Golf Swing Thoughts

The swing thoughts below are your best allies whenever facing shots using wedges. They consist of mental images or focus areas to use with fuller swings as well as for delicate shots such as chips. In a general sense, these swing thoughts account for the fact that shots made using wedges are more delicate than…

The following top 5 swing thoughts relate specifically to shots made using irons. This differs from the way thoughts are organized elsewhere on this site where they are mainly categorized by the swing sequence they target. In a general sense, these swing thoughts account for the fact that the ball is meant to be struck…

While swing thoughts are organized on this website by the swing sequence they relate to you are invited to review below the top 5 swing thoughts for use with a driver and fairway woods. In a general sense, these swing thoughts account for the fact that the ball will normally be found forward in the…

Pretend you are holding a garden hose with your hands instead of a golf club. Through this metaphor you are meant to execute your golf swing as you would if you were to hold such a flexible object in your hands.

Remember to execute your swing using a ‘good’ tempo. This is in contrast to moving from one swing sequence to the next suddenly or abruptly.

Focus on the correct sequence of actions that make up a golf swing. At the early stages of the takeaway, only your arms are bringing the club back. Following this initial stage the shoulders begin to help your arms back and finally your hips follow suit and complete the swing rotation. On the way down, the sequence is reversed. Hips are first to move and begin uncoiling before shoulders bring the arms back down towards the moment of impact

Adopt a “standing tall” position when you finish your swing at the follow through. This is in contrast to finishing low, with your elbows and hands below the level of your shoulders.

Adopt a specific position at the end of your swing, as you become stationary at the end of the follow through. Specifically, position your elbows up high and pointing towards the target, straight ahead. This is in contrast to seeing them point to the ground, or to the left or right of the target.

Adopt a position at the end of your follow through that sees your belt buckle facing directly towards the target. This is in contrast to finishing your swing where the belt buckle is seen facing down towards the ground or towards the right of the target.

Remember to perform a complete swing, i.e., one that also includes the last phase, the follow through. This is in contrast to golfers that view the impact as the last phase of the swing and more or less quit swinging past that point.

Keep looking down at the ball, even after making contact and up to the moment you no longer can during the follow through. This is contrast to lifting your head just before impact. It constitutes one of the first – if not the first – swing key instructions given to new golfers. Indeed, beginners are often very anxious to see where the ball will go after they hit it, which leads them to lift their heads too soon.

Think of the ball as an object that is to be trapped in between the club and the ground as you hit it. This is in contrast to thinking of the ball as an object that needs to be pushed up by the club using an ascending club path.

Try and keep the wrist hinge that you formed at the top of the swing in place for as long as possible as you bring the club down towards impact. This is in contrast to beginning to unhinge your wrists as you bring the club down during the downswing.

Focus on making sure you continue your swing after impact. This is in contrast to stopping – more or less – as soon as the club makes contact with the ball.

Perform your golf swing almost effortlessly. This is in contrast to trying to hit the ball violently, and to execute your swing with the appropriate vigor.

Swing at the ball aggressively. This is in contrast to tentatively proceeding with your swing while being overly careful as you progress through.

Remember to shift weight towards the back/right foot during the backswing and towards the front/left foot during the downswing and onward. This is in contrast to shifting weight in the exact opposite way, a swing error known as the reverse pivot.