Effective Golf Exercises » golf swing

The Free Swing

Golf Exercises — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:59:45 +0000

Every golf player knows it from experience. Tensing up during play courts disaster. Your golf swing should be easy and fluid. But just how do you develop that kind of free swing?

The real pivotal center of the stroke isn’t the hands wrist or head. It’s the point exactly between the two shoulders. All of the muscles of the body are below that pivotal center in action and putting energy in propelling the club forward.

Now let’s address the muscles that are controlling the head. If you keep your head still, you can preserve the pivotal center constant in relation to the ball. Balance is paramount and if your arms are straight, the elbows are bent and you hit the ball at the toe of the club instead of the center of the face, this will give you the correct distance.

When you come back to the ball, there’s more power transferred to the arms by the shoulders and back when the arms are extended than when they are bent. So you have more narrowly a fixed guide for guiding the club and the club shaft when the club shaft and the left arm are in line.

When making the swing most players spend too much time on their address thinking about this angle and that angle. What results is they move their heads and stiffen their muscles. Where’s the freedom in this swing? You will be a better golf player the second you find the muscles getting tense at any point in the stroke find a way to loosen up because the tension will destroy your accuracy and reduce the power of your swing.

It’s an advantage to you to keep your arms well in toward the body, because it’s easier to control the amount of play you will allow the arms in the downward stroke if you’re
coming down inside the ball than if you’re going beyond it. So you’ll only have to yield a little to reach the ball. But if you’re going beyond the ball you have to overcome the centrifugal force) (force which tends to pull the club outward) when pulling in the hands. So it’s a good idea to keep your arms in toward the body.

Let the centrifugal force carry your club out in the downward swing until it reaches the ball. Then you can put all your energy in to propelling the club. You won’t need much effort to guide it.

Also, make sure that you don’t reach for the ball in the address because that will stiffen your muscles.

Beginners usually swing too short. Because the amount of centrifugal force is so great, the beginner will involuntarily pull in his hands because he’s scared he’ll go beyond the ball.

If your hands and arms were in motion in the address it would be necessary to have them reaching for the ball. But since they’re still, the idea should be to obtain the easiest and most comfortable position so that as the player reaches the top of his swing his muscles won’t be tired from holding a set position. The angles at which you address the ball have little influence. It’s the way you take your gauge at the top of the swing that counts.

I also advise my students to keep their arms close to the body and both of them straight. The club shaft and left arm should be in line and kept parallel to the right leg. This will give you firmer control of the club with your left arm or guiding arm than if your left arm was bent.

If you practice these tips, your swing should become more fluid and free. Above all, relax. Breathe deeply. Approaching the game with a fun spirit encourages freedom of movement!

This Post is Courtesy of: Effective Golf Exercises, where you can get the latest news and resources on golf exercises.

The Free Swing

Swing Easy

Golf Exercises — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:54:31 +0000

photo credit: nsaplayer

The second I get a golf club in my hand I want to knock the fire right out of the ball. It just plain feels good to send that sucker as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, being able to hit the ball hard doesn’t equal good golf.

If you’re just needing a little stress relief, go for it! If you want to play a good game of golf, however, you’re going to have to erase the “homerun” mentality.

See, one of the roots of golfing mistakes is that tendency to swing hard. A violent swing shows power, but power isn’t what wins the game. It’s accuracy and control.

You want to swing easily and freely at the ball. If you bring your feet together you will reduce your ability to swing hard. If you brace yourself, you’re probably going to use too much effort. Just relax and swing easily.

You also want to keep your center of gravity the same. Do this by keeping both of your feet on the ground in approximately the same position as when you start. Keep your head still and your center of gravity won’t change.

A sudden effort made with one of your legs or both will cause your head to move. Then you can’t see the ball clearly and you change the position of the pivotal center with relation to the ball. Keep both feet planted on the ground so your weight is supported on the flat of your feet when you connect with ball.

When you hit the ball properly everything is so smooth. You’re conscious of very little effort.

Now, don’t brace yourself for the effort of hitting the ball. Don’t be stiff. The slightest tendency to stiffen your muscles will destroy your balance. You want to make your club head go along a straight line while in contact with the ball.

Try to see how low you can send the ball and how clear on the center of the club you can connect with it. This will help to correct slicing. A ball that goes too high is at the mercy of the wind and can kick off to the right or left on rough ground.

When you hit the ball, remember – you only want to use the power you’re able to control. You’re not going to be bothered by a lack of power but by a lack of accuracy. You want perfect control at every instant during your swing. So there shouldn’t be a violent effort keep your head still and make sure your club head is going straight when you meet the ball.

Your longest drives aren’t usually going to come when you’re trying for distance but if you’re just trying to put the ball down the line you’re aiming at, the distance will come naturally.

What you want to try to do is get a gradually increasing speed until you connect with the ball and then press steadily. If you’re jerky anywhere in the swing it’s because you’re pulling in your hands somewhere. In regard to keeping your head still, imagine that you have a glass of water balanced on your head and when you swing you don’t want to spill one drop of water out of the glass.

You want to swing at a fairly decent speed throughout so you don’t stiffen up. Don’t swing back too slowly then. Basically don’t swing so hard that you’re conscious of the effort.

How much energy can you apply to a ball? It doesn’t matter. It’s the power you can control that counts.

This Post is Courtesy of: Effective Golf Exercises, where you can get the latest news and resources on golf exercises.

Swing Easy