The perfect golf swing is the most important thing for a golfer of any handicap and experience. Greenhorns and veterans of the game strive to make their golf swings a little better than last weekend's 18 holes. There are a lot of instructional videos and booklets that are available to improve a golfer's swing but none of them will work if you fail to understand some of the basic concepts of what makes a golf swing bad.

The Set-up

The key element of a bad golf swing is sometimes not the golf swing itself but the most of the time it is the golfer's set-up. The set-up may pertain to different things like the golfer's clubs, his accessories, the clothes and etcetera. Some golfers think that a good set-up can make up for the lousy swing.

One of the most crucial mistakes that a golfer can make is underestimating the time spent on the set-up than the game. Some even think that they can have all the names in golf with them and just whack the ball silly. It may have worked for Happy Gilmore but it sure won't work for Average Joe and his lousy swing because Happy Gilmore is in a movie and Average Joe is not.

One of the most important things that you should remember is that the set-up should not pertain to the clothes you wear and the clubs you carry, but it should mean the preparation for your swing.

Bad Posture can kill your game

If you are one of those golfers that overlook their posture, you should think of considering a new sport because golf is not for you. It is important in golf that you know when your posture is bad. The key element of a good swing is the proper alignment of your neck and head. The straight line that is formed by your head and neck will dictate the force of the drive that you can deliver to the ball and flight. Once you are hunched over the ball it will move to either sides or fall short of the green no matter how hard you hit it.

Another important factor is balance. You should have good balance to deliver a good amount of forward thrust to your swing. And unbalanced footing usually hinders a golfer from delivering the full impact of the clubhead motion to the ball. This is because of the uneasiness that the golfer feels about his stance. Delivering a solid blow usually means your footing should be sure. Posture and balance problems can easily be corrected with practice and good habits. Once your muscle memory is comfortable with the position you want to achieve you will have no problem at all.

Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are good especially after a good game of golf. But when you bring your chicken wings to the game, things will definitely turn out for the worse. It is better that you leave your chicken wings in a basket at home where they can be the perfect in game munchies.

When we say a chicken wing this means a bad habit a golfer may be doing when taking a swing. When putting or in a putting game, letting your arm and wrist go limp is what you call a chicken wing. What happens after this is that the golfer's arm goes flying up in the air losing all the power to your swing.

Golfers who tend to take their swings lightly usually commit chicken wings. When you lose the power of your swing it usually ends up chopping or slicing your golf swing.

For some, golf is one of those games that may shorten your lifespan. But for others, it is a grand game where patience and a good hip go a long way. While it may seem simple enough as all you need to do is to hit a metallic ball really hard to hurl it towards a hole at the other side, countless people have trounced in frustration because of it. Luckily, it doesn't have to always be so bad.

Keep it simple, keep practicing

The keyword in golf is consistency. If you can't hit the ball the same way each and every single time, then you will definitely have bad scores. Such problems like short distance, slicing, hooks, and many other golfing maladies are caused by lack of consistency. Therefore, you are to achieve consistency by improving your form. The only way for your body to do the same thing in the same way is to train it, and train it well. Practice.

Learning how to swing your club properly should be simple enough as long as you practice. A good way to think about it is to use your spine as an axis and keep your grip on the club properly. Such techniques are used by professional golfers all around the world. While differences can be quite subtle, there are many different types of golf swings. The similarity is that they all adhere to this principle. If you learn how to apply these principles to your swing, then you shall have no problem in driving longer distances without slicing and having 90% of strokes landing on the fairway.

Economy of movement

The best thing to do with your golf swing is to reduce unnecessary movements. Think of it as energy conservation, since all of your energy is supposed to be focused on hitting the ball and not wasted on awkward movements that cause slicing and other problems in the first place. Get back to the basics and incorporate only the movements needed to hit the ball dead center. This should lower your handicap by 7-12 strokes in no time. With more practice, you will hit par or better every single time. However, that is only if you do practice.

Get lessons

To learn more about the golf swing, the most obvious thing is to receive instruction in an actual golf class. These classes would have equipment and instructors that can help you achieve perfection as long as you have the determination, discipline, and money to do it. Enrolling in such classes does require a fee, so you do need to be earning quite a bit before you can actually think of getting into it. However, you can learn a lot if you do.

Read up

Others would try to find information over the internet. This is quite convenient, but the information gathered can be quite conflicting. As there are many different ways to hit a golf ball, experts are divided in what is the best way to improve your golf swing. Your job in this is to find out what is best for you. Every golfer has a different body, so not everyone can adhere to the same swing.

By being able to adjust to your configuration, you can improve without having to break a back or hip to do it.

The best way to start a golf game is with a good golf swing. That way, the ball will land near the hole so it is just a matter of putting it in.

In scientific terms, this is all about physics because the twisting swing produces torque on the club. When this happens, the kinetic energy that is collected for the club head will go to the club causing it to fly a great distance.

Professional golfers that make the ball go very far achieve a club head speed of about 100 miles per hour. Tiger Woods is an exception because he was once clocked at 125 miles per hour.

But the proper golf swing has another component and that is the lie angle. For those who don’t know what this is, it is the angle between the club shaft and the club face. If you have a golf swing monitoring machine, you will notice that most golfers strike the ball at 12 degrees. One scientist believes that players can do better if they hit the ball at a 7.5 degree lie angle.

To do that, you need to know the 4 elements.

First, at the back of the swing, you should stretch as far back and extend the range of motion while keeping your rotating torso directly over your right leg.

When you begin your swing, turn your torso quickly and press down on your right leg.

Next, drive through the ball using your hips, shoulders and wrists which will all help increase your ball speed.

Lastly, let the club head’s momentum extend to the follow through far around the back so you get to complete a smooth club head rotation.

You have to remember that the golf swing mentioned is far different when you are stuck in a sand trap because there is something blocking your way and you have to go over that. To do that, you have to hit the sand behind the ball using the club head. How far will the ball travel depends on the distance between the club head and the sand.

In both instances, a good golfer must be able to adapt with the surroundings and the weather. If the winds are strong, you cannot hit the ball at 7.5 or 12 degrees every time. The rule of thumb is that when the wind is coming from behind you, you have to use a club that has a greater lie angle. If the wind is coming to you from the front, you should use a club with a smaller lie angle. If you do not follow these rules, the ball will not travel far or you may end up with a slice or a hook.

Making the proper golf swing is not easy. If that was the case, almost everyone will be able to hit a hole in one. This is why professionals practice more than 8 hours a day because they know that there are things beyond their control and the weather is a very significant factor.

Now that you know what to do, it is just a matter of practice so you can put theory into practice. If you are still having a hard time, get some golf swing aids to help you out.

Golf instructors, golfing schools, golf advice, even self-help instructional golf materials flood the media. No matter where you turn, it seems like there is always somebody ready to help you get a better golf swing. But before you start accepting any of this help, you need to think about a few things first.

Separate the Good from the Bad

Like any other sport, the best way to improve at golf is repetitive practice using the proper form. The tricky part is figuring out exactly what the proper form is, and how one goes about acquiring it. The sad truth about this industry is that there are a lot of pseudo-experts and unproven techniques out there. If you apply the wrong advice, you could end up with a worse swing than you had in the beginning.

But isn’t that what golf instructors are for? Don’t they correct your mistakes and set you on the right path? Bad habits are hard to break, so it is really important not to develop new ones. If you take bad advice, it only hampers your progress as you will have to unlearn these bad habits before you can start learning the good ones. What is worse, some “training” tips may cause injuries which can hurt your golf game permanently.

Spotting the Genuine Article

There is no hard and fast way to identify bad advice, but certain things should ring alarm bells. Good advice works for lots of people, so ask around. Try to contact other players who have either been taught by the same instructor or have benefited from the proposed technique.

Look at the credentials of the instructor, if he plays a good game that’s ok, but it is also important to see if he has any formal education. People who have no sports medicine background may be recommending potentially harmful drills without them realizing it. Well meaning individuals have caused great harm before.

Managing the Tangibles

Goal setting is a key component of any training exercise, so what is the goal of this activity? It should not be as nebulous as: ‘you will improve your game’ or ‘you will have better form’. Measurable goals are important, such as average distance traveled by the golf ball, increased accuracy of shot trajectory, or increased golf ball speed.

Some of the problems you encounter may be related to your golf equipment. It pays to make sure that you are using the correct club length for your height, good fitting shoes, and appropriate clothing. You must also practice in a setting which hampers your movements. If you are in an area that is too crowded, this may prevent you from fully realizing your swing.

Keep Your Mental Game Pure

Finally, find instructors and training tips that fit your personality. Golf like any other game involves a lot of psychology, so your mental game must be improved as well. Try to figure out what kind of personality you are and what mental traits you need to develop in order to acquire a better golf swing. This is often the major stumbling block for athletes, be they professional or amateur, so do not feel weird about it.

In the end you will not only get a better game, you may even get a better you.

Golfers who are able to make those great golf swings developed their skills. They were not born with it so don’t think that copying what these people do will some day make you just like one of them.

This is because the more you try to imitate them, the more you make mistakes. The morale of the story then is to learn how to play your own game.

But how do you play the game without following what the best do? Well the answer is practice. If you are new to the sport, get professional help and learn the basics. If this is not enough, watch some instructional videos.

You have to put the time and effort into the game to get the results you want. Yes you have a job or a business but for golfers like Tiger Woods, that is their job so they can spend more time there compared to you.

Does this mean you quit your job and try your luck at professional golf? Of course not but given the limited practice time, you have to maximize each session.

You might see a lot of people practicing at the golf range. They would hit a buckets and buckets of balls but then what happens? Nothing because n an actual game, it all boils down to putting the ball into the hole. This means you should spend more time on your short game because this is where it really counts.

To do that, do various drills that will help you chip and pitch. Since the ball may sometimes land in the bunker, practice shots from there as well. A study shows that 50% of golfers will have to make their shots from 75 yards or less from the hole. So you should also practice putting shots at this distance and less.

Spend time practicing your wedge play because this can help you setup an east birdie. Hit as many balls from 40 to 135 yards. This club may be shorter than what you use for long distances but the principle is the same.

There are various golf techniques around to help you improve your short game. You can try hitting the ball with your club only using one hand, hitting the ball with your eyes closed and drawing a chalk line to make sure that when you hit the ball, it is moving in a straight line.

There are also a few tools you can use like golf gloves to ensure you are holding the club properly because how you hold it also affects where the ball is going to travel.

One thing that you need which you cannot buy from the store or learn from a professional is attitude. Confidence plays a significant factor because if you have doubts that the ball will not go in the hole, chances are, it won’t. Think positive and hope for the best because this is all you can do each time you make that putt.

To win in golf, the golf swing is just one of the things that will make the ball travel far enough to land close to the hole. In the end, it is your ability to putt it in that counts which is why you should spend more time on your short game than anything else.