The key to playing golf well

We master a few swing details to make the swing simpler and clearer. We want to play golf well and make playing golf a system. The results of any system are much better than relying on luck. The reason why the swing is complicated is that it is composed of multiple actions. Any problem in any link may lead to a failed swing. On the premise of not making mistakes in the principle of playing, we should pay more attention to some swing details. Details determine success or failure. This sentence applies not only to life, but also to golf.
Then I will tell you today which swing details can make our swing simpler and clearer;

First, raise the chin
slightly.

In order to fully rotate the body during the backswing, we need to raise the chin slightly when standing.
Instead of lowering your head, this will limit the rotation of the shoulders and will derive a series of
mistakes .

Second, the position of both hands ( Playing golf )

It is very important during the swing. It is related to whether your swing is stable and whether all the movements are a whole.
Many golfers don’t know where to put their hands, including golfers who have played for many years.
Perhaps this is a major reason for your unstable swing.
The correct position of the hands should be in front of the chest, whether it is the backswing, contact with the ball or the follow-up action (close).
Because this means that the hands and the body are a whole, not a scattered individual, which is very beneficial to the stability of the shot and the swing force.
Some people may wonder why professional players do not have their hands in front of their chests when they swing to the top.
That is because as the rotation of the shoulders increases and the club continues to rise, it misleads people. If you go back to the half-swing position, most players’ hands are in front of their chests. In fact, we check whether the position of the hands is correct mainly in the half-swing.

Triangle ( Playing golf )

And if you want to keep your hands in front of your chest and make the swing a whole, the best way is to keep the triangle
unchanged . The better the triangle is maintained, the more correct the position of the hands will be, and the better the integrity of the swing will be.
This triangle is composed of our shoulders and arms. If you want to keep it well during the swing, we can choose to
practice swinging with a hollow ball clamped in front of our chest.
Or perhaps any auxiliary training tool you can think of.
Doing the half swing in this way can help us better maintain the triangle, keep the hands in front of the chest, and
make the shoulders and arms swing the ball as a whole.

The body is parallel to the target line

. 1. Alignment

　　Check your feet, knees, legs, forearms and shoulders. The lines connecting all parts of the body should be parallel to the target line. From the back, the position of a right-handed player should be slightly to the left of the target line. This is because the ball is on the target line, but the body is no longer on this line. The
　　easiest way to understand it is to imagine railroad tracks, with the body on the inside rail and the ball on the outside rail. If you are hitting a distance of 100 yards, your body will probably be 3 to 5 yards to the left of the target line; if you are aiming at 150 yards, you will have to deviate 8 to 10 yards; if it is 200 yards, you need to deviate 12 to 15 yards to the left.

2. Foot position ( Playing golf )

　　If you are playing with a medium iron, the width of your feet should be the same as the width of your shoulders. Short irons are two inches narrower than medium irons, and if you are playing with a wood, they should be two inches wider. The left foot (right foot for left-handed players) should be 20 to 40 degrees outward from the target, so that there is enough space for the body to turn when the downswing is made. The right foot should be 90 degrees to the target line.

4. The key point of the lead-in ( Playing golf )

If someone asks me “What is the most important thing in the backswing”, I think it must be the lead-in. Because the lead-in determines the backswing, the kind of lead-in will show the kind of backswing. A correct lead-in action should be the coordinated movement of the “triangle” formed by the arms and shoulders, turning the triangle gradually
away from the ball.
And keep the triangle unchanged before the hands reach the right leg. This is what we usually call “integrated lead-in”.
As the beginning of the backswing, the lead-in is crucial to the entire backswing.
If the club is swung too much to the inside of the body during the lead-in, it is easy to form a flat swing plane. On the contrary, if it is swung to the outside, a steep plane will be formed. Even if the lead-in
path is correct, if there is no obvious “integrated lead-in”, it will also have an adverse effect on the backswing.
It will prevent the backswing from being a whole, resulting in power dispersion and loss of stability.
Some people think that the lead-in should be to let the club head move vertically in the opposite direction along the target line, which is a wrong understanding. Because doing so
will cause the club

face to close, and it is difficult to adjust in the subsequent swing ( Playing golf )

This practice is also what we usually call pushing the club outward.
In fact, during the lead-in stage, the club head swings slightly to the inside of the target line as the shoulders turn, not directly behind. And the club face is gradually opened with the shoulder turning. In addition
, the hands should not be far away from the body during the lead-in, which will make it difficult for you to return when you touch the ball. The main reason for the hands
to be away is that the wrist makes a wrist erection action in advance. Therefore, although wrist erection is an important part of the backswing, it is by no means the earlier the better. The longer the club is, the longer the wrist erection time should be.
So, how to make a correct lead-in? We can practice it through the following method.
①Hold both hands under the grip, and the end of the grip is at the navel.
②Then turn your shoulders to drive your arms and the club to move together. During this process, the end of the grip must not leave the position of the navel, otherwise it means that the lead is too inward or the wrist moves in advance.
③ When the lead is completed, you only need to continue to turn your shoulders and make a wrist-raising movement to complete the backswing.

5. Swing Triangle ( Playing golf )

There is a professional term called “triangle” in the golf swing. The existence of the triangle can make our swing more stable and powerful. Now, let us understand the secret of the swing “triangle” and its impact on the swing.
When preparing to hit the ball, the action composed of the shoulders and arms is called the swing “triangle”. It will not disappear with the natural bending of the arms during the swing, because as long as the hands are in front of the chest, it still exists.
Keeping the triangle unchanged during the swing can make the arms and body better as a whole, making the swing consistent. When the swing has integrity and consistency, the power that can be burst out will naturally be stronger, making the swing more stable and powerful. The

Typical action ( Playing golf )

Most typical action that causes the triangle to change is to pull the backswing with the arms instead of turning the shoulders. Secondly, the club, arms, and body do not move synchronously.
If the triangle changes or disappears, it will affect the stability and power of the shot, because when the arms and body move separately, it is not conducive to the integration of power, and it is more difficult to return the club head to the original position.
In addition, when we make short-distance chips and putts, it is more demanding to keep the triangle unchanged because these two shots rely more on the triangle to achieve stable shots.
So, how to keep the triangle unchanged? This starts from the lead-in, that is, the triangle must be kept unchanged during the lead-in. As long as this is done, the swing triangle can be well maintained during the swing.
To keep the triangle unchanged during the lead-in, you can use the following method to practice:
put the end of the club grip against the abdomen, hold the shaft with both hands, then turn your shoulders and keep the end of the grip always at the abdomen to lead the club. During this process, the arms and wrists do not need to move at all.
This exercise allows us to find the feeling of integrated lead-in, that is, the shoulders, arms, and clubs move synchronously, which is the result of keeping the triangle unchanged.
Alternatively, holding a hollow ball between the arms to swing is also a good practice method.
If you think your swing is too poor, or want to improve stability and hitting distance, then first see if you have done a good job of keeping the triangle unchanged.

6, keep the right knee bent during the backswing ( Playing golf )

The right knee is the key to storing power and shifting the center of gravity in the backswing.
Keeping the right knee bent at an unchanged angle during the backswing can keep the center of gravity of the body on the inside of the right leg, and at the same time, the lower body can better
suppress the rotation of the upper body, thereby forming torque.
If the right knee changes, such as standing upright, the tightness will disappear and the swing will become weak.
Although it may seem insignificant, it is actually a very important part of the backswing and cannot be ignored.

7. The distance between the knees ( Playing golf )

Keep the distance between the knees to give you balance and strength .
During the swing, when the body loses balance, it is mostly due to the lack of a stable lower body, such as sideways, shaking or the distance between the knees is too close.
The distance between the knees is an action that golfers tend to ignore. But it is undeniable that it has a huge impact on the balance of the swing.
We all know that maintaining a balanced swing is one of the main factors in achieving a stable shot. And in order to make the swing balanced, having a stable lower body is the top priority.
If you want to make the lower body stable, the first thing to do is to keep the distance between the knees unchanged before contacting the ball (the distance between the knees when preparing to hit the ball).
If the distance between the knees becomes smaller, not only will the power of the lower body be lost, but the legs will shake too much, which is the most fatal. Because when the legs lose support, it becomes difficult for the upper body to maintain balance.
In addition to these, the smaller distance between the knees will also cause the backswing to lose torque, resulting in the inability to accumulate swing power. The smaller distance means that the hips can rotate freely. When the hips rotate too much, the resistance of the lower body will disappear.

Swing ( Playing golf )

If you want to have a balanced swing and a powerful swing, keeping the distance between the knees unchanged is an essential part.
A constant distance between the knees can form a stable lower body and force the lower body to provide strong power for the swing.
If we observe carefully, we will find that many professional players will keep the distance between their knees unchanged between impacts, which is one of the reasons why they can hit the ball far and steadily.
But in the usual practice process, we rarely pay attention to the knees, so there is a swinging leg movement.
Therefore, I suggest that you put a hollow ball or anything that can help you between your legs during practice to remind yourself to keep the distance between your knees unchanged.
During practice, we can swing and hit the ball without using such movements. The important thing is to experience the swing feeling and good changes it brings to us.
After removing the auxiliary items, hit the ball with the same feeling, you will find that the balance and swing power have been significantly improved.

8. The right elbow is perpendicular to the ground at the top of the backswing.

Although we are gradually getting rid of the textbook standard swing action, it does not mean that we can swing without any rules. Many standards and principles still need to be followed.
For example, the state of the right elbow at the top of the backswing. What we need to do is to make it equal to or greater than 90 degrees, not less than 90 degrees.
If the right elbow is less than 90 degrees, it will cause a lot of trouble to the swing and cause instability in the shot.
Most professional players will make their right elbow not less than 90 degrees at the top of the backswing, because they know that doing so can really bring a lot of benefits.
Let me explain in detail what kind of magic can be brought by making the right elbow right angle or greater than 90 degrees.
Prevent excessive backswing
If the angle of the right elbow becomes smaller, it will be difficult to control the backswing range, and it is easy to swing the club to a considerable height.
When the backswing is too large, it means that the instability factor increases. Therefore, keeping the right elbow at a right angle can prevent excessive backswing and stabilize the shot.

Preventing arm swinging ( Playing golf )

During the backswing, the body should lead the swing and the arms should be in a passive state. If the right elbow is not restricted, it is easy to cause the arm to lead the swing.
If the angle of the right elbow becomes smaller, the swing radius will be reduced invisibly, affecting the swing speed.
Therefore, keeping the right elbow at 90 degrees and away from the body will help you get the most ideal swing radius.
If you can make the right elbow greater than or equal to 90 degrees at the top of the backswing, then I think you will definitely get a more stable swing.
Because doing so can reduce the shaking of the arm and make the swing frame more stable.

9. The position of the center of gravity ( Playing golf )

For most golfers, the concept of center of gravity shift is almost understood by everyone. But like other basic movements, the more basic and easier to understand movements are often the least noticed when practicing. Next time you go to the driving range, why not try my practice method? Checking the center of gravity should start from the preparation action, keeping the center of gravity evenly divided between the two feet. At this time, golfers can be roughly divided into three situations.
Situation 1. The center of gravity is too forward, a lot of the center of gravity is pressed on the toes, and many people even put a little center of gravity on the club head!
Situation 2. The center of gravity is too backward, too much attention is paid to squatting down with the legs, but the upper body should be forgotten to lean forward. This upper body setup requires the hands to be stretched forward instead of hanging naturally. The real squatting horse stance… but it is not an ideal golf preparation action.
Situation 3. For a good preparation, the upper body leans forward from the waist (you can also feel it as the buttocks push back). This forward leaning angle will allow your hands to hang naturally in front of the body instead of on the sides.
After the center of gravity of the preparation is correct, the next step is the swing process

Which is more difficult to grasp and feel ( Playing golf )

Everyone understands that the center of gravity will move slightly to the right during the backswing. But most golfers will move too much. When swinging in the air, carefully feel whether the center of gravity will move to the outside of the right foot at the top of the backswing. This can be a complex mistake. There can be many reasons, mainly because of too much lateral movement and the desire for more distance. Which is especially common in the No. 1 wood.
Check whether your right knee is straightened incorrectly, or whether the right knee position is kept inside the foot. In addition, the lateral movement of the head should be kept at about 1 inch.
When I see this mistake, I like to advise my students to imagine they are hitting the ball from a fairway bunker. A big focus in hitting the ball from a fairway bunker is to have a stable foot. If you were standing in the bunker, would your movements easily make you unstable?
Another good exercise is to play barefoot. It is easier to feel where the center of gravity is on the sole of the foot when you are barefoot.
Practice swings a few times and properly control your weight transfer to help correct many mistakes. And most golfers can also correct the problem of too fast or too violent turn in the downswing!

10. Proper delay release ( Playing golf )

Club lag occurs at the beginning of the downswing. Good players accelerate smoothly, while poor players accelerate too much. Their hands reach maximum speed before hitting the ball, resulting in a loss of “club lag.” To borrow Kelley’s words, “It’s bad to accelerate too fast or push the club head away and not have club lag.” So, keep throwing your hands to the ball, or flicking your wrists to the ball when hitting the ball. Remember, use your hands to guide the trajectory of the club head.
So, what is club lag? Figuratively speaking, this feeling is very similar to hitting the ball with a wet mop. Here are some ways to help you feel, establish and maintain proper club lag release.
In this exercise, I used a towel. I wrapped the towel around the neck of the club head and then placed the club head on the floor. Just outside of my right foot. Now try to use your wrist to pull the club face to the ball. This is a hard move and the shaft will tilt backward. Now, switch clubs, but this time turn your hips, sternum, and right shoulder into the proper area. You will feel a distinct “drag” and a lot of pressure as the club head hits the ball.
Next time you practice, use a 6 or 7 iron and just a length of string. Letting it rest over your right shoulder at the top of your “swing.” As you begin your downswing, with your hands straight down toward the ball. You will feel the string resting on your right shoulder, or the

Point where your shoulder “aims” at the target ( Playing golf )

The Golf Machine calls this the “Rope Grip Technique.” Here you can probably see the end of the string creating a delay in my hand. The proper delay in the club head creates a lot of downforce, which increases distance, trajectory, and swing consistency. Unfortunately, most golfers do the exact opposite. They try to let the club head move with the wrist, which eliminates club head lag.

When the club head hits the target, it moves up instead of down. For club head lag, I design a drill that uses a cylindrical bag, pillow or batting bag to assist in the drill. Swing the club back to wrist height. So that the shaft is parallel to the target line and parallel to the ground. Now just rotate your hips, chest and right shoulder. This exercise brings the hands and body to the impact position, and the club will produce club head lag.

11. Lift the right foot from the inside ( Playing golf )

All golfers know that after the swing, the center of gravity should be transferred to the left leg. The toes of the right foot should be on the ground, and most of them can do it.
However, everyone has done it in the end, but has the process been done correctly? How does the right foot achieve the toe landing? I think this is a movement that many golfers overlook.
Some golfers use the toes of the right foot as the center during the downswing. Rotate the heel backwards, and then lift the right foot instantly after the impact, forming a seemingly correct finish.
The consequence of this is that the center of gravity cannot be transferred to the left leg when the ball is touched. There is still a lot of power left in the right foot, which loses the power of hitting the ball.
Some golfers also lift the right heel and move the right knee forward when swinging down. This will cause the whole body to lean forward and make a mistake in hitting the ball.
These are not correct right foot movements. Although the final result looks good, the hitting effect is definitely not ideal.

Correct movement ( Playing golf )

The correct movement should be to drive the right foot from the inside through the transfer of the center of gravity, and then continue to rotate the hips to drive the right foot, and finally form a toe-to-toe landing movement.
The difference between the wrong movement and the correct movement is that one is active and the other is passive.
Passive is a natural result formed by the rotation of the body. If the body movement is correct, then the right foot movement must be correct.
Active means that you are too deliberately pursuing the result, which is not good for hitting the ball.
If you want to achieve the correct right foot movement, in addition to practicing the correct shoulder and hip rotation, there is another method that can play an auxiliary role.
Place a ball on the outside of the right heel and do not let the right foot touch the ball when swinging down.
However, during the practice, be careful not to deliberately lift your heels. Just let them naturally lift up with the rotation of your hips.

12. The iron club hits the ball with the shaft tilted forward ( Playing golf )

The balls hit by other people’s iron clubs always fly out like cannonballs, which looks very powerful. But the balls hit by your own iron clubs seem weak and powerless, swaying and wandering in the air.
The difference between the two is that the former is a squeeze-type shot, while the latter is “scooping the ball” and “picking the ball”.
Squeezing the ball is the secret to playing good iron clubs. “Scooping the ball” and “picking the ball” are the most common mistakes made by amateur golfers.
Looking at all high-level players, whether professional or amateur, they can master the squeezing-type shot very well: keep the shaft tilted forward when hitting the ball.
A more popular way of saying it is to keep your hands in front and the club head behind at the moment of hitting the ball.

Scooping and picking the ball ( Playing golf )

So, how can we avoid the wrong action of “scooping and picking the ball” and make the shaft tilt forward when hitting the ball to hit the squeezing-type shot?
First, let’s talk about the two main causes of “scooping and picking the ball”.
The secret to hitting the iron well – keeping the shaft slightly forward
The first reason is that the shaft is not tilted forward when preparing to hit the ball (standing and aiming at the ball). The hands are either behind the club head or perpendicular to the club head.
Then, naturally, the shaft cannot be kept tilted forward when impacting the ball. If the shaft is tilted slightly forward when preparing to hit the ball. It will be more conducive to the shaft leaning forward at the moment of impact.
The secret to hitting the iron well – delayed release
The second reason is that there is no delay release during the downswing. Which can also be say to be that the wrist bending angle is not maintained for long enough. So that the wrist is released early, and the club head will exceed the hands when it reaches the impact position.
In order to achieve the forward tilt of the shaft when impacting the ball and hit a squeeze-type shot, in addition to the aforementioned forward tilt of the shaft and delayed release, and maintaining the wrist bending angle during the impact preparation.
The secret to hitting the iron well – the downswing sequence
There is another factor that can also help us do it, that is, to follow the downswing sequence. That is, hips – shoulders – arms – club.

Backswing ( Playing golf )

Starting from the top of the backswing, through the start of the hips. The rotation of the shoulders is driven, and then the arms are driven, and finally the club is driven.
As long as you follow this sequence, you can hit the ball with your hands in front. The club head behind, and the shaft leaning forward at the moment of impact.
If you can keep the shaft leaning forward when impacting the ball. I believe you can hit a low-angle initial flight, then gradually rise, and hit the iron with full power.
That’s all for today’s sharing.