The first thing he noticed was my grip on the golf club. It was WAY WRONG! So wrong in fact he said I had no chance at any consistency because I could never get the clubface back to square with such a grip that was not correct.

After Geoff showed me how to grip a golf club the proper way, it felt so foreign to me, it took me a while to feel like I could hit a golf ball.

I had it more towards my palm in my left hand; my left hand was a bit weak; and my right hand was not on top of the golf club like it should have been. So little did I know, I had a weak golf grip.

Weak Golf Grip

For those of you who don’t know what a weak golf grip looks like, the below picture will give you an idea. I could have made it even weaker with both the left and right hand, but you’ll see how my left hand is turned to far to the left, which will make it very hard to return back to square at impact.

My corrected grip which is much better, is a strongish grip, which is more suited to compress the ball, and send it straight most of the time.

You’ll notice my left hand is turned more to the right, showing almost 3 knuckles, and the right hand is right on top. Geoff compared my new grip to Hogan, and I got chills. It was a near perfect golf grip next to Hogan’s.

A standard grip that most amateur golfers would do well with is the Vardon Grip. Named after the famous golfer Harry Vardon. Which is the overlap grip used by the majority of golfers.

If you can get anything out of this article, I hope you see a more compressed ball, that pierces through the wind straight at your target.

I was really trying too hard with my arms, creating not only tension which slows clubhead speed, but making my upper body more dominant during the initial part of the downswing. This caused a whole host of issues with my swing, that resulted in the above mentioned toe shots, a lack of hip rotation and clearing through impact, a raising up out of my spine angle at impact, and a slight flip of the hands causing an early release through the ball.

With all that being said, I am now initiating my downswing with an emphasis on lower body weight shift/rotation and more importantly PASSIVE arms. I feel like my arms are now along for the ride, as opposed to them dominating my golf swing. This will take me some time to ingrain, but with my commitment to practice, I know I will get this, and have already seen some positive results on the practice range.

So when you are making your golf swing transition, and you want the proper sequence coming down, think passive arms, and a lower body shift/rotation. I think it will help you.

This no backswing approach is one that’s been used as a golf drill by golf instruction professionals for years, so it’s kind of comical this is the new craze in golf swing improvement.

It has a lot of merits to consider. The short backswing makes your transition and sequence of motion in the downswing much easier. It enhances solid ball contact which maximizes distance; so what you think you might lose from backswing coil, you gain in ball/clubface contact.

Unfortunately the negative is the golf swing requires a take-away. This no backswing golf swing removes that, so you might have a difficult time carrying over from the drill to can actual swing from address.

This may or may not be an issue, but I think doing the No Backswing Golf Swing is worth a shot. Who knows…you may dramatically improve your golf swing consistency and mechanics.

Most amateur golfers have not been educated on what a square clubface feels like throughout your their golf swing. Without the feeling, it is impossible to consistently hit your ball with a square face. You will continue to be frustrated at your outcome, and not know how to fix it.

It’s awesome to learn about your clubface, so you can manage it better on the golf course. I have come across a fantastic resource, in fact, the biggest resource on just clubface I have ever seen!

Clubface Golf is a downloadable ebook (with over 50 videos) all pertaining to clubface control and golf swing improvment.

If you want to find out more, click the image below, you won’t regret it!

Below is a list of golf improvement approaches that you can use independently or in combination to learn how to play better golf:

Golf Instruction

The golf swing requires certain movements that are not very natural, so golf swing instruction should be at the top of your list, especially if you’re a beginning golfer. Learning the fundamentals of golf is something every golfer needs and struggles with even as you improve.

Golf instruction can be through private one-on-one golf lessons. Group lessons (which are less expensive). Online instruction is becoming more and more popular. Golf instruction books. And golf instruction DVDs is another great alternative, that is much less costlier than private lessons.

Golf-Specific Fitness

I’m making this number 2 on the list, but easily could be a tie with number one, as many golfers, especially senior golfers have physical limitations that will not enable them to apply what they learn in their golf lessons, making improvement nearly impossible.

I am a firm believer that you are only capable of what your body can do in golf. In simpler terms, your body is keeping you from a better game. How many times have you told yourself you need a bigger backswing? Come on…be honest! What you are indirectly telling yourself, is your body can’t make a bigger backswing, and I’m telling you the ONLY way to improve it is with golf-specific stretching exercises specific to your backswing.

If you’re looking for longer drives, you need to improve your core strength and flexibility. This is the engine to your golf swing. When I talk about fitness, I’m not talking about going to a gym, and spending 2 grueling hours a day. I’m talking about doing, easy, fun and effective exercises right in your home with minimal equipment.

All you need is an exercise ball, exercise tubing (w/handles) and hand weights. That’s your entire golf fitness “in-home” gym. For under $50 you can have your own golf fitness gym, and start seeing results quickly.

If you need guidance on your golf fitness program, take a look at my Effortless Golf Swing Training System.

Golf Swing Training Aids

Another great option that can be very effective for specific swing faults is a golf swing training aid. There is a lot of garbage out there, and a few good pieces. The goal of any training aid is to ultimately make your swing better, but more specifically to help you correct YOUR personal swing fault.

This swing fault may be any number of them, such as a slice, top, thin, chunk, hook, pop up or any other ugly mishit that we all hate. There is only ONE training aid I think so highly of that I offer it on my site. The hinged golf club is an absolute gem of a training aid.

This club gives you INSTANT feedback as to the mistake you’re making in your golf swing. Whether it be a jerky takeaway, or an off plane swing, the hinge will break to show you it’s incorrect. Whether your tempo is off, or your swing plane, this training aid will get you corrected making a near perfect golf swing in no time!

I’ll be back later today, to finish this post, so stay tuned!

Nobody can! Doesn’t matter if you pay $30 for a lesson, or $500. You have physical issues that are different than the golfer standing next to you. What will work for him may not work for you.

The root cause of your swing faults can be linked to a physical limitation or just bad swing mechanics, due to a lack of understanding of the proper golf swing sequence. Learning the golf swing fundamentals is the first step in understanding the correct golf swing.

Grip, stance, ball position and posture could easily be considered the most important thing in your golf swing, as if they are wrong, you will have no chance at creating a repeatable and sound golf swing.

Once you get the fundamentals down, you should break your golf swing into parts, and completely learn these movements before you move onto the next part (phase).

One-Piece Takeaway

The initial move in your golf swing is your golf swing takeaway. Take the club back in one piece with the hands, arms, shoulders and club handle move together the first 2-3 feet. This will promote a repeatable golf swing with no additional moving parts, like a wrist break or lift of the clubhead too early.

9:00 O’clock Position

When your club gets parallel to the ground on your backswing, it must be also parallel to your target line, and the toe nearly facing towards the sky, but not quite. With the checkpoint, you are on plane and on your way to a solid golf swing.

Top Of Backswing

There are many different ways golfers get to the top, and based on your current physical restrictions, you’ll either get in the ideal position or something hopefully close to it. This position is a 90 degree shoulder turn, with a 45 degree hip turn; the club is again parallel to your target line; your right elbow is pointing down, not out; right knee has same flex in it as it did at address.

Golf Swing Transition

This could be considered a very important key to a good golf swing that you can repeat for 18 holes. Your golf swing transition should start from the ground up. Your weight moves from your back leg to the front. This is not a lateral slide, but there is a definite shift towards the target. The upper body is held back at this point for a split second.

9:00 O’clock Position

We’re back to the 9:00 O’clock position like in the backswing. And we should be in almost the identical spot. Club parallel to your target line; toe of the club facing nearly skyward; right knee kicking inward toward the golf ball; your weight is now 50/50 at this point.

Golf Impact Position

Some of the top pro’s when asked what the most important thing in the golf swing is will say IMPACT. That answer makes a lot of sense, because this is the ONLY time your club contacts the ball, and the result is what your golf ball will do.

Your golf impact position should be as similar to the pro’s as possible. Shoulders back to square (or slightly open); hips rotated open quite a bit; hands ahead of the ball (unless it’s your golf driver); descending blow into back of ball; weight is 80% on your left leg; clubface is square.

Golf Swing Follow-Through

Just past your impact is the 3:00 o’clock position in your follow through. In this position, it should mirror your 9:00 o’clock one. Your club shaft is parallel to your target line; the toe of the club is up; your hands have turned over because you’ve released your club through impact; your hips, chest and shoulders are now facing the target; and your weight is now 90% on your left side now.

Balanced Finish

If you’ve done everything right, you’ll be balanced and completely on your left leg. Everything is facing the target. Your arms are relaxed with your golf club resting over your left shoulder. You’ve just hit a great golf shot!

So given all of this, you make the decision as to what the most important thing in your golf swing is.

Creating a divot means you are hitting the ball first, then the ground. A divot before the ball is called a “fat shot”, which is something you want to try to avoid at all cost. A fat shot loses a tremendous amount of distance.

On the other hand, hitting the ball then taking a divot in your golf swing is something the professionals do on every golf swing they take. In order to do this, your hands have to be ahead of your clubhead at impact, which creates a descending blow on the ball. The most common problem is golfers try to lift the ball in the air and the clubhead gets ahead of your hands causing thin or bladed shots.

Your ball position can also play a role in where you contact it at the bottom of your golf swing. If it’s too far back, it’s hard to have room to rotate after impact. If it’s too far foward, you end up sliding laterally to get to the ball and hit it.

The ideal divot is about the size of a dollar bill and is only a half inch deep. Deeper divots mean you are coming down too steep onto the ball.

I came across a golf drill site that is one of the most comprehensive sites pertaining to golf drills I’ve ever seen.

The teaching pro behind the site is Duncan McGillivray.

I’m proud to say we will be having Duncan post some of his valuable golf drills on this blog, and I am fortunate enough to do the same for him at his blog.

If you’re dealing with a swing fault that you just can’t correct, I strongly suggest you go over there and take a look.

Why does this happen? Has it happened to you?

I can tell you with absolute certain of one reason why. Do you wanta know what it is?

Your pro tells you a certain swing mechanic or move he wants you to do. You try and try, but can’t do it. He gives you a drill to do to accomplish this “new move”. You still can’t do it.

It’s your BODY!

You can’t physically do it! No matter how hard you try, your body won’t let you!

Does this scenario sound familiar?

If so…it’s time for a change of approach!

Improve your golf fitness and golf flexibility and you’ll be able to do ANYTHING your pro wants! I’m not kidding! The sooner you get your body moving more freely with less tension…the sooner your golf swing mechanics will improve.

I can tell you almost 100% confidently.

Your golf pro is telling you what you need to do, but your body CAN’T do it! Does that make sense? There is a “disconnect” between your mind and your body.

That’s where the frustration steps in. You end up swinging and playing worse than before (UGH).

But what if you took a different approach?

Work on your physical limitations “first”, then take a series of golf lessons and watch what happens. I can guarantee you’ll be hitting it much better and ultimately be able to do exactly what your pro wants you to do.

Now that’s a successful golf improvement program!