Biggest Mistake In Golf Swings

There are a lot of possible mistakes that can happen in a golf swing. The biggest mistake occurs in the "transition move", the change of direction from back swing to down swing when a player attempts to hit the ball too hard. There are certain sequences that must be followed to make a correct golf swing.

Performing the proper fundamentals in swinging.

The basic fundamentals of the golf swing are mostly performed in the setup position. They are: (1) Position of hands on the club (grip). (2) Proper positioning of the body known as posture. (3) Alignment of the body parallel to the target. Those fundamentals were discussed in previous articles. So with everything adequate in the setup, let's move to sequencing actions in the back swing and the downswing.

Proper back swing sequence:

There is a "y" formed, in the setup position consisting of the arms/hands, and golf club. First move is the rotation of the shoulders taking the "y" away intact. When the shoulders cannot be moved any further without moving the hips, the hips begin to move pulled by the shoulders. The shoulders continue turning to a perpendicular position approximately 90 degrees. The hips will have turned approximately 45 degrees. This action is known as "coiling" the body to create torque. In the rotation process the weight will be transferred from a 50/50 percent setup position to approximately 75/25 percent, with 75 percent being on the back leg furthest from the target. All of this should be done with both feet on the ground. Some great players were known to lift their left heel slightly. But doing so releases some of the torque you have built up. To compensate for this action the left heel must be placed back down before the downswing begins. This takes a lot of practice, which most players don't do. One other very important action is allowing the wrists to cock to 90 degrees in relation to the forearms about 3/4 of the way in the back swing. Do not consciously pick the golf club up with the hands.

Proper down swing sequence:

Now that the top of the back swing has been achieved, the downswing can begin. This is where the biggest mistake in the golf swing is made. It is called the "transition move". The main objective in the downswing is to maintain the torque that has been built up and releasing it just before impact with the ball. To achieve this the player must start from the ground up transferring the weight from his back foot to his front foot, rotating his lower body, which in turn rotates his shoulders, followed by arms, hands, and the golf club. This rotation continues to the follow-through position.

The entire motion of the golf swing is not different than any other athletic motion that utilizes a transition move, such as throwing a ball. The shoulders pull the arm back, with a cocking of the wrists. You then push off the back foot to the front and in the process, the hips turn, the hips turn the shoulders and the shoulders pull the hand and ball through with the release of the wrists at the proper time. The harder you push your weight from back to front foot the faster all the other parts move.

These moves happen with just about everything we do, from changing direction when we walk or pushing the weight harder off the back foot when we want to run. It is a rare circumstance when our shoulders turn first except when we want to build torque to swing a golf club, throw a ball, or make a tennis swing or even a hockey stick. Most of these actions happen without thought and the biggest mistake in the golf swing can be eliminated if you stop thinking about it.

In conclusion, the things we learned early in life without much thought, will become second nature to us. What we learn later in life, it seems, we must analyze and give it too much thought. In golf we feel we must construct a swing instead of allowing a process that comes naturally to prevail.