Perfect Your Golf Swing

When you first started to play golf, if you were like most of us, you probably stepped up to the first tee without any instruction or training and 'had a go'. The result was almost certainly frustration.

Despite this, you did enjoy yourself, and so you kept playing hoping things would improve. When they didn't, you probably booked a lesson with the local pro. That was also moment when you discovered how expensive they are!

But there is a problem here. Did you know that your muscles have a memory? Oh yes they do! Just think of how automatically you do simple daily tasks like shaving or applying lipstick. The very first time you did those things, you had to really concentrate, but as you repeated the action, it gradually became automatic. Eventually you could be thinking about something else whilst your muscle memory did the job. Have you driven somewhere in your car and afterwards can't remember the trip?

So what is the problem? Well, when you started to play without instruction, you learnt bad habits that are now burnt into your muscle memory, and even though you have since had some proper instruction, those memories are still there. Your next task now is to get rid of them and get your muscles to learn correct techniques.

Now to add to your problem, some of your golfing friends may have offered tips and hints to you to help improve your golf swing. The reason that hasn't helped you is that they may not have a very good swing either, so they are actually teaching you bad habits. Be warned, they may appear to have a good swing because they can hit the ball long and straight, but the reality is they may have one or more major flaws in their swing that they have learnt over time to compensate for.

The golf swing is probably the most challenging part of the game because of the many muscles involved that have to work in unison together. There are so many actions and functions and it only takes one little part to 'get it wrong' and it spoils what otherwise may have been a superb swing.

Let's go back to basics. To improve your swing, you first have to figure out what your faults are. The best way to find that out is to have someone video your swing so you can play it back in slow motion or even frame by frame.

Your stance, your posture, your weight distribution, the ball position, your grip and wrist angle are all absolutely vital, so carefully check that all these are correct. The other really major factor is your mental attitude, whether you are tense or not, whether you have just had a row with someone, or a major set back in life, or just pranged the car.

The golf swing is a huge subject and a full explanation is clearly beyond the scope of this article. For more guidance and training on this, go to a pro or get a good book and study it. In the mean time this article has given you some thoughts to ponder that will hopefully lead to a better understanding of the golf swing and how you acquired the problems in your swing. When your swing is right, the exhilaration with each nice hit will lead to more enjoyment in the game.