It is a mistake to assume that there is only one right way to swing a golf club. In fact, there are many different types of golf swings that will help make you the best player on the course.
When you observe pro golfers, you’ll notice that they don’t swing the club the same way every stroke, and there are also different ways that they release at the end of their swing.
Upper Body Golf Swing
This swing helps you learn the perfect way to move your upper body for a winning swing. You will find the ideal body movement between the shoulders and the hips. This movement creates what is called a coil in golf. The coil is hard to achieve for an amateur golfer because they don’t understand the right amount of body turn. Once you perfect the right way to turn your body, you will have a maximum coil, and your swing will be better than before.
To have the best upper body swing, you need to have a shoulder-width stance and slightly flex your knees. Set your feet parallel to the line of target. You should ensure that the left foot is turned out towards the target. Your weight should be distributed equally between your right and left foot. Move your shoulders back without moving your hips.
Keep your knees flexed throughout your swing. At this point, move most of your weight to your right foot while you turn back. Turn your shoulders so that your left shoulder is under your chin. Keep your hips from moving. At this point, you should stop your swing.
The inside of your right foot should still be supporting most of your weight. Your hips should be turned back just half the amount that your shoulders have turned. You will feel some tension at your core. With practice, your upper body swing will be perfect.
Inside-Out Golf Swing
In an inside-out golf swing, the club swings to the right of the line of target. The inside-out swing gives you the leverage you need to push the ball on the right or left and hit the target. To fix your swing, you need to rotate your shoulders and hips properly; your hips should be turned towards your target.
Set your hips and shoulders to be level with the line of target. The face of your club should point towards the target, and you should rotate the left foot towards the target so that you have enough room to turn your hips. Also, you should place the right foot perpendicular to the line of target. Swing your hips back so that your left shoulder is under your chin if you are right-handed. Only rotate your hips slightly.
To begin your swing, with your hips turned to the target, swing the club on the line of target. Your chest should also be turned towards the target, and, as you end the swing, you should turn your hips entirely.
Lower Body Swing
The part of the body from the waist down is the key to the perfect swing, and it should be involved in the swing from the get-go. While your upper body is the start of the swing, the lower body should be ready so that it moves while the torso, shoulders, and arms are still turning back. Sometimes, you can even move the lower body before the upper body, and the swing will still be perfect.
The lower body starts with a rotation of the hips at the same time as the left heel. Take your heel off the ground for a more pronounced turn. Flare your right foot to aid in the hip turn. At the start, you shouldn’t move your left shoulder from the plane that you have established for the swing. Don’t turn your shoulders first, or you will get a different result from the desired one, as your swing will be over the top.
Backswing
This is one of the most popular swings in golf. The crucial thing to note about the backswing is the fact that your arm should always remain straight. Do not bend your elbow at any point during the swing. When you bend your left arm at any point during the swing, the result will be an over-the-top swing that you will not be able to recover from, and you will miss the target entirely. Also, you should keep your heel on the ground and flex your knees. With these few pointers, you are ready to learn how to execute a backswing.
The start of the swing is called the address. At this point, you are standing motionless right before your swing starts.
- Your spine should be straight and your back slightly bent
- Your knees should also be slightly bent
- Hang your arms down to the ground and grip the club
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart.
- The ball should be placed at the center of your stance, depending on the club that you are using.
Takeaway
This golf swing is between the address and the point where your arms and club are at wrist length. This is part of the backswing. You should move your arms and shoulders. The wrists are still. The takeaway starts with you drawing your arms and shoulders back with the club parallel to the target to the point where your arms reach the waist.
Rotate the club face just a little bit until the club toe is straight up while the arms are at the same level as the waist. With this rotation, the club will stay on the plane, and your swing will be perfect. Do not attempt to keep the face of the club pointing to the ball; this will severely impact your swing.
Top of the Swing
This is the final part of the backswing, and from there, you transition to the downswing. Turn your body and arms around your spine. At the end of the swing, the club should be pointing towards the target. It will be hard, but you should keep the club in line with the target. Any attempt to the contrary will result in too much movement.
The Transition
This is where you take your swing from the backswing to the downswing. You must get this right; otherwise, your odds of hitting the target reduce drastically. Your body parts should move in unison for the transition part. You should take this slowly, as it is very easy to miss your target if you rush through this step. You can pick up speed in the downswing.
When you get to the top of the swing, take a slight pause. Then, rotate your hips and chest back to face the golf ball. Your arms and the golf club will go with the lower part of the body when this happens.
Downswing
This is the drop part of the swing where you go from having your arms and club up to lowering them down to hit the ball. Drop your hands down and inside the path to the ball. Do not attempt to follow the same path you took in the backswing, as this will backfire on you. Let gravity do the work for you; it will take your hands and club and guide the swing between the backswing and the downswing.
Start the downswing by moving your right knee across your left foot. Your arms should drop naturally, and your wrists should be locked in a hinge position. Rotate your torso and hips and keep your head behind the ball.
Keep your back elbow near the ribcage. Don’t let your elbow flare out. Maintain your wrist hinge for the longest possible time during the downswing. Your feet are also crucial for this part of the swing. If you feel you are too slow on the swing, take the back heel off the ground; it should be a natural movement, not forced. You can also keep your heel on the ground to gain accuracy. Try to maintain this as long as possible.
Slap Hinge Golf Swing
This is an easy golf swing release, and it is suitable for all types of golfers, whether you are a pro or an amateur. You should have a neutral grip for this to work.
Start the swing with your arms. Lead with your wrists and flatten your hands. Release your left wrist upon impact and the underside of your left foot. Hit the ball but come down into the impact leading with the wrists and releasing as mentioned above. This swing can help you maximize speed. If you are having trouble with the speed of your swing, the slap hinge release is the best way to train yourself.
Use your right hand to release after impact. This way, your speed will be at a maximum without you having to exert any effort. With a simple swing, you will even hear the shaft cut through the air. All you have to do is get control of your hands, and you will be good to go.
One downside to the hinge swing release is that you have little control over the timing of the swing. You can also not keep your trajectory down.
The Crossover Swing
This is one of the releases that are common among pro golfers. In this release, your right hand works harder than the left. Your right hand will rotate more, and your left forearm will move counterclockwise. As you make impact, the face of the club will be pointing toward the ground immediately after impact since the right hand is released.
This release will work even if you have a weak grip. Like the slap hinge, this release also causes problems with timing. However, it is excellent for speed, and it relies on the sidearm motion to increase the speed of the clubhead. The right hand will increase your release speed at impact.
The downside of the crossover swing is that it isn’t consistent. The timing is up to you. You can miss if your right hand is rolling over, which will cause your timing to be off. If you swing too fast, the ball will flip, and you will miss it. These misses are hard to recover from.
Push Golf Swing Release
This release works better if you have a strong grip. If you have a weak grip, your hands will be on the wrong part of the club, which will result in a miss; you will miss shots to the right. When you are coming down on impact, your hands should lead the club head with a strong grip. The face of the club should be square.
The push release swing is different from the above release swings because it uses your trajectory to ensure a flatter ball flight. You will also not feel the release as you can with the other two swings. It will feel like you are holding it off, so if you like to feel your release, you will have a harder time learning this swing.
This swing does not help you with speed; this is something you have to do by yourself. The release is more suitable for golf pros because it is harder to learn. Pros are also more likely to have a strong grip due to their years of playing.
Conclusion
Although there are numerous types of golf swings, and the ones that matter the most are the backswing, the downswing, and the release swings. The backswing is where the game starts. This is where you set your body up for what is to come.
The downswing is where you lower the club right before impact. Then, there is the release swing, where your club makes impact with the ball and you bring it home.
Choosing the right swing is the key to playing a winning game. If you feel like speed is your most significant problem, you should choose between the crossover and the slap hinge. If the problem is direction, then the push release is the swing you are looking for. This is key to the ultimate game.
