The 3 things you need to know about Golf Swing Instruction

By: B matheson


Like most weekend golfers I'd love to be able and play every day. Of course it doesn't happen with everything else in life needing attention, I settle for playing on weekends and sneaking out of the office early for the odd weekday 18 holes. If you're reading this then I can only assume that also like me you've struggled to shoot the score you really strive to, and are ready to take action and learn the skills needed to do so. Personally I fought with trying to break nineties for several years, I would shoot the odd match over 100, but most of the time a consistent 92-96. I'd hit bucket after bucket of balls with my driver, just not understanding why I couldn't transfer those beautiful shots on the range to my game. The AH-Ha moment for me was when I finally decided I couldn't teach myself how to get better and I need to find some quality golf swing instruction.

I tried taking golf lessons to help improve my game, although it really wasn't up my alley. How ever when I stumbled on a set of video golf instruction DVDs by a pro who specializes in instructing weekend golfers to reach their max potential I was intrigued. The remainder of this article is dedicated to the three things I realized as I went through learning the DVDs and improving my golf game.

You are not a golf pro so why learn to swing like one?

It didn't take me a long time to realize this important point. The first couple of group golf lessons I went to the instructor kept talking about how certain pros did this and that. To me it didn't make sense since I didn't have the time to whack 1000 balls a day to improve my game, should I really be trying to do something exactly like one of the pros on the PGA tour does it? Maybe I'm wrong, again I am not an instructor but it made more sense to me that I should be trying to play within my skill set as an amateur weekend golfer.

When you're learning to improve your game, and the correct swing mechanics don't try to swing exactly like your favorite player on the tour. Now this isn't to say that you won't pick up some amazing pointers and see how it's really done when watching a round on Sunday afternoon, how ever it makes more sense to learn a swing that can be easily repeated and not get to technical.

Just because you don't drive it straight and long doesn't mean you can't score low

Like I mentioned earlier, I used to spend quite a bit of time at the driving range with just my driver and a lone bucket of balls firing them out one after another. After several balls I would get into a groove and start finally hitting them straight. How ever the next time I was out to play a round I wasn't able to duplicate the successes I had at the range on the course. It's not just me that has this trouble, it's common of many golfers. When we play a round of golf we might hit our driver 12-15 times, how ever it's not back to back. When we're on the driving range we get into a groove with the club as we hit 50 or even 100 shots in a row. We all want to hit the driver long and straight but it's such a small part of our over all game maybe we should try something different at the driving range.

The next time you hit the range and buy a bucket of balls try playing as if you're playing around of golf. Get an image of one of your favorite holes on a course you play often, and pull the same club out of your bag you'd normally hit on that tee box. Now grab the club you'd use for your second shot and hit into the green. This format will give you far more practice then just hitting the same club over and over. Hitting the majority of clubs in your bag during a practice session will yield more improvement.

The game of golf is divided into three types of swings

This wasn't something I realized on my own, it took watching some good golf instruction dvds to catch on. Everyone reads about and preaches swing mechanics, and their right it is the core of a good swing. The setup, stance, back swing etc. etc. How ever most tips and articles talk about what is good for your full swing. That is when you're hitting your driver or a long iron. How ever just as important as your full swing is your ability to manage the correct mechanics for a pitch and chip shot. Just like the previous point mentions the game is not just made up of Wood and long iron shots, and if you break your shots down against your score you'll see that far more then 50% of your shots are chip, pitch, and putts.

Take the time to learn the correct techniques to hit good pitch shots, close to the pin chips, and accurate putts. Think, just because you can get to the green in two doesn't mean you'll get a par. Your score is more effected by what you can do with your short game then how well you hit the ball off the tee.

It was recognizing these three points about the game of golf that allowed me to really improve my score. I began treating each hole as separate parts, I'd think I might not have a great tee shot, but I could make it up in my short game. Or recover with a great second shot into the green and two putt for par still. As you improve your confidence builds and quite honestly this is half the game. If you have confidence in your ability to hit shots consistently then you will no longer stand on the fairway wondering if you're going to make that 6 Iron into the green. You'll know you're going to make it.

If you're still stuck in that stage where you're frustrated with your score, and can't seem to bring it all together to have one consistent round then I highly recommend you research some quality golf swing instruction. Find a video series, teacher, or book that focuses on all facets of the game (full swing, short game, and putting) and learn all you can, you'll enjoy the game of golf so much more.


This article was contributed by Drive The Fairway a golf site dedicated to helping new golfers improve their game and enjoy the sport more. For more information on beginner golf swing instruction visit our website and sign up for our free video golf tips newsletter at the following link at golf swing help.