The Golf Swing Process Analysis

Before I came to college I ate, slept, and breathed golf every day. It was, and I suppose still is my absolute favorite sport. Golf clubs were originally made by archers in Scotland back in the 1400’s, and the first documented use of these clubs was at St. Andrews in 1421. Their swings back then were as complicated and flawed as the ones used in this day and age to play the great game of golf. The swing consists of four main factors: Setup, Backswing, Downswing, and Finish. Put these four things together properly and a true sight will occur; the perfect swing.
The first step to the golf swing is knowing how to set up properly. The first thing you should always do is align the tips of your feet parallel to the line you want the ball to travel on. The feet should be about shoulder width apart with an equal weight distribution on each foot. Depending on what type of club is being used, ball position will change. For a short distance shot, the ball should be halfway in between the left and right feet. For a middle distance shot the ball should be halfway in between the middle and the front foot. Then for a longer shot or tee shot, the ball should be positioned in the front of the stance. Now to pick up the club, grip it with the less dominant hand in the form of a handshake, and then place the other hand below the first, interlocking the pointer finger on the weaker hand with the pinky finger on the dominant hand. Now were ready to start forming a swing.
When swinging a golf club, the most important thing is consistency. It should be done the same way every time. There is a very particular order in which each part of the body should move in order to create the best results. The first thing that should move is the hands. At the very beginning of the backswing there should be a very slight cocking of the wrists and hands. The next thing to move should be the shoulders. They should start slowly opening up to the right if you’re right handed, or to the left if you’re left handed. Next comes the torso. In a very similar manner to the shoulders, the torso should twist in the direction of the dominant hand. Last but certainly not least is the hips. Many people who know golf have often heard the phrase “it’s all in the hips.” This is completely true, as almost all the power in the golf swing comes from solid hip movement. Once the club becomes parallel to the ground on the backswing it’s time to start the downswing.
On the downswing the same steps are followed, but just in a reversed order. The hips should turn to the left, then the torso, then the shoulders. Remember those cocked wrists? Right before you’re about to hit the ball release the hinge and let the hands seemingly fly through the ball. A big full rotation of the body should be made when following through the ball. The chest should face directly at the target and 90% of the weight should be transferred onto the front foot. After the swing is complete, I usually like to hold the pose for a bit, and make sure my posture is completely correct.
The golf swing really isn’t that hard is it? There are only about a thousand different little mechanical things that can go wrong each time a club is picked up and swung. But even the pros go back to the basics sometimes and remember the 4 easy steps to the swing: setup, backswing, downswing, finish. Replicate the steps about 20 million times and you’ll be ready to take on the pros!