How to Swing a Golf Club

The Golf Grip

1. Hold the club in your left hand so that the shaft meets the fingers (not the palm) of your left hand. The back of the handle of the club should extend past the end of your left hand just beneath your pinkie.
    
   
2. Bring the fingers of your left hand around the grip and your thumb against the right center of the grip. The V-shaped crease between your thumb and forefinger should point to your right shoulder.
    
   
3. Place your right hand in front of your left on the club so that your right pinkie fits firmly on top of the line between your left index finger and middle finger. Your right ring finger should be pressed up against the side of the left index finger. The right thumb should wrap on top of the left thumb and be placed against the left center of the club. The V formed by your right thumb and forefinger should also point to your right shoulder.
    
   

The Address

1. Holding the club in a proper grip, tilt forward from the hips until the club head reaches the ground just behind the ball. The distance you stand from the ball and the space between your feet depends on the length of the club. For shorter clubs, stand closer to the ball and with your feet slightly narrower than your shoulders. For the driver, the longest club, stand a bit farther away and with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your back foot should be perpendicular to the direction you want to hit the ball, while your front foot should be flared open just a bit.
    
   
2. To achieve a balanced stance, push your hips back a little so that some of your weight rests on your heels. You should be able to wiggle your toes. If you can’t, you’re leaning too far forward. A line drawn across the front of your shoulders should point toward the target, your right shoulder should be lower than your left shoulder, your right arm should be relaxed, and your right elbow should be pointing toward your right thigh.
3. For shorter clubs, the ball should be approximately in the middle of your stance. For longer clubs, such as a driver, it should be farther forward in your stance so that it’s in line with the heel of your front foot.
4. To stay relaxed as you stand over the ball, you can take small preswings, moving the club head back and forth. This is called the waggle.

The Golf Swing

Backswing

1. From a balanced address, swing the club back by using the triangle formed by your two arms and an imaginary line across your shoulders.
    
   
2. The center of your chest swings with the club, while your left knee begins to break toward your right knee and your body weight shifts to your back foot.
    
   
3. Your wrists begin to hinge. This is not a conscious move but rather the natural result of a proper golf grip.
    
   
4. At the top of the swing, the center of your chest should be facing directly away from the target (the spot where you want the ball to land) and your weight shifted onto your back foot. The club is now behind your shoulders and nearly parallel to the ground. Your eyes should never leave the ball at any point during this portion of the swing.
    
   

Downswing

1. The change of direction from backswing to downswing is a natural unwinding and release of the power you have created in the backswing. It begins with the shift of weight forward from the back foot to the front foot.
    
   
2. Allow the club to swing freely toward the target and through the ball, not at the ball. The ball should merely get in the way of a good swinging motion that continues into a follow-through. Swinging freely results in the right forearm crossing over the left forearm.
    
   
3. In a proper follow-through, almost all the weight is on your front foot, your chest is facing the target, your arms are relaxed, and the club is held relaxed over your left shoulder.
    
   

Swing Distance and Speed