Practice Exercises:

Putting Drills

Chip Shot Drills

Full Swing Drills

Golf

Alignment:

1. Aligning the club head consistently with the ball will help to begin your swing in a more repeatable fashion. In other words, line the ball up with the same part of the club (hopefully the center) and the same distance back which should be 1 to 3 inches

2. To ensure your aim is correct, stand behind your ball with the target in alignment. Pick out an item close to your ball but in line with the target, it's easier to line up with something 5-10 feet away than 200 yards.

3. When putting, always align the putter face first. Once you have the putter face aligned, take your stance according to the putter face alignment

4. Aim is different than alignment. Aim the club face then align yourself to the aim of your club face.

5. When aligning off the tee, first stand behind the ball with the ball between you and your target. Then walk towards the ball and place the club face at right angles to your intended ball flight. Then you can align the rest of your body to the club face angle.

Balance:

The most important thing to remember when addressing an uphill or downhill lie is that you need to align your body (hips and shoulders) to the terrain. Try to feel like you are swinging mostly with your arms. Be careful not to have much body movement or shifting of weight.

Ball Position:

1. Exact ball position can be different for different swing makeup's. Generally the ball should be in the first third of your stance. Moving the ball can change club face angle and ball trajectory.

2. When chipping, your open stance will give the appearance that you are playing the ball in the back of your stance. The ball should be at about the center of your stance.

3. The club should approach the ball on the inside-rear quadrant. When you address the ball, look at that portion of the ball as your target.

First Tee Jitters:

1. On the first tee, use a club you are confident with. You will never be as loose at the beginning of a round as you are at the end; so don’t expect to be able to swing the driver with confidence if it often gives you trouble.

2. Hit the balls great at the range but not on the course? The probable cause is tension. Reduce this tension by focusing on tempo, not mechanics.

Grip:

1. Do not extend the thumb on your top hand too far down the shaft. It should be tucked in close to the rest of your hand and fit inside the crease of the lower hand.

2. A light but firm grip on the golf club will encourage faster hand action and club head speed.

3. The grip is the very start of the golf swing. As you begin your backswing be aware that your left hand is holding the club - not the right. This will help to build a strong, wide arc.

4. If you use a Vardon or interlocking grip, only three fingers (plus your thumb) of your right hand will be on the club. Be sure the 'ring' finger is on the grip, not just resting against the index finger of the left hand.

5. When gripping the club, use your eyes, not just the feel. Because your hands can swell (and dehydrate), using feel is not a good indicator. It is best to grip your golf club up in front of your face, not at address.

6. Most tension stems from the grip. Loosen your grip and the arms and every else will relax as well.

7. Loosen your grip and keep it loose throughout the swing. Hold onto the club firm enough only to keep it from flying out of your hands.

8. Take your grip as you stand behind your ball, don’t change it when you are over it.

9. Hold the club in the fingers of your hand, not the palms. This helps your wrists to cock and uncock naturally.

Stance:

1. Tilt right to compensate for your right hand being lower on the club, bend at your hips not your waist to help your ability to turn solidly and flare your feet slightly which will help you to rotate your hips and shoulders.

2. Since the driver is the only club designed to be hit with a slight ascending blow, a wider stance will facilitate a shallower plane and an elongated 'flat spot' to strike the ball.

3. Lift your chin slightly to allow your shoulder to turn freely under your chin - use your eyes to look down. This will prevent your head and body from lifting during the backswing.

4. Your knees should be 'flexed' not 'bent.' Excessive bend at the knees leads to inconsistency because there is too much room for error. Think of your knees as shock absorbers, not leaf springs.

5. To achieve more hip turn, narrow your stance. To restrict hip turn, widen your stance.

6. To ‘elongate’ the bottom of the arc, lower your right shoulder at address. This rearward spine tilt will help to prevent the ‘dropping’ the shoulder through impact. This is especially important with the driver.

7. To help promote a good shoulder turn, at address, lift your chin and look down with your eyes. Your shoulder should rotate under your chin.

Weight Distribution:

At address, your weight should be evenly distributed between the ball and heel of your foot. Similarly, keep 50/50 weight distribution between both feet.

Tension:

1. Alleviate tension in your entire body by waggling. Waggle from your feet to you hands. This seemingly silly process releases pre-shot tension.

2. If you are plagued by tension try using your lungs. Just prior to your swing, take a slow deep breath and slowly exhale half the air then start your swing. Continue exhaling naturally through the swing. Try pushing the word 'smooth' at impact.

3. When you want a little extra distance, don't tense up, relax more. Relaxed muscles work more efficiently than tense ones. While you do want to build tension in the larger muscles of the legs and back, be sure your grip is loose as well as the arms. This will facilitate a better 'whipping' action of the arms and club.

Mindset:

On the tee you should have two goals for the day: enjoyment and the execution of the game. Avoid numbers such as ‘shooting an 89,’ it will cloud your thinking.

Pre-Shot Routine:

1. Follow the procedure of the pros. Look down the target line from behind the ball. Grip the club with your top hand making sure the clubface is square in relation to your grip. Approach the ball and take a practice swing to feel the lay of the land. Lay your club behind the ball to the target line, put your bottom hand on the shaft. Then, align your feet and settle into the turf. Turn your head (don't lift!) to take one last look at the target and pull the trigger.

2. After you align your feet to the target, be sure to align your shoulders and hips as well.

3. When you take a last look at the target before you swing, don't lift your head - which might change your spine angle. Instead, rotate your head to look. This will help not only to provide better feedback as to your alignment but also prevent your address position from changing just before you swing.

4. Develop a consistent preshot routine. Just as you want to groove a consistent swing, starting with a consistency will help the whole process. Every two or three times your go to the range, take one small bucket and implement your preshot routine for each shot. When on the course, don't let anything change it.

5. Part of your preshot routine should be to use your imagination. As you stand behind your ball and pick your target, visualize the trajectory and flight of the ball. Remind yourself of an earlier shot that went a planned as well as the feeling you got afterward.

6. Imagine the shot you desire before you take your practice swing, and then take a practice swing that will deliver that shot. That is what a practice swing is all about.

7. Work on perfecting your pre-shot routine. Use it always. As pressure mounts or your game begins to crumble, it is increasingly more important to stick to the basics to maintain tempo.

8. While envisioning a long, crisp iron shot with a draw does not insure its reality it increases the chances.

Warm-up:

Any serious athlete would never begin competition without stretching. You don't have to lie on your back on the first tee with you feet over your head but spend a few minutes working the kinks out, especially the big muscles that manage the rotational aspects of your swing.

General Issues:

1. When facing a shot over the water or other hazards, focus on the target, not the danger directly ahead. Imagine a good shot, not the frustration of a bad one.

2. Keep your arms closer together at setup and during the swing, if your arms work together, you will see more consistency.

3. Start with a proper finish. To help aid how the swing works, start by taking a proper finish. Hands by left ear, right shoulder and belt buckle over left foot, right foot on toe and solidly balanced. Start at address and move to this position. Learn it, feel it then try to get there using your normal swing.

4. Choose the right club and believe in it. If you get over the ball and think you need more club, don’t swing harder with that club, go back and get the right one.

5. The most important part of the golf swing is everything that happens before you swing the club. Grip, alignment, posture, balance and ball position set the stage for everything else. Take time to learn these basics and improvement will follow.

Understanding The Flight Of The Ball

The flight of the ball is the time that the ball is in the air, from the moment the ball leaves the ground (once it is struck by the club face), until the ball makes contact with the ground again. To easily understand the direction of the ball’s flight divide the flight of the ball into 2 parts.

First Part

The first part of the ball’s flight begins at impact. It usually flies forward and upward. The first part of the ball’s flight ends when the ball has reached it’s highest point. During this part of the flight, the ball has traveled at it fastest speed.
 

Second Part

The second part of the ball’s flight begins when the ball starts to fall back to earth. The ball has reached the highest point of flight, and it is now beginning to fall back to earth. Ball speed is diminished.
 

There are 2 factors which govern the direction of the ball’s flight. The swing path, and the position of the club face at impact. All other factors are not the golfer’s responsibility. For example, we can not alter the wind, the flatness of the ground, what the ball is sitting on, or how it is sitting. All of these factors also affect the ball’s flight.

The Swing Path And The First Part Of Ball Flight

This refers to the direction of the club head as it returns to make contact with the ball, or the way that the club head comes back to the ball during the forward swing. The swing path is NEVER described or referred to as a part of the back swing. It is the direction of the club head in the hitting area at the bottom of the swing. The swing path determines the first part of the ball’s flight direction
 

• An out to in swing path will start the ball left of the target.

• An in to out swing path will start the ball right of the target.

• A swing path along the ball to target line will start the ball straight at the target.

The Club Face Position And The Second Part Of Ball Flight

This refers to the position of the club face when the club head strikes the ball. The club face can be lined at the target square, lined to the right of the target open, or it can be lined up to the left of the target, closed. The position of the club face at impact determines the second part of the ball’s flight direction.
 

Open Club Face, Square Club Face, Closed Club Face.

• The ball will land to the right with an open club face.

• The ball will land on the target with a square club face.

• The ball will land to the left of the target with a closed club face.

If you imagine standing behind the ball but standing on the ball to target line when a golfer hits the ball, they are hitting the ball from a position on the ‘inside’, or left of the ball to target line. In fact anything left of the ball to target line is on the ‘inside’, anything on the right of the ball to target line is called ‘outside’.

There are only 3 different swing paths that the club head can be swung on

• In to Out

• Out to In

• Straight, or, On Line

I like an old English poem,

In Golf of course the greatest sin,

in playing all shots from in to out.

Improve your golf swing  

A good golf swing is one that causes the ball to go where you expect it to almost every time (even the Pros aren't perfect). However, learning to get the ball to reliably go toward the target and at the expected distance is unusually difficult. It looks so easy on TV. Most of us realize that we are not swinging the club as gracefully as the pros. The problem is, you haven't learned the basics.

This guide will help you achieve a good golf swing. The goal is to increase your confidence in making the shot and you can not do that without properly practicing the proper techniques. You will play your best golf when you can just take aim and fire. These exercises will develop your confidence in a swing that you can perform without having to concentrate on each position only if you give them a chance. It is imperative you actually go through all the exercises, in the order given, and that you master the feel that has been described before going to the next exercise.

If you have a tee time this coming Saturday and hope to be swinging better by then, I suggest you not try. You will need more time to build confidence in your new swing before putting it to the test and a few days is not enough time. Putting these exercises to the test prematurely will probably make you frustrated and unwilling to devote any more time toward this program. You can use this time however to get two items that you will need to practice the exercises.

First you need a five iron. I recommend you get one from an old set other than your current clubs. If you don't have one, get one. Most pro shops have a "bargain bin" of old clubs that you can buy for five to ten dollars. Pick the five iron that has the best grip as long as the club overall is in good condition. You will not be hitting any balls with this club; it is strictly a practice club.

You should practice with a five iron for several reasons: First, almost everybody has more confidence in hitting a nine iron than the three. If you can develop a swing with a five iron that you hit confidently, I guarantee you will be able to hit your three iron when the situation calls for it during a game. If you can reliably hit a five iron somewhere on or just off the green, your scores will go down. Constant practice with a five iron will give you confidence in your ability.

Next you need a practice mat. The common one is a strip of Astroturf, about one foot by two feet. These are readily available at sports shops. Some come with accessories such as plastic balls, but the mat is really all you need. Using paint, nail polish, or a permanent marker draw your imaginary ball (about an inch in diameter) in the middle of the mat. Remember we are not hitting real balls when we go through these home exercises so when asked to "address the ball" it helps to have something to look at. Put another mark on the front edge of the mat to represent your target line. This will be your aiming reference and can be any thing from a dot to an arrow.

Find a practice area where you can freely swing a club and have good footing. You don't need to put your golf shoes on every time but make sure you have good traction and a level stance. The preferable place is outside and away from any obstacle such a kids or pets that distract your attention or may sneak into harm's way.

The temptation in using this guide is to assume you have mastered the exercises just because they seem simple. I assure you that is not true. For example, in exercise 7 you must not only understand where your wrist should be during the swing but you have to make sure it is ingrained into your stroke by practicing it over and over. These exercises are in specific order to gradually build up your swing habits and that can be accomplished only through diligence. You should review each of these exercises every time you practice and pay extra attention to the ones you find are not your habitual position. One year from now, after you have developed a good swing, you should have formulated a brief routine of going through these exercises every time you go to the practice range or hit the course. That way you will re-condition your muscle memory with the good swing habits you have learned and be able to perform at your best.

Now, put on your glove, grab your five iron, and let's head to the mat.

Chapter 1- At Address

Posture and Balance

A good swing begins with a solid foundation from your head down to the ground. This foundation must be present each and every time you swing the club in order to hit the ball consistently. People who almost never hit a "sweet" shot usually have no foundation.

Exercise 1 - Bend at the Hips, not the Waist:

It is important to understand that the path your club takes, or swing arc, during the entire swing is dictated by your spine angle. Basic rule number one. You must adopt a straight back posture in order for the spine angle to remain constant throughout the swing. That means you should be bent at the hips throughout the swing instead of at the waist. For those people who have been playing with incorrect posture for a long time this is difficult to overcome but is a fundamental that must be done properly to ensure hitting consistent shots.

Stand straight up, feet slightly apart, knees locked, arms hanging loosely at your side. Now, while maintaining your balance on your feet, bend forward slowly by only moving your butt back over your heels keeping your back straight and your eyes looking ahead. Your head will naturally move forward over your toes but concentrate only on your butt. You should feel a slight unhinging at the hip sockets. Stop there and consider how your spine angle is tilted. It sometimes helps to feel like you are slightly arching your back to get into this position. If you are not feeling the unhinging, try relaxing. This "unhinging" is very slight. Chances are your upper body is too tense or maybe you have your knees locked too tightly. Go back and forth from erect to bent several times to get acquainted with this posture. Learning to bend at the hips is essential to maintaining a straight spine throughout the swing. In this posture you should be able to hold your driver behind you straight up your spine and feel the club touching your tailbone and your back just between your shoulder blades. Also, you should feel big in the chest. What I mean is, not allowing the shoulders to slump over the ball.

Now that you understand the feeling of bending at the hips spread your feet to shoulder width and bend at the hips again. Bend your knees slightly. Stay big in the chest, shoulders back, but let your arms dangle. Now bring your hands together in front of you as if holding a club and lower your eyes to look at where the ball would be. This is a normal address position and you probably feel more erect than you usually do addressing the ball. I assure you this position will allow you to more freely swing the golf club.

Exercise 2 - Get "Set":

Most of us have played baseball, softball, football or some other sport that requires "getting set". Take a posture where you feel well balanced and ready to move in any direction in an instant. Imagine you are an outfielder getting set just before the pitch. Your hips are unhinged as in exercise 1, your knees are well bent, your feet placed a little wider than your shoulders apart, your toes are pointing slightly outward, your back is straight, your eyes are looking straight ahead, your hands are in front of you just above waist high, and your arms are about half extended in front of you. You are ready! Notice how well your weight is balanced over both feet, heel to toe. While you are in this position it takes a considerable amount of pressure to knock you off balance. For example, a strong wind would not keep you from executing from this position.

Now grab your five iron and rest it against your left leg in front of you to keep it handy. Get back in the "set" position. While your eyes are still looking straight ahead let your arms dangle loosely from the shoulders and straighten your knees just a little. Be sure you maintain your balance. You have straightened your knees only enough to move your butt back toward your toes to offset the weight change in front of your feet by dropping your arms. Now, by moving your weight from side to side slightly your arms should naturally sway. If your arms are not swaying naturally you are too tense.

There is an important point to make that is essential for you to learn. Tension kills a golf swing.

Do this. Without using a club get into your set position with your arms dangling freely. Open your hands with fingers relaxed and relax the tension in your arms and shoulders. Now make a regular golf swing coming about 50% into your backswing and then down through making a good follow through. Do this several times and notice how freely your hips and torso allow the total movement to feel fluid. Now make the same swings while making a fist. It should become evident that relaxed muscles will perform an efficient golf swing better that tensed muscles. You must practice at every exercise by relaxing the tension and letting the body perform.

Also do this. Take your address position with the five iron extended down toward the ball. Purposely extend your arms until your elbows lock. Now relax the elbows keeping the arms extended. Watch your forearms as you lock your elbows again and you will notice how the inside of your elbows point out away from your body. Relax the elbows and you will see them point more toward each other. The relaxed position is the proper one. Locking the elbows introduces tension.

Okay, you are in the set position with good posture and good balance. Remember your eyes are straight ahead and your arms are dangling. Now take your five iron and place it at ball address position. You look at the ball by dropping your chin and letting your head settle into position. Do not bend at the waist or let your upper torso sag. Just lower your chin. Grip the club very loosely and make sure the face is squared or pointing down the target line and perpendicular to your body alignment. Your hands should not have moved away from the dangling position either toward the ball or toward your body. Check this by taking your right hand off the club and letting the arm swing freely away from the club. Then regrip with your hand swinging straight back to the club.

I find the easiest way to properly fix the distance you should place your feet from the ball is to stand loosely erect (in other words, not at attention but relaxed) with the club only in your left hand. Sole the club on the ground behind the ball with your left arm extended straight. Your left hand should be about six inches in front of your zipper. Now bend at the hips and place your right hand in grip position. This method should make you feel you are in a more erect position than you probably have been accustomed to but as you practice the entire swing routine you will be able to more effectively use your body and swing your arms more freely.

Now here is the final check. The sole of your club should be fairly level on the ground. In other words you should not have the toe higher or lower than the heel. If it is not level make sure you are relaxed and in proper posture. Start over if necessary. If still not level adjust your posture slightly by getting more erect or more bent. Find the right "relaxed" posture to get into for the club to address the ball properly. This requires only slight changes in posture for most people. Find your ideal posture and practice getting into it until it is almost second nature. This is what we will refer to as your "relaxed posture" from here on out. You now have your foundation.

The Grip:

Exercise 3 - Left Hand:

Stand straight up and take your club in the left hand. Let your arm dangle at your side with the club resting on the ground directly in front of your hand as if addressing a ball forward and to the left of your left foot. Now grip the club only with the left hand as if loosely picking up a hammer. The club should be supported on top of the shaft by the heel of your palm and under the shaft by the index finger with the first joint of the finger being directly underneath. You should be able to easily pick the club up feeling pressure only in your index finger and the heel pad. The grip is mostly in your fingers, not your palm. By merely cocking and uncocking your wrist you should be able to pick the club straight up in the air and release it straight back down with ease. Another check is to wrap your thumb around and over the nail on your index finger. With the wrist cocked and the club in the air you should not see any fingernails. With the wrist uncocked and the club on the ground you should see the nail on your little finger and some or all of the nail on the next finger, but that is all. Rotate your grip slightly to both sides keeping the clubface squared and try cocking to lift the club straight up. Find the point that feels just right. For the sake of practicing at home this is the proper left hand grip.

Exercise 4 - Right Hand:

Now move the club in front of you and take your set position with the club. Address the ball with your clubface square to the target line holding the club only with the left hand. Be sure you are in your relaxed posture at this point. We will discuss ball position later so for now assume the ball is just slightly ahead of the middle (more toward the left) and your club face is just behind the ball approximately in the middle of your stance. With the five iron you should have your feet apart just slightly wider than your shoulders. In other words the inside of each foot should be just outside the shoulder.

At this point we have reached basic rule number two. Your left arm must be straight at address. In fact your left arm must stay straight from address through the backswing and all the way down until impact. Your left arm is the guiding factor during the swing and having it straight at address and straight at impact is essential to striking the ball correctly. Keeping the left arm straight through the backswing increases power and accuracy. People who top the ball or hit it fat usually have not mastered this rule and they are returning the clubface to impact at a different position than they had at address. Now is the time for you to get used to your left arm being straight.

So, you are at address with just your left hand gripping the club and your arm straight. Now place your right hand on the grip. Remember your arms are dangling so in order to accomplish this in a relaxed way you will have to bend over just a little more and drop your right shoulder to accommodate your right hand being lower to the ground than your left. This is where a lot of people go wrong. The proper way to get the right shoulder lower than the left is by tilting toward the right rather than slumping the right shoulder forward and down toward the ground. Properly said you should be erect from you feet to your hips and tilted slightly to the right from your hips to your shoulders. Keep that big chest feeling. Check to see that a straight line through your shoulders is pointed at the target. The butt of the club should be pointing half way between your belt buckle and your left hip. Congratulations! You are now addressing the ball correctly.

It is critical that you master getting into this address position. Practice this until you feel comfortable that you are getting into this posture with you shoulders squared to the target. Once you are in posture, relax. Practice letting the tension go. When hitting shots relaxing is the last thing you do before "pulling the trigger."

More on the Grip:

We will fine-tune the grip at the practice range so for now it is not important how your right hand is positioned on the club. You are probably already accustomed to an overlap or interlocking grip and it really doesn't matter which one you use as long as you are comfortable. There are however a few good tips on the grip that you should adopt.

The right hand palm should be directly opposed to the left palm. In other words the right hand should not be under the shaft or on top. Stand erect with both hands gripping the club. Hold the club straight out in front of you and by cocking and uncocking the wrists you should be lifting the club face straight up and down with ease. Try rotating your right hand grip first over and then under the shaft with this exercise and feel how more difficult that motion becomes.

Your right thumb should wrap over the top of the grip and rest against the side of the middle finger. The index finger should extend farther down the shaft as if resting on a gun trigger and the tip of the index finger should just touch the side of the thumb. A lot of people make the mistake of extending their right thumb down the top of the shaft to give them a better feel of control. Actually it puts too much control in the wrong place and you should avoid using that thumb for leverage.

Exercise 5 - Grip Pressure:

During this exercise it is time to expose you to basic rule number three. Grip pressure is another swing killing factor. Too much grip pressure automatically increases tension in your arms and shoulders. Remember, relax! The proper grip pressure can best be described by rating a grip that chokes as a ten and a grip that allows the club to fall out of your hands as being a one. You should grip the club somewhere between a three and a four. The grips on your clubs are designed to be slightly tacky and resist slipping. This is why you hear that better golfers replace their grips often. If you are playing once a month and keep your clubs in a conditioned environment when not being used, you can probably get by with replacing your grips every three years. Otherwise you should do it every two years and serious golfers usually get new grips at the start of every season. If you need new grips, do it now. When you get through these exercises and get to the practice range you will have to have good grips that feel tacky and allow you to keep a light grip during your swing. It may be worth a try to clean the grips you have with water and a soft brush, but do not go to another practice round or play golf with slick grips. Good grips are worth every penny.

Back to exercise 5, while you are cocking and uncocking change your grip pressure to see what happens. You ultimately want to use just enough pressure to keep the club from slipping but loose enough to feel the weight of the club head. You will notice the tighter you grip the more the club begins to feel like a stick with no weight on the end. As a rule, the lighter you grip the club the better. The key to a good swing is letting the club do the work and you can only do that with grip pressure light enough that allows you to feel the weight of the club head.

The complete Address:

Let's put the whole address position together. This is the final exercise of this chapter and you should practice what you have learned over and over until you feel comfortable you are getting in the right position every time. Proper address position is essential to making a consistently good swing.

Exercise 6 - Address:

Stand behind your practice mat looking down a line through your imaginary ball toward your imaginary target. On the practice range and playing a round this is part of your setup routine and it pays to practice now. Again, you have to work on getting to a correct address position. Performing this drill over and over will allow you to execute when it counts and without thinking about it.

Hold the club loosely (start releasing the tension now) in your left hand while you draw a mental picture of hitting the ball toward your target. Now step around to the ball and, without worrying about where your feet should be, place the clubface behind the ball and square to the target line. Your target line at home is the second reference point your marked on your mat. At the range or on the course it should be a spot or blade of grass about three feet in front of your ball that you chose as your aiming point. Now place first your left foot and then the right foot where you feel is proper. Now grip with your right hand and cock your wrists lifting the club off the ground. Start relaxing your grip pressure now and with it the tension in your arms and shoulders. With the club off the ground turn your head and look at your target.

Now look at your ball, reposition the club behind the ball and settle into posture. This usually requires a little shuffling and flexing the knees. You see good golfers going through a waggle routine as they address the ball. They lift the club off the ground and set it back down, perhaps several times. They look at the target and back at the ball. They shift their weight back and forth over their feet. They are accomplishing two things now. First and foremost they are releasing tension and relaxing into posture. Secondly they are fine-tuning the alignment of their feet and ball position to make sure they are lined up properly. I encourage the final move you make at address is to hold the club somewhat above the ball getting into posture and then, making sure your arms are dangling with no tension, bend at the hips a little more until the club touches the ground. This ensures you do not introduce tension at the final moment by trying to reach for the ball.

One last look at the target. Look back at your ball. Left arm straight. Relax. Now it's time to pull the trigger.

Practice this exercise over and over until it is a natural routine.

Chapter 2 - The Swing

If you have been reading, taking lessons, and listening to friends trying to improve your swing you will realize there are many elements that are discussed about the backswing. The fact is proper backswing represents about 90% of making a good swing. Once you have your body properly coiled at the top of the backswing and the club in the proper position you merely let your body complete the downswing and through to a good finish. Chances are very good you will make good contact with the ball.

Exercise 7 - Left Wrist

With your left hand grab your club in the middle of the shaft and hold it straight out in front of you about waist high with the club head hanging down. Flexing only your wrist move the club side-to-side down your target line. This motion I will refer to as hinging the wrist. Now flexing up and down move the club up and down. This motion will be referred to as cocking the wrist.

Now take your setup position and look at how your left wrist is somewhat hinged with the back of your hand facing almost straight down your target line and perpendicular to the ground. Likewise, your right wrist is fairly straight at address position. It is essential that your left wrist straightens out during the initial backswing and remains straight all the way through impact. More on why later but for now practice straightening your left wrist by moving the club straight back and low to the ground. Move only your wrists for this exercise. Your arms should not change in any aspect, especially the forearms should not rotate. Just move the club with the wrists. The club should travel backward about 12 inches and stop about 2 inches off the ground. If the club is any higher off the ground you have cocked your wrist instead of hinging. The back of your left hand should still be facing perpendicular to the ground even though it is not pointing down the target line. Notice your right wrist is now hinged approximately the same amount the left wrist was at address.

There are two main points about this exercise. First, the action of your wrists during the swing is a lot of hinging and unhinging, cocking and uncocking. While your grip should be fairly loose, your wrists should be firm. Allowing the club to flop around with the wrists during the swing will get the club out of sequence with your arms and body or change the swing plane of the club at some time during the swing.

Again I will point out the left wrist needs to remain straight (meaning unhinged) from the initial takeaway all the way through impact. But, you should not address the ball with the left wrist straight and the club pointed at your left hip. This tends to increase tension in your left arm. Practice this exercise until you are comfortable that you have the feel of where your wrists should be.

Exercise 8 - Takeaway

Now that you have the proper feel with your left wrist you need to forget that exercise as being the initial takeaway move. The proper initial move should be with both your arms and your wrists at the same time. But before we get into the exercise do this: address the ball and just using your wrists swing the club back and forth rapidly several times as if you were striking the ball. Now address the ball again only this time use just your arms and no wrists. You will notice you are much more consistent at hitting your target with your arms than your wrists. Again I want to point out that your left arm is the guiding factor at making consistent contact.

Okay, for this exercise you need to place a spare club on the ground starting at about two inches in front of your right foot (in other words closer to the ball) and straight back parallel to your target line. This club is going to be used as a reference for the initial takeaway position.

Now take your setup posture. Relax! Making sure you keep the left arm straight take the club straight back and low to the ground until your left arm is at about eight o'clock and stop. There is a "V" shape formed by your arms from the shoulders down to your wrists while at address. This "V" should still be intact at the eight o'clock position meaning you have taken the club back primarily with the arms. Your wrists should have hinged as in exercise 7 but not cocked. Your left arm and wrist have rotated and your left arm is roughly across your right breast. Your weight is now distributed a little more on your right leg as a result of the weight of your arms and the club being behind you. But your hips should be in the same position as at address. This move is all arms. Your club should be pointing straight back at nine o'clock and the toe of the club should be pointing straight up. Your club position should also be directly over the club on the ground. If it is not directly over the club you have rotated your body too much or you have improperly rotated your wrists. Start over and make sure you takeaway with just your arms. Rotating the body too early is a common mistake and it does not allow your body to coil properly.

Cock and uncock your wrist while in this position. If you are in the proper position with your hands the club will move on a path almost straight up but angled slightly back. This is the perfect swing path.

Practice this takeaway over and over. Make sure you do not follow the path of the club with your eyes. Keep looking at the ball. Once you have made the takeaway you can take a peek to see if you are in proper position.

Exercise 9 - Cocked Position

Now let's take the club back a little further along the backswing plane. Keeping with the guidelines of the previous exercise take your left arm all the way to the eight o'clock position and stop. Your next move is to take the club higher with your arms and shoulders while simultaneously making a complete wrist cock.

Make sure you keep your left arm straight. Completing the backswing from this position requires rotating your left shoulder underneath your chin and cocking your hands. Your main thought during this exercise is turning your left shoulder under your chin. In fact your arms have essentially done as much traveling as they will by themselves. Once your arms have reached the eight o'clock position most of the coil you get is in the rotation of the shoulders. During your practice sessions I encourage you to think along the lines that the initial move is with the arms and the remainder of the backswing is done with the shoulders. If your wrists are in the proper position from the previous exercise they will naturally cock properly during this phase of the backswing. Just make sure you keep your wrists firm and not floppy. For this exercise you will probably get the left arm between nine and ten o'clock and the club will go around to pointing somewhere between one and two o'clock. Perhaps even higher if you are very flexible. Where you get to is not important. In a full swing you will probably get further back as the momentum of the club will take you there.

What is important is for you to feel the complete coiling of the body in preparation for the downswing. Also, your weight has shifted putting about 90 % on the inside of your right foot. Yes the inside of your foot. You do not accomplish this weight shift by bending your right knee or shifting the weight outside your right foot. (More on that later.) Your head should have moved slightly back away from the ball and this is normal. When you hear people say "don't move your head" they mean up and down.

Here is where most people go wrong in completing the backswing. In order to get their club higher in the backswing they will shift their weight outside the right foot by moving the hips laterally and actually moving the head forward a little. There is no shoulder rotation to speak of and they have no power. The only option from this position is to start the downswing with the arms and this causes the dreaded "over the top" syndrome. If you are guilty of this I encourage you to practice this exercise with heavy attention to just rotation the shoulder under the chin. Remember we are not starting the downswing yet so just practice getting to the coiled position.

Exercise 10 - The Complete Backswing

Now you can practice the complete backswing. For this exercise take your address posture, slowly go to seven o'clock unhinging the left wrist, pause, go to eight o'clock with the toe of the club pointing up, pause, rotate the shoulder under the chin taking your left arm to nine/ten o'clock allowing the wrists to cock. Check your posture. Your weight is on the inside of your right foot. Your eye in on the ball but your head has moved back toward your right foot slightly (no more than an inch). Your left arm is straight. Purposely push your left hand out further away from your body to make sure your arm is straight.

Even though your head moved back it did not move up or down. One of the tendencies for amateurs is to either stand up more erect during the backswing or dip down toward the ball. Either of these motions kills the swing. Basic rule number four. You must keep the head steady during the backswing and all the way through impact. Having proper posture and proper weight shift should keep you from "bobbing" up and down during the swing.

Gradually start doing this in one motion without the pauses. Practice, practice, practice. You have now completed the most important sequence in a good golf swing and you must have confidence in your ability to execute.

Exercise 11 - Weight Shift

Get in address position and begin slowly but continuously swinging the club back to seven o'clock and forward to five o'clock. Keep your arms straight and relax your grip. The purpose of this exercise is to get accustomed to shifting your weight to the inside of your right foot. In order to accomplish this you will notice that there is not much lateral movement of your hips. Gradually reduce the amount of your swing forward until you are mostly swinging back to seven and down to six. Keep the swing constantly moving and get into the rhythm of the swing. You should be really concentrating on the feel of the initial weight shift over your right leg as being on the inside of the foot. Gradually let the club come back to eight o'clock and back to six. Keep in mind that your knees play very little role in the swing. Many amateurs either bend the right knee more during the backswing or straighten it out. Actually other than a little side-to-side movement there is no movement in the knees until they naturally straighten out at the finish position.

Exercise 12 - Finish Position

Now we go to the other side of the swing. The finish of your swing is an incredibly important factor in producing a consistently accurate shot for two reasons. First, getting to a good finish position means that you have swung the club on a complete arc from the top of the backswing through impact. Second, there is no way you can get to a good balanced finish without having good tempo. It is almost impossible to swing too hard if you finish well and in good balance. Few bad players have a good finish, and few good players have a poor finish.

From your address posture go straight to a finish position and stay there. You should have your club swung over your left shoulder with your hands in a relaxed position. You should be standing fairly erect with all your weight on the outside of your left foot. You should even feel the inside of your left foot off the ground. Your right foot is up on tiptoe with very little weight on it. In fact you should be able to pick up your right foot with very little effort. Now relax and imagine watching your ball headed straight for the pin. Stay balanced there for five seconds and then repeat the move. Practice until your body goes to this relaxed position every time.

Exercise 13 - Follow Through

Okay, let's put exercises 10 and 12 together. I want to stress two things about this exercise. First, practice at a slow tempo and relax your grip so you can feel the club pulling your body into the finish position. Second, keep your eyes on the ball until your body pulls your head up at the finish naturally. I see a lot of people trying to keep their head down even after impact and they can't possibly finish well. Let your head naturally rotate on through as your body rotation pulls it. Your objective is to get to that good finish position you learned in the last exercise.

Begin with your relaxed address posture and take your backswing all the way to the nine o'clock position. Left arm straight, wrists cocked. Your downswing should be initiated with the hips by "pushing off" with your right foot. Please note this is a gentle move. You should think about this "pushing off" only during these exercises until it becomes second nature that the hips start the downswing.

Think about this. You got your body coiled into a powerful swing from the top down. In other words, you started your backswing with the hands and arms, continued by turning your shoulders and then followed with a slight rotation of the hips. You wound up in a coiled position with your hips (and therefore your weight) shifted back over your right foot. You will uncoil from the bottom up in exactly the reverse order.

We have arrived at the point where most golfers never understand and that is the "fluid" swing. Once you have felt this fluidity everything else will become more natural and you will be well on your way to a great swing. How do we get there? By swinging the club with the coil you have generated in your body rather than swinging with your hands and arms. The downswing is started with the left hip by making a little "bump" toward the left foot and the rest of the swing is initiated with the left shoulder. You should have the sensation that the arms are lagging behind or actually being dragged along by the shoulder. The two keys are uncoiling from the bottom up and relaxing the muscles to allow the swing to happen. Do this over and over with baby swings and getting to a good finish posture until you feel what I am talking about. Think "fluid." Think "relaxed." Think letting the arms lag behind the swing. Don't go any farther in these lessons until you have discovered the "fluidity" of the golf swing. You have often heard the word tempo used regarding the golf swing and you are striving to find the balance between being fluid and the rhythm of the swing. That's tempo.

Gradually build up a little speed in your swing and get the feeling you are accelerating the club from the nine o'clock position through impact. Let the club dictate your body movement and make sure that you are keeping your left arm straight until it has to collapse during the follow through. For this exercise you should keep swinging back and forth until you feel the rhythm. From your finish position swing the club back down to address and without stopping execute another full swing all the way through the finish. When you begin the feel the rhythm you will also notice that nice "whooshing" sound the club makes at the bottom of the downswing. Once you are creating the "whoosh" try to maintain the wrist cock as long as naturally possible. Focus on pushing off with the right foot which you can only do if you have properly kept your weight on the inside of your right foot. Once you have mastered the weight shift you should not be pushing off but during this practice I want you to be aware of it so that you are certain of the weight shift.

Now I want to introduce you to basic rule number 5. Your head must remain behind the ball through impact.

Remember that during the backswing your head moved slightly back toward your right foot as a result of your torso (therefore the spine angle) pivoting. During the downswing there is a tendency to allow your head to move too far past the ball.

While you are swinging the club back and forth in this exercise you should first exaggerate this error by letting your head move way past the ball. Notice how it is more difficult to finish properly. Your body weight has moved too far forward for you to get into a natural and relaxed finish. Now while swinging the club focus on locking your eyes on the ball when the head returns during the downswing and be aware that your head has stayed behind the ball. Now it is much easier for you to finish.

This is the full swing. Practice, practice, practice. Do this in slow speed many times to get the feeling of a relaxed tempo. Practice making the whoosh. Feel the tremendous leverage you are getting by keeping the left arm straight. Keep your head behind the ball. Finish gracefully and completely, every single time. When you can perform the swing at slow speed you can gradually build up the tempo until you are at full speed.

Do not swing hard. That is probably one habit you have to get out of. The most important point that you should learn out of this course is the ability to make an effortless fluid swing. There is a very definite rhythm to a good golf swing and once you have felt it you will understand the feeling you should achieve in virtually every golf shot. Practice the full swing, without stopping your motion, over and over. Concentrate on relaxing all tension and executing every phase correctly. Develop your rhythm.

Finally, while you are swinging continuously, start extending your left arm even straighter. Focus on getting your shoulder fully under your chin during the backswing. Start the downswing with a slight forward press of the hips but swing from the shoulders. The arms will follow. Feel the tremendous leverage you get by doing this.

Once you have the rhythm take precise practice swings from start to finish just like you are hitting real shots. Step behind your ball. Pick out your target line. Take your address posture and pull the trigger. Do this at least twenty times before ending your practice session.

One last word about this exercise and I want to stress this as the most important point you take from this course. Practicing your swing in a continuous motion is a habit you should take with you to every golf outing whether for practice, playing a casual round, or in a tournament. It should be the final part of your stretching routine and repeated when you step up to the first tee box. By continuous I mean there is no pause to address the ball for each swing. From your last finish position casually swing the club back down and through to the full backswing position and start the downswing again. Over, and over, and over. Back and forth. Back and forth. Here's why. First and foremost I have stressed that tempo, having a smooth and fluid stroke, is critical for a great swing. Watch the pros on TV and you will see how effortlessly they seem to be swinging the club. Then watch some amateurs to see the difference. This continuous swinging of the club will help you zero in on your tempo. If you can't swing the club back down from your finish position you are out of balance and swinging too hard. Secondly, this is the time to concentrate on your key swing thoughts. Perhaps you have to concentrate on getting your shoulder fully turned under your chin during the backswing. Muscle memory comes from repetition and the continuous swing is the best way to accomplish that. On the practice range you may be trying a new swing change. Maybe you are learning to hit a fade or stinger. Incorporate your changes or work on swing thoughts with the continuous swing exercise. Out on the course if you find yourself hitting bad shots take twenty seconds to work the continuous swing. It will get you back into tempo with good swing mechanics.

Chapter Three - The Practice Range

Okay! You should be feeling pretty good about your swing now. It's time to see if it really works.

Pick out a good practice range that has greens or at least flags placed in different locations and at several different distances. The practice range is not a place where you practice hitting the ball. Instead it is a place where you practice hitting shots.

I recommend that you go to the range at least three times before putting your new swing to the test on the course.

Practice session 1: The first time is with your five iron only. This is the club you have gotten accustomed to and you need to use this first range session to both gain confidence that the swing is working and to fine tune your shot making.

Be sure you warm up properly by doing a few stretches to get your body limber. Next practice your swing techniques until you are freely swinging the club and feel the rhythm. During this first session use a tee for every shot. Obviously it is harder to hit the ball off the ground than off the tee. During this session you need to gain confidence.

Most practice ranges move the teeing areas every day to allow the grass to grow back. This changes the distance to the greens they have established as targets so you should ask for "today's distances" in the pro shop. That way you will know how far you are hitting the ball. Pick out the target green that is between 130 to 150 yards and use that one as your target for this session. Do not over-swing during this practice session. Keep a smooth tempo and concentrate on a good finish. You are not hitting the ball, you are executing a good swing. The ball just happens to be in the way.

After hitting 10 to 15 balls in the general direction of the target you need to start aiming. Step behind the ball. Pick out your target line and go through your entire swing routine. Get used to this effort. First you are here to practice making shots and you need to know where your ball is going. Second, this is the routine you need on the course. It pays to practice like you play.

You are here to gain confidence that you can hit the ball in the direction you want and at the distance you expect. Probably the ball is not going where you expect it to with these first aimed shots. That's okay. We are here to fine-tune your swing techniques.

Ball flies straight but consistently left or right of target. Take a club and lay it down a few feet in front of the ball aimed directly at your target. Take another club and lay it down parallel to the first but directly in front of both feet. This makes sure that your feet and therefore your body are aimed at the target line.

Ball has a curved flight. If the ball starts out basically toward the target but curves left, try changing your left hand grip by rotating it clockwise (more over the top of the club) and hitting a few shots. If the ball curves right, rotate counterclockwise.

If neither one of these changes has an effect try changing the ball position at address either a little more toward the left foot or back toward the right foot. You are looking for where the clubhead reaches the very bottom of the arc in the downswing. That is usually the point at where your club head is again square to the target.

Keep working. You have the basic swing and it will work for you. If after several practice sessions you find that every shot tends to curve a little to the right or left that's fine. Actually it works in your favor to know what your ball normally does. You merely change your aim so the ball will curve into the target.

Do not swing hard. In fact, NEVER swing hard. You are executing a full swing at about 75% effort and this is a swing your body can do efficiently. Later you can work on getting to 100% by rotating your shoulders more and getting your left arm closer to twelve o'clock, but you will find that you are getting acceptable distance at 75% with a great deal more control. Don't worry about distance during this session. You are trying to get the ball to go in the direction you want.

Here are the things you need to pay attention to for this and really every practice session.

1. Make sure you release the tension from your shoulders, arms and grip.

2. Check your left wrist at each of the takeaway positions to make sure it is straight, not hinged.

3. Keep that left arm straight.

4. Your takeaway should be low to the ground and as straight back as possible.

5. Finish perfectly every time.

If you have a video camera you should have someone tape you during these first sessions. Have them get close-ups of the five issues above. When you get a chance to watch yourself on tape see how your head is moving. If you are "bobbing" you need to work on that.

Practice session 2:

Again use a tee during this entire session. This time pick a target between 150 to 160 yards if there is one. Get your rhythm established and hit half the balls with your five iron at that target. You should be getting fairly consistent now. If you find that you are going a little long with the five iron, try hitting the six. But hit the first half of the balls at this target.

Next pick a target between 100 to 120 yards. Narrow your stance down a little and take a few practice swings with your eight or nine iron. Get the feel of the club and your tempo with it. You should notice that your swing seems a little slower with the nine iron. Actually you should be swinging at the same tempo with all clubs. It just seems slower because the club is shorter. Likewise the longer clubs seem to be faster. True, the clubhead is traveling faster but again, your tempo is the same. Hit half of the remaining balls at this target but go back to your five iron for a couple of shots once in a while.

Now for the remaining balls use your three iron. Be sure to pick a target and aim for it. You should gain confidence that you could be teeing off with the three and with roll getting the ball out past 200 yards and more importantly straight. You should have a fair amount of confidence with all your irons by the end of this session.

Practice session 3:

Start out using a tee and hitting the five iron. This is your "bread and butter" shot out on the course and is the one you practice the most. Start with your five iron every time you go to the range. Hit maybe one third of your balls or at least until you feel the rhythm and you are hitting your target. Now hit a few shots with a shorter club at a target until you are getting the ball close. Hit a few with the three iron.

All of these shots have been with a tee. Now is the time to try hitting off the ground. Have some patience with yourself. Use your five iron and hit 10 to 15 shots off the ground. You should be taking a small divot on each shot and you may notice the ball is not going the same direction as it does off the tee. Move the ball a little farther back toward your right foot and try again. Do this until you are making good contact with the ball first and then the ground. Your divot is always in front of the ball position indicating you struck the ball first and the club continued down for a few inches before starting back up the swing arc. Not taking a divot? Fine. That will come later. Your only concern is that the ball is going where it should.

Now hit a few nine irons and three irons off the ground. These are shots you have to hit during play and you should start practicing them now.

If you are not consistently striking the ball well go back to a tee for a few shots and concentrate on making a good swing. Your swing is working just fine. You just need to practice hitting it off the ground. Again, have patience.

Now pull out that driver. Tee it up nice and high and take a few practice swings. Your stance should be wider than it is with the five iron. Feel your tempo. You should address the ball a little more toward your right foot. Hit 10 to 20 shots with your driver. Try a few shots with your three wood. The purpose here is to see what you can do with these clubs. The driver is the hardest club to hit and gaining confidence in being able to put the ball in play with the driver will take some time at the practice range.

By the way, after you have hit a few warm-up shots you should be in your full routine for the remainder of the session. Take aim. Relax. If things are not working well, slow your tempo down and make sure you execute a good swing all the way through the finish. You know how to swing the club properly. It's just not second nature yet. Go back to the basics when you feel out of sync. Take a few practice swings. Remember, tension kills the swing.

Chapter 4 - On the Course

Ready to put it to the test?

You should always get to the course in plenty of time to hit a few practice balls to get limber and find your rhythm. If you are unavoidably late you should spend at least five minutes getting warmed up and taking twenty-five to thirty practice swings. Find your rhythm and finish well balanced. Don't hit that first tee shot until you are ready. This is the only time you have. Once you tee off you have to rely on your ability so you can execute each shot without trying to fix your swing.

Out on the course you are ready for each shot because you have the swing. You already know the distances you are hitting the ball with your 75% swing, so all you have to do is pick the right club and execute. Keep in mind that almost every shot you hit with be with a different club than the last shot. When you make up your mind which club to use take a few practice swings with it so your muscles will react properly with the new weight. By practice swing I mean a free flowing swing at about 75% effort and above the ground. The practice swings should all be executed through to a good finish. Do this behind the ball before you take your address position. You are just trying to get the feel of the club before you make your shot. This also gives you a chance to remind yourself of the key swing thoughts you are having trouble with. A lot of amateurs address the ball then take a practice swing as if they are hitting the ball. This accomplishes nothing as they will merely repeat the swing and all it's faults when they actually do swing at the ball.

I recommend you leave your driver in the bag until you have proven to yourself on the practice range you can reliably put the ball in play. Remember, the goal on the course is to score well, not prove how far you can hit the ball. While it's true long drives make approach shots shorter, if you are constantly in trouble off the tee box you have lost the advantage and likely to take an extra shot getting to the green. Try a few games teeing off with your three iron (or three wood if you hit it well). Your score card will love you for it.

Find a ball that you like. Some balls are made for distance and others are made for control. If you don't already have a favorite start experimenting with several brands until you find one you really like. A good ball makes a difference. You don't necessarily have to buy the most expensive ball, but keep in mind you are going to be hitting better shots from now on and you will be losing a lot fewer balls. Don't squander a good game on using balls that you found in the woods or pulled out of the lake. You are playing with one thought in mind. Shooting a low score. Having confidence in the ball you are using helps.

Keep your clubs and especially the grips clean. Use a clean towel to wipe your grips regularly during the game. Use a tee or a brush to clean the grooves after the shot and before you put the club back in the bag.

Most importantly, have fun. You are going to be hitting a lot better shots now but you will not be perfect. Don't be too hard on yourself for hitting a bad shot. Relax. You are here to have fun. Rely on the routine you have practiced over and over in preparing and executing the shots. Put your confidence to work for you and don't let a bad shot shake that confidence.

The Rules of Golf: A Helpful Chart