What are the essentials in the golf swing?

[Seth.Tunstall]

Some background. I am 23 years old,  6'5" and picked up the game 2 years ago and I have been at a 20hcp for about a year. I love the nerdy side of Golf and learning everything there is to learn about everything. The problem with this is I have all this knowledge but I have no clue how to organize it all. what is important vs what is not? what is purely for cosmetics vs what is purely functionable? What is essential vs what is not? please help.

The Situation

What are the essentials in a golf swing? What are the movements, positions and mentality during the golf swing that are needed to be successfully and repeatable? This question has been one I've wrestled with since I began to play Golf 2 years ago. I picked up the game with limited past experience and no one to teach me unless I paid for lessons and as a broke college student, unless I wanted to eat ramen for a month, I could not afford lessons. So what is the next best thing that could replace a formal lesson? you guessed it, YouTube! Now I will say that if you are brand new to the game and you just want to be able to grip the club and get in the correct stance then YouTube isn't the worst option. BUT for someone like me who knew the general basics and is looking to improve I am left with a million drills, countless instructors, tons of podcast and interviews, thousands of swings to compare to and all of this with no context of what really matters and what people just put out to get views.

I'm left with having to record my swing and decide on the many things wrong with it which one I need to fix first.

Is it my head position

My hand position

Am I too upright or too bent over

Am I too steep or too shallow

Am I taking the club too far back

Do I need to turn more with my hips

What do I do with my feet (especially after seeing Scottie's feet)

All of these and more I have questioned and tried to fix but the problem is that I have not improved if any in the last year. I play regularly and I have a driving range close by so I have the sand but I don't know how to make a castle.

As you could probably guess, hence me making this post, YouTube has not helped. the problem I am having isn't find the right drill or the right video to watch but determining what is truly important to get right in the golf swing. If I get nothing else right what do I need to get right? What is the Hierarchy of the swing mechanics for a successful and repeatable swing? If you were given 5 drills that you had to pick to be the only drills you could do for the rest of your life what would they be? What about the driver swing vs iron swing? 

 

My Tendencies and Struggles

here is some context for me so you know what I am dealing with. I sold my driver because I only could hit mega-slices and it would cost me 9+ strokes just by losing balls in the right tree line or hitting out of the forest. My irons I am a chronic topper of the ball. it is rare I chunk my irons. and they also miss to the right but not as bad as the driver. I am inconsistent when it comes to ball striking I use the whole face of the club. there is no consistency. 100 yards and in i am fairly confident since my wedges are my most practiced club. 

Final Thoughts

All of this to say. I am truly grateful for any response and my heart in all of this is to help anyone else who has had this same question of what do I need to absolutely get right before anything else. also just the desire to get better at this game so I can enjoy it more and not have a day ruined because I lost all 12 balls I bought in the clubhouse before I teed off. 

 

God Bless!

 

 

[RickyBobby_PR]

There is no ideal setup for golf it’s all dependent on the golfer and their build and body shape.

the keys to golf are proper pressure shift to trail side by shaft parallel, pressure moving towards the center around lead arm parallel and then to lead side at the top of the swing.

proper wrist set early on the swing and to move them properly on the transition.

If choosing the YouTube route then focus on one instructor and follow their steps for setup, grip, takeaway backswing and downswing.

my recommendations are Porzak golf. Search his takeaway, backswing and wall drillls.

Chris Ryan. Has a series for beginners on each aspect of the swing. The reality is that series is good for most amateurs because it addresses many of the issues in the swings of even some low handicap golfers. Also search his how to grip, perfect takeaway, perfect backswing me his downswing videos

Athletic motion golf has great videos on grip, shifting, turning, takewaw and backswing. They have a membership site and the free version has a great layout for learning the swing.

lastly rebelliongolf.com from Monte Scheinblum. He has a free video for grip and setup. For the cost of a couple Starbucks runs buy the effecient swing and work on that. Spend weeks working on one drill til you get it. You can play golf during that time but each practice session spend time on the drill. Do 3-5 drill swings then 10 full swings with the feeling of the drill.

 

[Stuka44]

3 hours ago, Seth.Tunstall said:

What are the essentials in a golf swing?

Seth.  My advice which differs almost always from most on this forum would be this.   There is only one thing in this game that will lead to poor play, quicker than thinking to little, and that is thinking too much.

I don't believe there is anything in this game that is a "should", or is "necessary".  I use a grip with both thumbs, straight down the shaft, I can't interlock my fingers.  This is what feels good to me.  I have never had a formal lesson either.  Sure on occasion I have utilized written material, and or a video here or there to adjust my chipping stance a little, or when I went to left hand low putting because I realized that I couldn't keep my wrists from snapping all over the place putting.

I'm not sure how many rounds you  play in a year, but to believe you should come to a course in your first couple of years playing, and again depending on  how many times you are playing , and hit more straight drives, and crisply struck iron shots, than average to poor ones is unrealistic.  Many will disagree, make no mistake.

The only thing in terms of equipment I would say is this.  I once played regularly with a guy who was 6'6", but actually needed shorter than standard clubs because his arms were so damn long.  So  I would check into club length for your height as something to address at some point, if necessary.

Other than this, find a swing that works for you, and go with it.  If you were losing 9 strokes hitting driver off the tee....No need to sell your driver!  Just don't hit it off the tee...There is NO RULE that says you must.  Hit something you can keep in play,  3W, Hybrid, 4 iron(crap 7 Iron). 

You say you are topping your irons.  I'm wondering if you are topping 7, 8, and 9 regularly or are you topping 4,5,6, and perhaps 3 woods on par 5's.  Flatter clubs, and the 3w, are harder for EVERYONE to get off the ground initially, and make good contact with.  This doesn't necessarily mean there is anything wrong with your swing, if you can get a 7 or 8 iron off the ground, but not a 4 or 5 iron at the present time.  A more consistent, and repeatable swing will come with playing.

THERE IS NOTHING YOU MUST ABSOLUTELY GET RIGHT....There is no such thing.

This forum has many examples of people caught in the "black hole" of seeking to find the perfect, or ideal swing they saw on a video, only to change to the next one they saw, and then the next, and the next.  I would urge caution on this.

I would play more, and practice more, and make sure your expectations are in line with how much you play.

 

Edited April 24 by Stuka44

[Seth.Tunstall]

2 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

There is no ideal setup for golf it’s all dependent on the golfer and their build and body shape.

the keys to golf are proper pressure shift to trail side by shaft parallel, pressure moving towards the center around lead arm parallel and then to lead side at the top of the swing.

proper wrist set early on the swing and to move them properly on the transition.

If choosing the YouTube route then focus on one instructor and follow their steps for setup, grip, takeaway backswing and downswing.

my recommendations are Porzak golf. Search his takeaway, backswing and wall drillls.

Chris Ryan. Has a series for beginners on each aspect of the swing. The reality is that series is good for most amateurs because it addresses many of the issues in the swings of even some low handicap golfers. Also search his how to grip, perfect takeaway, perfect backswing me his downswing videos

Athletic motion golf has great videos on grip, shifting, turning, takewaw and backswing. They have a membership site and the free version has a great layout for learning the swing.

lastly rebelliongolf.com from Monte Scheinblum. He has a free video for grip and setup. For the cost of a couple Starbucks runs buy the effecient swing and work on that. Spend weeks working on one drill til you get it. You can play golf during that time but each practice session spend time on the drill. Do 3-5 drill swings then 10 full swings with the feeling of the drill.

Thank you, 

this helped a lot! sticking to one guy on YouTube and not a random amount of instructional videos i think will help. everyone has different ways to do things and that will lead to confusion like I have experienced.

[Seth.Tunstall]

47 minutes ago, Stuka44 said:

Seth.  My advice which differs almost always from most on this forum would be this.   There is only one thing in this game that will lead to poor play, quicker than thinking to little, and that is thinking too much.

I don't believe there is anything in this game that is a "should", or is "necessary".  I use a grip with both thumbs, straight down the shaft, I can't interlock my fingers.  This is what feels good to me.  I have never had a formal lesson either.  Sure on occasion I have utilized written material, and or a video here or there to adjust my chipping stance a little, or when I went to left hand low putting because I realized that I couldn't keep my wrists from snapping all over the place putting.

I'm not sure how many rounds you  play in a year, but to believe you should come to a course in your first couple of years playing, and again depending on  how many times you are playing , and hit more straight drives, and crisply struck iron shots, than average to poor ones is unrealistic.  Many will disagree, make no mistake.

The only thing in terms of equipment I would say is this.  I once played regularly with a guy who was 6'6", but actually needed shorter than standard clubs because his arms were so damn long.  So  I would check into club length for your height as something to address at some point, if necessary.

Other than this, find a swing that works for you, and go with it.  If you were losing 9 strokes hitting driver off the tee....No need to sell your driver!  Just don't hit it off the tee...There is NO RULE that says you must.  Hit something you can keep in play,  3W, Hybrid, 4 iron(crap 7 Iron). 

You say you are topping your irons.  I'm wondering if you are topping 7, 8, and 9 regularly or are you topping 4,5,6, and perhaps 3 woods on par 5's.  Flatter clubs, and the 3w, are harder for EVERYONE to get off the ground initially, and make good contact with.  This doesn't necessarily mean there is anything wrong with your swing, if you can get a 7 or 8 iron off the ground, but not a 4 or 5 iron at the present time.  A more consistent, and repeatable swing will come with playing.

THERE IS NOTHING YOU MUST ABSOLUTELY GET RIGHT....There is no such thing.

This forum has many examples of people caught in the "black hole" of seeking to find the perfect, or ideal swing they say on a video, only to change to the next one they saw, and then the next, and the next.  I would urge caution on this.

I would play more, and practice more, and make sure your expectations are in line with how much you play.

 

Thank you! 

honestly this gives me confidence that i am not just looking like a fool but to answer the topping question. I top essentially all my clubs but my wedges. Depending on life and scheduling i play a round at least once a month when the weather is nice and i have the opportunity to go to the range everyday after work. Managing expectations is something i need to work on because i watch a video and convince myself i have solved the issue and when i go play nothing has changed which leads to a not good time. But i do appreciate these tips and the time you took to respond

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, Seth.Tunstall said:

Thank you! 

honestly this gives me confidence that i am not just looking like a fool but to answer the topping question. I top essentially all my clubs but my wedges. Depending on life and scheduling i play a round at least once a month when the weather is nice and i have the opportunity to go to the range everyday after work. Managing expectations is something i need to work on because i watch a video and convince myself i have solved the issue and when i go play nothing has changed which leads to a not good time. But i do appreciate these tips and the time you took to respond

If you are topping the ball then you have some issues to address in the backswing that are causing you to stand up in the swing and also lifting your arms.

Heres the thing about the golf swing. Yes there are some unique individual things people do in their swing and/or setup. But there are things that over 99% of good to great golfers do. It makes sense to do those things and not what the outliers do.

So what is it that the good to great players do. They have a grip that matches up with their bodies and their swings. There are some fundamentals to the grip such as keeping it on the fingers. Your hands are the club face and for some instructors they will say the trail hand and the club face should match.

what else do pros do? They shift pressures how much varies by individual and when. But they all do it and it’s completely done no later than lead arm parallel, recenter pressure between lead arm parallel and get 70% of pressure to the lead side before they start the transition. They get their lead wrist adding flexion in transition and unfolding of the trail arm early in the transition and downswing. They are using the ground to help their rotation.

Do what the best do and not what the one or two outliers do. 

[Kenny B]

10 hours ago, Seth.Tunstall said:

What are the essentials in a golf swing? What are the movements, positions and mentality during the golf swing that are needed to be successfully and repeatable?

First of all, the essentials are proper setup with your appropriate grip (being 6’5” means you should get your clubs checked for proper fit), good takeaway (one that doesn’t involve pulling the club to the inside) and backswing with proper pressure shifts, a good transition from backswing to downswing (again with proper pressure shifts), and body rotation.  @RickyBobby_PR knows his stuff and has helped many here on the forums on their swing improvement journeys.  I am also a follower of Monte Scheinblum and highly recommend his videos at rebelliongolf.com.  You can follow him  on Instagram; he posts excepts from many of his videos and has several years worth of posts to review.  

10 hours ago, Seth.Tunstall said:

here is some context for me so you know what I am dealing with. I sold my driver because I only could hit mega-slices and it would cost me 9+ strokes just by losing balls in the right tree line or hitting out of the forest. My irons I am a chronic topper of the ball. it is rare I chunk my irons. and they also miss to the right but not as bad as the driver.

My 2 cents… FWIW,

I started playing golf similar to you, but I was 44 when I started (now 76).  My slice was horrible (unless I hit a dead pull left).  I wasted 3 years playing that way before I took a lesson.  Slices are caused by an open club face relative to the swing path, and are typically the result of an over-the-top move during the downswing. That was my problem.  Unfortunately, when we get to the top of our improper backswing, we have too much weight on the trail leg and our first impulse is to swing out to the ball with our upper body.  I did.  The only way to hit the ball from that position is to come out of our golf posture and early extend, otherwise we wouldn't make contact with the ball.  Most amateurs need to have the feeling that the arms drop straight down early in the downswing before we start rotating.  This helps get the club to the ball more from the inside.  It helps to feel like you are keeping your back facing the target as long as you can before starting body rotation.  All of this happens with the proper pressure shifts already mentioned.

While you are a chronic topper of the ball, chunking can also result from the same issues; just a matter of where your body is when you make contact.  Your pressure shift to your lead leg probably comes too late; you should be transferring pressure to your lead leg when your lead arm is parallel and before you get to the top of your backswing.  Video posts both from face-on and down-the-line will provide better analysis, but your symptoms are common to 95% of beginning golfers.

As far as any drills, I would start with Monte’s setup and begin sloooow iron swings; backswing to lead arm parallel and then swing to trail arm parallel; club should be at right angle to the arms… the L to L drill.  Shift to your lead leg before starting the downswing.  Resist the urge to make fast swings.  Patience!

Best of luck in your golfing journey; many of us have done the same thing, so you are not alone!!  

[RickyBobby_PR]

Post a swing from down the line and face on and let’s see what’s going on and what bigger issues need to be addressed first. 
 

remeber when taking videos that for down the line the camera should be at hand height and down the hand line not the target line or at that body. This way we don’t get weird angles that could skew what we see. For face on samething with camera at hand height and this time at the center of the body. Camera doesn’t need to be too far away but far enough to see the whole swing

[Big Jan]

Hi Seth. I’m fellow tall golfer that fights a slice. The main thing that’s been helping me with my driver to feel like I’m pausing at the top. I tend to start the downswing before I get everything set which throws off the timing of the swing and makes the club head come over the top causing the slice.

As for the struggling to make consistent contact with the irons, the usually happens to me when I’m not keeping my head down on the ball. It’s easy to get excited and want to see where the ball is going before you actually hit it. I know it sounds obvious but it’s a lot easier to hit something when you’re actually looking at it. Also, I’m not sure what length clubs you play but you may want to look at getting your irons extended to help with the topping troubles. I’m 6’5 as well and have my wedges and irons extended 1” and bent 1° upright.

I know different tips work for different people, but these are what have helped my golf game out. I’d say the main thing is to work on one part of your swing at a time. Trying to have more than 1 or 2 swing at a time thoughts never works and can often end up doing more harm than good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[alfriday101]

I am a fellow golf nerd.  I love reading and learning about all things golf.  But, I have learned that you cannot intellectualize a good golf game.  It must be learned and felt.  

 

Here are my suggestions on how to speed up the learning process.   (a/k/a things I wish I had done much earlier in my golf experience.)

 

1.  Take a lesson on THE PROPER SET UP.  A proper set up is a must for every shot.  Save up and take one lesson on the set up.  It will save you years of frustration.  If you are not getting set up consistently, you will just make compensation upon compensation and improvement will be neigh impossible.  Learn the grip, balance, posture, ball position that gives you the best chance of hitting a good shot.   

 

A good pro will help you find a base set up that fits your body.  Make sure you get check points for the set up.  Where are your toes pointed?  At 12 o'clock or are they flared slightly to 11 and 1:00?  How far is the butt of the club from your belt buckle?  Measure with your fingers--use the "hang loose" hand position.  When you are over the ball, where are your hands.  When I close my left eye and look down at my hands, they align with the instep of my left foot. Your check points will be unique to you.  But make sure you leave the lesson with checkpoints that you can use later for practice.  

 

Also, have the pro watch you get into your set up--watch your full preshot routine.  The pro may notice things you do in your routine that lead to an inconsistent set up.  For example, I tend to line up closed to the target.  My pro noticed that if I set the club down and have my toes parallel to each other (when my feet are together), when move my left foot over I tend to close my stance.  I now start with my left toe slightly back of my right toe.  My pro also noticed that I tend to put too much weight on my right foot if I put my right hand on the club first.  I now put my left hand on the club first and lower my left shoulder before moving my left foot to widen my stance.  If my pro had not watched my full routine, I would have continued to do things that sabotage my set up.  

 

Practice your set up on every shot!  Every Shot.  It takes longer on the range, but is well worth it.  

 

2.  There are a few base drills for learning the feels of a good swing.  

 

Drills 1, 2 and 3.  The three drills in the above video are a great place to start.  Elsewhere on Mygolfspy is a thread started by a high school coach who had his less skilled players do these drills and they progressed rapidly.  While listed as drills for juniors, the drills are good for all golfers.    

Drill 4.  Spray a line on the range with foot spray.  Place the ball on top of the line and note your impact point in relation to the line.  (it should be toward the target).  Low point control is a key to ball striking.  

 

3.1  Vary your practice.   Hitting full shot after full shot with the same club is one of the slowest ways to learn.  Mix it up.  Vary your clubs.  Vary your shots.  Learn what a club is capable of doing.  

Instead of hitting your 150 club 5 times to "grove a swing", try hitting the club full swing, half swing, 3/4 swing, 1/4 swing and then full swing again.  Another variation is to hit your 150 club, start by hitting it 150.  Then, hit it 100 yards, but still take a full swing.  The try 75, yards, 125, and back to 150 yards, each time with a full swing, varying the speed of the swing.

 

3.2. Try "If/Then" practice.  This type of practice will really help you to correct things later on the course.  Hit your 150 club to the target.  Then ask, "what happens if I swing toward 1st base?"  Hit a ball swinging to first base.  Judge the shot not as good/bad, but as cause and effect.  Note how it felt compared to your regular shot.  Then try swinging to 3rd base.  Note the feel and the result.  

 

Try varying ball position.  Hit one ball in the center of you stance--where it should be after the lesson you got above.  Put a tee down even with the ball.  If the ball is two inches forward, then what happens?  Put a ball down two inches in front of the tee, set up to the tee  and find out and fell the difference.  If the ball is two inches back, what happens and how does it feel?  Later in the course, if you get the ball too far forward or too far back in your stance, you will recognize the feeling and can self correct.  

 

I'll throw in one other "awareness" drill that you can do at home.  It's great for learning club head control.

 

Take your grip and hold the club confront of you angled up 45 degrees.  The club head should be about eye level in front of you.  The club head should be pointed straight up to 12:00.  Move the club head around in small circles and fell relationship between your grip and the club head.  Then close your eyes, spin the club in your hands and retake your grip.  Move the club around in circles and before opening your eyes, call out where you think the club head is pointed.  3:00?  9:30?  Open your eyes.  Did you get it right?  If not, close your eyes and circle it around, now knowing where the club head is pointed.  Do this for a few minutes a day and you will quickly develop better clubbed awareness.  

 

That's my 2 cents.  Try the drills, nail the set up.  Oh, did I mention practice the set up on every shot.