How to Swing a Golf Club
By Steve Silverman
Golf can be an intimidating game when you are just starting out to play. One of the biggest issues is figuring out how to swing the club. Unlike baseball or tennis, you are not hitting a moving object. As a result, it should be fairly simple to make contact with the ball. However, making solid contact and getting the ball to go where you want it to go takes practice and concentration.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Learn how to grip the club. In order to hit the ball correctly with a solid swing, you must have an adequate grip. Hold the club with your left hand at the top of the shaft. Take the small finger of your right hand and place it in the gap between the middle finger and forefinger of your left hand. Have your two thumbs align down the shaft of the club. is called the overlapping grip and it is the most popular one in the game.
Stand over the ball with your left shoulder facing the target. Your left foot should be directly underneath your left shoulder. Play the ball midway between your two feet. Flex your knees slightly so that you are in an athletic position when you prepare to hit the ball.
Start your swing by rotating your hips to the right. The hips are the engine of your swing. Bring your club back to shoulder height when you have reached the top of your backswing.
Start your downswing with your weight on your back leg. As you rotate your hips back to the left, your weight will transfer from your back side to your front side. Once your hips have cleared the hitting zone, your hands will follow and you will make impact with the ball.
Snap your right hand through the ball as you make contact. The weight shift from back leg to front leg provides much of your power but the snap of your right hand will bring the rest of it. Finish your swing by bringing the club up to shoulder height. Do not stop your swing just because you have made contact with the ball.
Tips & Warnings
Practice your swing at the driving range at least three times per week when you are just starting out.
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.
