Swing Smoothly by former PGA Tour Instructor and Golf Author, Bob Cisco

We all know the importance of swinging smoothly in our golf swings. The pros are a good example of this. But the question is do we personally?

The latest drivers on the market are shaped in such a way that in many cases encourages a "grip it and rib" it mentality and in my professional opinion having taught thousands of hours of golf instruction this can be a mistake fpr the average golfer who shoots in the 90s or 100s.

Although I want the feeling of getting a solid big drive down the fairway as my objective, and although it can feel good to want to knock the cover off the ball, the best strategy and the one that is most effective is to concentrate on a good swing to hit the ball and be in a sense of control. Being in the fairway is key for most players. Just hitting the ball as hard as I can does not mean that I play good golf though.

If you just need to relieve a little stress, then swinging with all your strength may accomplish your goals. However, if you want to play golf well, then you are going to have to hold back on the power a little.

One of the most frequent mistakes is to swing the golf club too hard. A hard swing shows that you have power, but accuracy is the name of the game in golf especially if you want to have a good score for the day.

You need to relax when you are swinging. This will help you swing easily and will help to reduce your power. If you put your feet closer together, then you can further reduce the strength of your swing. Tensing up will also cause you to use too much effort.

Your center of balance is important. Keeping your awareness on your balance throughout your swing and not over swinging is the key to your consistency. The golf swing is more a swing motion that is generated from the feet up and the role of footwork cannot be under-estimated.

Besides being aware of your balance and the sense of the weight shift back and thru the ball, keeping your head steady is one of the "golden rules" as well to hitting good golf shots and better consistency.

If you jerk your body or hips too abruptly then your head will move and you will not be able to focus on the ball. This can also change your balance point or center. It is imperative that you keep your feet planted so that all your weight will be concentrated in your feet when you make contact with the ball.

Expending very little effort should be your goal. If you hit the ball correctly, then it will feel smooth and easy.

Don't tense up when you are about to make contact with the ball. If you tense up, your balance will be thrown off. You want the club head to travel in a straight line to make contact with the ball.

To help correct slicing, see how centered you can hit the ball with your club and how low you can send the ball. If you send the ball too high, it gets into the wind and can go left or right on rough ground.

You want to only use the amount of power that you are able to control. The goal of the game is not power, but accuracy. You want to be able to control every facet of your swing so that you hit the ball cleanly and it goes where you want it to go.

The distance will come from your clean and correct swing, not how much power that you put into it.

You want to try to gradually increase your speed during your swing until you connect with the ball solidly. If you do not have a smooth swing, then you are pulling your hands somewhere during the swing. Keep your head as still as you would if you had a glass of water balanced on top of it. This will help to improve your swing and help you to swing more smoothly and fluidly.

Swing at a decent enough speed to keep yourself from becoming tense and stiff. Don't swing too slowly or so hard that you feel the effort of the swing. Stay relaxed.

Try to keep the idea of power out of your head. Keeping your power under control so that you can be more accurate is what counts!