How important is the grip to your success in the game? The grip is the fundamental connection between you and your golf ball. In the grip, your hands are close together and apply even pressure with the left thumb providing additional support and control of the club from underneath the grip.
Taking Aim
When setting up your swing, align your feet, hips, and shoulders parallel and slightly left of the target. When your body follows rotation through your center, the stroke will send your shot in the direction that is perpendicular to your alignment. To check your alignment, stay in golf stance, and rotate your chin towards the target. A smooth, tension-free swing improves the swing motion. If you watch professional golfers, you will notice that at the top of the swing, their arms are slightly bent, and there is an intentional awareness of being relaxed throughout the swing.
Keep Your Eye on the Ball
As tempting as it may be to look away from your ball, it is critical to your alignment to make eye contact until it is launched. It is very tempting to look towards your target once the down swing is almost complete, but this will change your swing so stay with the ball until it is on its way to the target.
The Athletic Warm-Up
Before any event, a good athlete warms up for competition. The same should be true of golf. Arrive a few minutes early before a game, hit a few shots with your range of clubs taking note of your swing, practice a few chip shots, and finally get a feel for the greens with several putts of different distances. Understanding the greens will help you later when making critical decisions.
Improving Your Distance
What happens to improve your distance happens prior to hitting your shot. It's all in the swing. Keep a light grip on your club as you coil, keep your left foot on the ground during the backswing, and remain relaxed. Let your arms and shoulders do the work with a fully-extended, wide range of motion. Gradually increase club speed on the down stroke, and swing through the golf ball.
