You don’t have to come all the way up and straighten it up.

I think that that might help you improve your golf swing. Think about this tip a couple of times and make sure that this is what you’re thinking of when you swing the golf club, in relation to your knees.

And thanks.

Copyright 2006 David Nevogt

By: David Nevogt

About the Author:

So you are starting to hit the ball rather well. Yet you have still struggled to get an effective weight shift.

Sound familiar?

Aside from the new Stack and tilt method, a conventional golf swing requires a weight shift in order to get all the parts and pieces working together in a concerted effort to conduct one of the most unforgiving athletic endeavours.

Actually there are two weight shifts in each swing if done correctly. One is the shift from set-up into or onto the right side during the backswing.

And the other is the shift onto the left side on the downswing. To me, that sounds pretty darn simple.

And it probably is.

Just ask anyone who is not disabled, to shift their weight from one side to the other. Almost every single one of them will do it with ease.

Each and every time you take a step, you are shifting your weight. You shift your weight hundreds of times a day. When you are just standing around for any length of time you are constantly shifting your weight. You shift you weight as part of body language indicating that, perhaps, you are bored with what ever you are doing.

Come on .. a weight shift is easy. You do it all the time all day every day.

So what the heck is going on with you and the golf swing, you and thousands of others I might add. What is it about a weight shift in the golf swing that is so hard?

Personally, I think it has to do with ” hit mentality” where hitting the ball is the objective without consideration to other aspects of the technique that could contribute to better results.

Like a weight shift.

Some people do get a weight shift but it’s in the wrong sequence. It’s called a reverse weight shift. It is when the weight moves to the front foot on the moveaway and then to the rear foot on the downswing. An ugly looking thing that gives really nasty results.

They are the ones that almost fall down after impact. Or swing their left foot around off the ground after impact. A gangly move that contributes to incredible high handicaps. And pulled muscles as well. It looks more like an ice skating move than a golf swing.

I will admit, although grudgedly, that some people manage to hit it fairly well with either move. Somehow they get the clubface square at impact and fall away fast enough so that minimum damage is done to the balls flight. Still, that doesn’t make it right for everyone.

I see people who have great looking backswings,who are in the perfect position to transition into a pro like downswing. Only to have it completely ruined by having little to no weight shift or the dreaded reverse weight shift. It kills me to see that.

So what to do? How in the world are you going to go from no weight shift to having a weight shift while having no idea in the world how to go about it and still hit the ball?

I want you to try something. Using a completely open mind. And having no results orientation in your head as it relates to ball flight, distance or direction. I want you to take a 5 iron, get a great set-up and an excellent grip.

Now put the club behind the ball and get ready to hit it. Are you ready, good, hit it just as hard as you possibly can. Hit it out of the driving range. Kill it. Whack it, smash it, murder the thing, pound it, get all of it. Oh wait… I forgot to tell you that you are not allowed a backswing in this drill.

Just put the clubhead behind the ball and with absolutely no backswing hit it as hard as you can.

After you have successfully done this a few times you are then allowed a backswing. This will be an abbreviated backswing however, one where the actual clubhead never gets past your right knee. And then you do the same thing. Hit the snot out of it.

If you don’t get some sort of weight shift doing this, then perhaps bowling is a good sport too.

Have someone watch you to see if you are getting a shift.

Here’s another drill. You won’t need club. Jimmy Ballard had this in one of his books.

Stand facing the side of a golf cart. The seat should be opposite your left shoulder. And you are facing the side of the seat and cart. Now hit the back of the seat with your right hand hard enough to move the cart backwards. Do it easy at first so you don’t hurt yourself. But after you are used to it. Give it a good whack. This is how you should feel when hitting the ball.

You probably got a good weight shift if you truly tried to move the cart. If not, well , sorry.

Remember the weight shift is not a swaying of the hips, it’s a bump laterally and then a turn of the hips. This happens as if it is the same motion. Also, be careful not to sway on the moveaway. This will put too much weight too far over your right foot and make it very hard to get back to the left side.

No swaying.

There is nothing magic about a weight shift. For those of you who have trouble with it, these tips could help. But it does take some work. So go work on it.

By: Paul Macleod

About the Author:

The concept of plane confuses some players. It also confuses some players that come to me for golf lessons. Many are unclear about what it is and what its impact is on your golf swing. Whether you understand the concept of plane or not, swinging off plane is never good.

Focusing on two points–spine angle at address and the position of the left arm on the downswing–clears up the confusion about swing plane and explains its effect on your golf swing and your golf handicap.

Several reasons exist for swinging off plane. Picking the club up with your hands or rolling the clubface open during the swing are two. The most common reason for swinging off plane is adopting the wrong spine angle at address, as I’ve often pointed out in my golf tips,

Spine angle forms the natural axis around which your shoulders should turn at a 90-degree angle. The spine angle you set at address is critical because it decides the shape and plane of your swing. It’s the reason why I focus on adopting the proper spine angle in my golf instruction sessions.

If a player tilts too far over at address, the flatter spine angle causes the shoulders to “tilt” during the swing. As a result, your left arm comes off your chest during your swing, your backswing becomes upright, and your swing plane too steep. Fat shots, deep divots, and pulls and slices are symptoms of a steep plane.

If a player leans too far back at address, the more erect spine angle causes the shoulders to flatten during the swing. As a result, your left arm squeezes too tightly against your chest, your backswing becomes flatter, and your swing plane too shallow. Hitting behind the ball, thin shots, and loss of power are symptoms of a shallow plane.

Keep in mind that a taller player has a naturally steeper swing plane than a shorter person does, and a shorter player has a naturally flatter swing plane than a taller person does.

While your shoulder turn and arm swing are related, a good backswing requires a left arm swing that’s on a slightly higher plane than your shoulders. This arm angle allows your shoulders to have more of a free passage to the ball on the downswing. If your left arm swing is off, you’ll automatically be on the wrong plane with your swing will be off.

Here’s a test I use in my golf lessons to tell if a player is on plane with his/her swing. Take a club, assume your normal posture, and swing to the top. Hold that position for a second. Now, loosen your grip and let the shaft fall.

If the shaft hits you on the top of the right shoulder, your swing is on plane. If it hits you on the head or neck, your swing plane is too steep. Conversely, if it falls behind your back without hitting your body, your swing plane is too shallow.

Employing a simple move at the top of your backswing ensures that you’re taking the right swing plane as you start into the downswing. As you begin your downswing shift your weight onto your left foot while, at the same time, bringing your right elbow back down to your body. Remember to retain the angle of your wrist as you complete this move. It’s the seat of power and the key to maximum distance.

As the weight shifts to the left and the elbow drops down, the club falls automatically into the right slot for the correct swing plane. This movement flattens the swing ever so slightly. It’s the ideal position from which to swing the club down at the ball, delivering the clubhead squarely to the ball.

In essence you’re actually employing two swing planes to hit the ball correctly, one slightly different than the other. The first comes from executing the correct take away. The second from dropping down your right elbow just before the downswing.

That slightly different swing plane is crucial. It runs right through the correct angle of your spine, the natural axis around which your shoulders should turn, enabling you to deliver a clean crisp blow to the ball with a square clubhead and good power. And that’s the goal of all golf instruction on swing plane.

I hope this article clears up the confusion about swing planes. If you work on taking the club back on the right plane and on dropping your right elbow down during your swing, you’ll see results. That, in turn, will help you lower both your individual golf scores and your golf handicap.

By: Jack Moorehouse

About the Author:

From the very beginning of golf instruction the first move down to the ball has created confusion. And since video has been in the mix it has created even more confusion.

The accepted golf instruction ” first move down” was and to some degree, still is, started with your feet.

From the ground up.

But slow motion video has caused a bit of a stir. And that creates an opening for the weekend player to take advantage of.

You see, to me, it makes no difference what the popular first move is. What matters is what works best for each player.

Few of us are ever going to play on the tour, not many are going to be single digit handicap players either. So what’s the big deal if you don’t start your downswing based on accepted PGA golf swing instruction?

Most of the players that I have worked with over the years have an over the top move. The problem is that most average players find it difficult to make both of the conventional moves at the same time. It seems that it far easier to move the hands first with conscious effort and just forget about the rest.

I agree.

The one thing that must happen if this is going to be the first move is that the club and clubhead must be on plane and on the correct swing path. So how do you do it ???

First make sure you have a grip that will allow you to have great angles. By now you all know what a good grip is and most of you won’t do it. But try anyway for this move.

Now turn into your backswing, getting the left shoulder as fully turned as you can without hurting yourself.

Make sure your weight has, a least partially, moved onto your right foot. Not over or outside of the right foot. Keep your weight on the “inside” of your right foot.

Feel the upper portion of your left arm snug against your upper chest, and you right elbow is pointing to the ground.

Now the objective is to hit the inside of the golf ball and think about hitting out to right field.

You can use any number of swing triggers to get this down. I like to push with my right hand ” down” toward the inside of the golf ball.

Hands start first in this move and nothing else moves on purpose.

Hit down, not up…hit down not up!

You can pull with your left arm if that will work for you making sure that your upper left arm is snug against your upper chest.

Stay behind that ball and swing out to right field.

Swing down first and then out ( in your mind)

It will be one continuous move but the thoughts you use will depend on what will work for you.

Key points are:

- Hit down and out to right field

- Try to make sure that your back stays looking at the target for as long as possible

- make sure you right shoulder does not move toward the target line, it moves down not out

- Keep your left shoulder close to your face

- Use a good grip and do not let the clubhead out race the hands to the ball

- swing you hands fast , not the clubhead (this works by the way)

- Start the swing with you hands moving straight down and not out away from the body.

Do not worry about a weight shift, if you do this right you will get all you need.

Helping ideas:

Draw an imaginary line from the target to and through the golf ball well past you and the ball.

Use this line for every single swing making sure the clubhead never gets out over that line until after you have hit the ball.. I do mean NEVER

Position the ball with whatever writing is on the ball so that is on the bottom inside portion of the ball

Then hit the writing.

Now use small swings at first. Hit the inside of the ball, hit it to right field. And never allow the clubhead to get to the ball before hands do.

Hands first. If it were a race between the clubhead and your hands…

“YOUR HANDS NEED TO WIN EVERY SINGLE TIME, ON EVERY SINGLE SWING…INCLUDING CHIPS & PUTTS”

So… forget about the weight shift and just think about what you already do. Hands go first, but they must go on the correct path to the ball.

And that path is inside the ball. They are your hands…make them do what you want them to.

Trust the mind over your body. Your hands must win the race to the ball.

This move is part of what the magic moves are all about. Try it!

By: Paul Macleod

About the Author:

My name is Bobby Eldridge with the PurePoint Golf Academy. Today, I wanted to talk about pitch shots and more specifically, pitching the golf ball with loft. The most common golf instruction problem I’ve seen is when a golfer tops the ball over the green when pitching.

Well, I have a great golf instruction tip for you today. Are you ready? The reason that you struggle when you pitch is because the golf club swings down in the downswing, and just before it gets to the golf ball, it starts to swing back up and you wind up hitting the middle of the golf ball.

When you pitch the golf ball, the goal is to hit down on the ball and to have the ball crawl up the face of the golf club and go onto the green. The only way to make this happen is for the leading edge of the club to hit the bottom of the golf ball. The reason that many golfers skull the ball over the green is because they focus on the follow through being high and as a result, hit the ball on the upswing. In short, they don’t hit down on the ball, but rather hit up on the ball.

Imagine the golfer with the high follow through. As they come down, they start to swing back up again. Can you imagine how high the club face is at follow through? This is the incorrect way to hit a pitch shot. I’ve been in golf instruction for a long time and this is one of the most common problems I see.

The correct way is to put a little extra weight on your left leg, or the front leg, lean over on top of it, and with your arms, swing the club head down and let the golf ball go up. It will crawl right on up the club face. The key is to follow through low to the ground, not high.

In the downswing make sure, with your weight on your left side, that you swing your arms down and get the leading edge to swing into the ground. And then, the golf ball will crawl all the way up the face and take off for the target.

So remember, ball in the middle of your stance, weight on your left leg, swing your arms up and down. We like to keep golf instruction simple.

For better impact and for a little more loft when you’re pitching, get the feeling that you’re swinging the club face down into the ground.

By: David Nevogt

About the Author:

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, just for a moment. How many of you have ever read Harvey Penick’s “The Little Red Book” or how many have ever read Ben Hogan’s “Five Lessons The Modern Fundementals of Golf”?

If there ever were golf swing instructions that struck the nail on the head , these two books did the trick. Now, don’t get me wrong here, I am not selling these books, but you can still get them if you want at almost any book store.

But for golf swing instruction these gave some insight as to what actually works.

Here is an example of how to get a visual of the proper club head path and almost automatically get on the correct plane.

In Hogan’s book he talks about swinging under the plane. The Plane is a sheet of glass with a hole cut into it so that your head can go into the hole. The glass then extends down to the target line, the bottom of the glass sits on the target line while the other end sits on your shoulders with you head through the hole.

This visual gives you the exact plane you should have based on how you are set up, that is your spine angle that will ultimately set the swing plane angle.

Now you must swing under the glass so that you don’t break it.

This simple thought and visual coupled with knowing that proper club head path leads to excellent attack angles to the and through the golf ball.

Another excellent thought is the position of the right elbow both on the backswing and on the downswing. On the backswing the right elbow should point exactly down to the ground, this puts the right forearm in a perpendicular position to the ground and at a right angle to your bicep. Your upper arm or bicep should be parallel to the ground.

While this is happening you have to make sure that you are getting a good shoulder turn. It won’t help to have the right arm in a perfect position and not have a good shoulder turn.

Now the downswing – start the downswing be literally slamming your right elbow directly into your right hip. Straight down and do this hard and fast. Push with the right hand or pull with the left hand , either will work. While you are slamming your right elbow into your right hip , you will be bumping forward with your left hip. This is a lateral move and is one of Harvey Penicks ” Magic Moves” He suggests that you actually start the swing with this bump to the left and that this move will help bring your right elbow into it’s proper position.

Try it both ways… see what kind of results you get. And use what works for you.

If you do it right your swing plane and path will improve instantly as you will hit the ball crisply and very very solid.

By: Paul Macleod

About the Author:

So the week is over and you and your group are finally at the first tee. And you are so glad you have a chance to play a round with your friends and just forget about work and all that goes with it.

It’s a beautiful day. Sun is shining bright and warm, the sky is so blue it can’t be real.

What a day!

You are up.

And as you get ready to tee off, you remember that your ball flight is left to right and so you must aim to the left to compensate. You think that maybe this time you won’t slice the ball, but that thought quickly dissipates into the world of ” not true” and reality sets itself firmly back into your mind. For you know that your slice will not disappoint you.

And so you take your backswing and wallop the damn thing out over the lake to the left, is it coming back ? Oh no .. you think, it’s going straight… wait, no here it comes .. back to the right. Just like it always does. Into the far right rough, just where it always goes.

If you could just hit it a little more straight you would surely hit it a lot further.

You once again promise yourself that you will take that golf lesson from the pro next week.

One golf swing instruction should take care of that slice once and for all. That’s what you may think.

So the round went well, you had fun and didn’t play too bad.

The week went by fast and now you are going to do what you promised and take that golf lesson.

And here is what happens.

Your golf instructor tells you the following:

Look you know that the slice occurs because of your downswing. But you have to be aware that all sorts of things have gone wrong before you even begin the backswing, let alone the downswing.

But if you want to get right to the actual movement that creates the spin on the ball that makes it go to the left and then to the right … well it is referred to as an ” over the top move”

This move happens when the clubhead comes from the top of your backswing to outside of your target line into the ball and continues on to the inside of your target line.

Now think about what I just said for a minute.

In most cases the clubface will be open and you will hit a glancing blow outside of the ball to inside of the ball. Kinda like a foul ball in baseball, where the bat only hits some of the baseball below it equator. Or on the bottom of the ball.

Sometimes the clubface is closed, in this case you hit it dead left, no slice, maybe a snap hook. Do not be encouraged by this. It is not a draw gone astray. The problems are exactly the same ” hitting from the top”

Generally you will end up off balance, your weight will be more on the right side and your right shoulder will be higher than your left. This is also called hitting from the top because there normally is little if any weight shift in this move.

Have you ever seen the guy who swings and his left foot swings around on his finish, off the ground and it’s a struggle for him to remain standing? All of his weight is on his right side?

The fact that the club is outside the target line and open will is unavoidable if you have an over the top swing.

The club is off plane and out of it’s proper swing path. Neither is a good thing and tons of potential power is lost through this draining move.

In golf it would be a side swipe and you will bet some nasty spinning from this move. Left to right.

In this golf instruction you will learn that most folks who suffer from the over the top move have similar grips. Wrong grips I might add.

In this golf lesson you will note that this wrong grip is always a weak one. Left hand too far under the grip and the right hand too far on top of the grip. This grip tends to force an over the top move and it tends to prevent a release of the clubhead at impact or better stated it keeps the clubface open at impact.

Check you grip.. is it weak? If yes change it now to at least a neutral grip.

The clubhead must come down to your right side, not out and around the ball. Your right elbow can lead this first move to your right side. So… right elbow to your right side = first move

Use it as a mini drill .. half swing back with your new grip.. right elbow to the right side, hit the inside of the golf ball.

Roll a towel up.. lay it on the out side of the ball.. about 11/2 inches away parallel to the target line. lengthwise… now use the mini drill to hit balls .. do not hit the towel.. got it? Do not hit the towel.

Hit the inside of the golf ball and do not hit the towel and don’t cheat.

This will help you get an inside swing path and prevent the over the top move.

One more time. Using your new grip, half back swing, right elbow to the right side first move, continue to push the clubhead toward the inside of the golf ball and do not hit the towel.

Gradually increase the length and speed of this move and soon you will no longer hit a slice and you will know why. Very important.

By: Paul Macleod

About the Author:

Coming from someone who has been playing golf for over 40 years, if you are thinking about starting to take up the game start with some tips for beginner golfers. A beginner golf swing instruction set of lessons if probably the best thing that you could do. This will not only give you some confidence, but will also help you to improve your golf score right off the bat. Now there are many things that you can do to improve your golf game or even take away from your game, but speaking from experience, a good swing will usually produce some good results.

Have Good Balance is a Great Tip for Beginner Golfers

Getting the right tips for beginner golfers, is going to make the game much easier. Now whether you are trying to hit a drive off the tee or a fairway iron, having a comfortable and confident swing can help. As mentioned before there are many different aspects to playing golf well. One key is to have good balance. Taking the club head back with good balance and then delivering the club head on the ball on the downswing with good balance will produce a fine golf shot. If you try to hit the ball like you are chopping a piece of firewood is not going to produce any type of result that you want.

When taking a golf swing as a beginner is sometimes a difficult thing to do. Having a smooth transition at the top of the swing with smooth rhythm is going to produce the swing that you want. Having smooth transition will help to deliver the club with good club head speed at impact. For the beginner golf swing, instruction can teach them the correct stance and grip, the balance that is needed to hit the ball straight and very long, depending on the club that you are using.

Beginner Guide to Golf, Keep the Golf Swing Simple

When trying to hit a golf ball, you are going to find that it is a lot of hand and eye coordination. Having good hand/eye coordination allows the golfer to strike the ball at the right moment at the bottom of the golf swing. What will happen over time is that each golfer is going to find a swing that is comfortable for them. When they find this swing that is when their game is really going to start to improve.

If you watch professional golfers, you will see that not all swings are the same. They have found a swing that is comfortable and repeatable for them and that is what they have developed. When you are getting beginner golf swing instruction, they teach you how to square the club at impact. This will help you to avoid hooking the ball or slicing the ball. Now what you do see in all professional golfers is that they all have fantastic balance taking the club back as well as great balance while delivering the club head on the golf ball. When you watch their follow thru swing, they are in perfect balance. So you want some tips for beginner golfers, then practice your balance through the golf swing.

Maintaining good balance and having good fundamentals thru the golf swing is going to help eliminate your frustration and aggravation time on the course. This will allow you more time on the fairways and greens, rather than spending most of your time in the woods or rough looking for your lost golf ball. This will also make the game nice for the group that is playing behind you. There is nothing worse than playing behind a group of beginner golfers, who have never practiced anything, and really have no business on the golf course. They should be spending there time on the range practicing their swing and finding that balance point. Now if they don’t hold anybody up, well then I guess it is ok.

By: Steve Madigan

About the Author: