Birdie Whackers

How to Have a Smooth Golf Swing

For many golfers, when they get a golf club in hand, they just want to knock the cover off the ball.  It can feel empowering to put all of your strength into hitting the ball.  However, just hitting the ball as hard as you can does not mean that you are playing a great game of golf.

If your goal is just to relieve a little stress, then swinging with all your strength may accomplish that.  However, if you want to really play golf well, then you are going to have to hold back on the power swings a little.

You want to only use the amount of power that you are able to control.  The goal of the game is not power, but accuracy.  You want to be able to control every facet of your swing so that you hit the ball cleanly and it goes where you want it to go.

The distance will come from your clean and correct swing, not how much power that you put into it.

To reduce your power, you will need to relax a bit when you are swinging. Tensing up will not only produce too much power, but will also cause you to use too much effort. Relaxing helps you swing easily and will help you bring the power down.  Placing your feet closer together can further reduce the strength of your swing.

One of the most frequently made mistakes is to swing the golf club too hard.  A hard swing shows that you have power, but accuracy is the name of the game in golf.  Try to reduce the strength of the swing to avoid having your swing be too hard. Expending very little effort should be your goal.  If you hit the ball correctly, then it will feel smooth and easy.
Your center of gravity is also very important.  You want to keep the center of gravity in the same place throughout the swing. This will allow your head to stay still.  Keeping both of your feet in the same position throughout your swing can ensure that your center of gravity will be stable.

It is imperative that you keep your feet planted so that all your weight will be concentrated in your feet when you make contact with the ball. Try not to jerk your body, otherwise your head will move and you will not be able to focus on the ball.  This can also change your center of gravity.

Once the swing is begun, make sure you don’t tense up when you are about to make contact with the ball.  If you tense up, your balance will be thrown off.  You must relax throughout the swing to make proper contact. You want the club head to travel in a straight line to make contact with the ball.

To help correct slicing, see how close to center you can hit the ball with your club and how low you can send the ball.  If you send the ball too high, it gets into the wind and can go left or right on rough ground.  Avoiding the wind will help you to control the direction of your shot much more precisely.

Try to gradually increase your speed during your swing until you connect with the ball solidly.  If your swing is not smooth, then you are pulling your hands somewhere during the swing.  Picture yourself with a glass of water balanced on top of it and keep your head still enough to not topple the water.  This visualization will help to improve your swing and help it to be more smooth and fluid.

Swing at a decent enough speed to keep yourself from becoming tense and stiff.  Don’t swing too slowly or so hard that you feel the effort of the swing.  Stay relaxed.

Keeping your power under control so that you can be more accurate is what counts!  Practicing these simple steps over and over is what will allow you to control your swing and smooth it out.