How to Hit a Golf Ball Correctly
By Steve Silverman
Learning to hit the golf ball correctly is the first thing any golfer should try to learn once he understands how to hold a club and address the ball. Most new golfers are excited by the idea of hitting a golf ball 200 yards or more, so their desire is to step up to the tee and smack the ball as hard as they can. This is the wrong strategy to employ, and new golfers find this out quickly.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Stand about 20 to 24 inches from the ball at address. Your left shoulder should be pointed at your target. This is usually the putting green. Your left foot needs to be directly below your left shoulder. Play the ball midway between your left leg and right leg. If you are using a driver or fairway wood, you may want to play the ball one ball length closer to your front leg than your back leg.
Begin your swing by rotating your hips to the right. The key to an excellent golf swing is getting your entire body involved and not just swinging with your arms and legs. As you turn your hips to the right, your hands should follow.
After you have reached the top of your swing, rotate your hips back to the left. Then your hands and arms should follow. Do not speed up your swing after your hips have come through the hitting zone. Your hands should be moving at the same speed if you want to hit an accurate shot.
Keep your eye on the back of the ball throughout your swing. Most inexperienced golfers are anxious to see where their shot is going and they tend to pick their head up. This usually results in a mis-hit, because the golfer is not longer looking at the optimum spot to hit the ball and it is unlikely that the sweet spot of the club will impact the ball in the right area.
Follow through with your hands until they have reached shoulder level. A full follow through will help provide backspin to the ball and this will help the ball fly further and straighter.
Tips & Warnings
Go to the driving range and practice your swing at tleast three times a week.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
