How To Achieve That Perfect Golf Club Swing

You’ve got the right equipment, mastered how to make the right stance and even figured out the proper way to hold a golf club. Now, all that’s left to do is to make that swing and start the game rolling. But before you do that, however, you need to figure out how to swing golf club correctly.

Making the swing is probably the most exciting while, at the same time, the most nerve-wracking part in the sport. After all those preparations and practice you’ve made in the past, it is that swing that will determine just how much you’ve improved. And, more importantly, it’s also that swing that will determine your score which puts a bit of pressure on the act especially if you’ve made some bets with your friends.

Which highlights just how important it is to learn how to swing the golf club correctly. While these are considered basic steps, hopefully, the information will help you improve on your swings.

This works for irons, wedges, hybrids, and all the other non-putters!

The Backswing

From the starting position where the clubhead is lowered and next to the ball, lift the club back up bringing it above your head in one smooth swinging motion. This process must likewise involve the torso which is facilitated by shifting your weight from the ball of your front foot to the ball of your back. The process is explained in more details below.

While keeping your hands close to your back leg, move your arms to the right to start the backswing. At this point, try to keep your front arm straight with the shaft almost parallel to the ground. Continue with the motion until your arms are parallel to the ground. The shaft, on the other hand, is now perpendicular to your left arm if you are right-handed and is achieved by bending your wrist.

Start rotating your torso to the right as if it is following the shaft’s movement. At this point, your front arm should now be slightly bent at the last phase of the backswing.

And now comes the downswing

Your action should feel like you are slightly pulling or dragging the club’s head so that it lags behind when swinging down. At the start of the motion, the angle between the shaft and the forearm should be around 90 degrees. As the head nears the impact zone, however, you need to increase the angle rapidly as if unwinding. This will give the clubhead a burst of speed higher than your arm and body speed.

Slightly before impact, try to keep your front arm (left arm for right-handed players) as straight as possible just like how it was when you started with the backswing. This is the most critical step in this how to swing the golf club instruction as it will enable the clubhead to hit the ball at just the right angle, maximizing its speed, accuracy, and control.

During this downswing, you need to execute the same backswing footwork but only in reverse. From the ball of your back foot, shift your weight to the ball of your front foot. At the same time, keep your front knee (left knee for right-handed players) slightly flexed to help cushion the sudden weight transfer.

Moment of impact

To ensure that your hands are slightly ahead of the club at this point, make sure that the shaft is leaning forward toward the target. This will ensure that the clubhead strikes the ball first before making any contact with the ground. Likewise, move your hips to convert your body’s momentum into clubhead speed.

Follow through

Just let your body go through the motions during the follow through and don’t try to control it. After all, the follow through is just the consequence of what you did in the transition and downswing. However, some golfers love to analyze the follow through to gain insights and make improvements in the swing.

While this information is rather basic, they should hopefully help you master how to swing golf club. At the very least, it should somehow give you a better understanding the mechanics behind a golf swing.

The Right Club Makes All The Difference

Having the right golf club can easily be the difference in winning or losing a round at the course. If you're new to golf, then we recommend choosing a club set that's specifically designed to be used for beginners.

These clubs offer much more forgiveness and have larger sweet spots which lets you focus on your swing technique. Read our guide to learn more.

It's not just the club, either! Make sure you're familiar with the different club flexes available.