Golf swing tips. Swing thoughts. Course management. We sure can complicate a simple game. Does it have to be this hard?
We want to help. We want to remove the clutter from your mind. We have developed our list of the top 10 golf swing tips that cover every facet of the game.
Incorporate these golf swing tips into your routine and watch your golf handicap drop. You may not become a professional golfer, but we will teach you how to improve your golf swing, and you will start shooting lower scores.
Bookmark this page because you will want to re-visit!
Let’s get started!
Top 10 Golf Swing Tips: Start Playing Better Golf Today!
#1: Tee Your Driver High & Swing Hard
Most of your rounds start with a driver off the first tee, so we wanted to start our golf swing tips by focusing on this club.
Don’t fear your driver. It has the largest head and largest sweet spot.
When I coach our high school golf team, I always tell them, “It is okay to make a bad swing, but don’t make a scared one.”
Be confident and be aggressive when hitting your driver. Tee it up high and swing hard. Crush the golf ball.
You will hit more shots out of bounds when you swing tentatively than you will if you let the club release through impact.
The one thing to keep in mind is that you want your maximum swing speed in the impact zone, not during your backswing.
Here is a quick drill to confirm you are swinging hard “correctly.” Hold an alignment stick like a club and make a swing. Listen for the “whoosh” sound.
You want to hear the noise in front of the golf ball. If you are hearing it behind the ball, you need to slow down your transition from backswing to downswing.
Nice and simple. Tee it High & Let It Fly!
#2: Don’t Let Your Triangle Collapse
This made our list of top 10 golf swing tips because it is true on every shot you hit. We don’t care if you are ripping the driver or hitting a chip; this will help. Let us explain.
When you grip a golf club, your arms and chest create a triangle. If you maintain this shape throughout your swing, you will consistently make solid contact with the ball.
The most common mistake is letting your arms collapse toward your body during your backswing – this is called “losing your space.”
“Losing your space” makes it hard to get the club back to the ball and can cause all of the shots you hate. Shanks, skulls, chunks, and duffs.
It can be hard to see your triangle during your swing, so ask a buddy to take a slow-motion video. This will allow you to analyze how well you maintain your triangle.
#3: Get Your Pre-Swing Fundamentals Checked
This may be the most important piece of advice on our list of golf swing tips. You can mess up your shot before you even start to take the club back.
Your grip, posture, and stance all happen before your swing starts, and they are critical to your success on the golf course.
If you were sick, you would go to the doctor. If your tooth hurts, you go to the dentist. Similarly, I recommend you seek professional help for your pre-swing fundamentals.
Find a certified teaching professional and get feedback on these items that are the foundation of your golf swing.
It will be the best money you ever spend, and you will see an immediate improvement in your game.
#4: Develop & Stick To Your Routine
Develop a pre-shot routine that is simple and effective. Be cognizant of your pace of play and make sure it prepares you to execute the shot.
Looking for an example? Stand behind the ball and pick your target. Visualize the shot. Address the ball. Take one practice swing. Hit your shot.
This is a 5-step process, but it can be done in less than 10 seconds. Why is your routine important?
It can be tremendously helpful when you are feeling anxious or nervous.
Instead of focusing on the importance of the shot or the hazard to the right of the fairway, you can focus on your routine.
This will allow you to relax and make a confident swing. You will notice that several of our top 10 golf swing tips are not actually about your swing but all these factors will teach you how to improve your swing.
#5: Rock & Roll: Rock Your Shoulders To Roll The Ball
Nothing keeps your round going in a positive direction like making a critical putt. We all know that in order to improve, you need to save strokes on the greens.
One of our favorite golf swing tips has to do with putting. Use your large muscles, not your small ones.
You have probably heard golfers complain about getting the Yips. This happens when your small muscles (wrists, hands) flinch during your stroke.
Take the small muscles out of your putting stroke by simply rocking your shoulders to hit putts.
Do you want to see an example? Take a look at Jason Day’s stroke; It is a thing of beauty!
#6: Splash It From The Sand To Escape The Trap
A bunker shot is a great indicator of a player’s handicap.
Professional golfers are automatic from the sand, while high handicappers often take several shots before they find the green.
What is the secret that scratch golfers know? If you want to escape from the trap, you need to splash the ball out.
#6 on our list of the top 10 golf swing tips comes with a four-step process you need to remember when your ball finds a sand trap:
- Step #1: Open your stance – aim your feet left of the target (right-handed golfer)
- Step #2: Use your most lofted wedge and open the face
- Step #3: Slice under the ball (you don’t want to hit the ball, you want to go under it)
- Step #4: Accelerate your club through the sand.
Execute these 4 steps, and your ball will splash out of the bunker and land softly on the green.
You may even find that it is easier to get up and down from the bunker than the rough.
#7: Get Your Hands Forward To Chip It Close
Golf swing tips about your short game are important; this is the 3rd one in a row. This is a simple way to chip your ball close to the hole.
Sure, it would be great if you always hit the green with your approach shots, but that isn’t possible. Every round will force you to demonstrate some chipping skills.
Here is a simple way to become a more consistent chipper of the golf ball.
Put the ball back in your stance and press your hands forward. Make a putting stroke and keep your leading wrist (left wrist) firm. Don’t let it flip.
This technique will create a lower shot that has some spin and then releases to the hole. Like most of our golf swing tips, practice this before you break it out on the course.
#8: Develop As Many Shots As Possible
What does a professional golfer have when they are playing that you don’t? We aren’t talking about their caddy or their endorsements.
We are talking about options. They can choose to hit a small fade or a gentle draw. They can choose to hit a low shot or hit one high and soft.
The more tools you have in your toolkit, the easier it is to play the game. Develop as many shots as you can.
We aren’t going to give you a bunch of golf swing tips for every type of shot, but we are recommending you tinker on the driving range.
The driving range is the perfect place to try different shots. How can you control your golf ball?
Which shots can you consistently create? You never know when you might need a creative shot on the course, and it will be easier to execute if you have practiced it on the range.
#9: Test Yourself In Competition
Yes, this is another one of our top 10 golf swing tips that isn’t about your swing but is important. If you truly want to improve, you need to test yourself.
What is the hardest test in golf? Playing in a golf tournament! Can you execute your swing and make putts when every stroke is being counted by your opponent?
You should be prepared. It will be hard the first time you play in a tournament. You will get butterflies in your stomach and hit unusual shots.
The more you do it, the easier it will get. Playing well in a golf tournament is a feeling you can’t get when smacking the ball around with your buddies.
You don’t have to do it all the time, but at least a couple of times a year. Who knows, maybe you a future club champion!
Do you want to see if these proper golf swing tips are working? Sign up for a tournament.
#10: Manage Your Frustration – Have Fun!
The game of golf will try to break you. You will have days when everything goes wrong. Your ball will hit a tree, ricochet out of bounds, and you will 3-putt every green.
It is very easy to get frustrated, but tossing clubs and cursing never helped a golfer play better.
To play your best golf, you need to control your emotions and stay focused on our golf swing tips.
Enjoy the ride. You will have good and bad days. Roll with the punches. If you learn to avoid frustration, you will continue to improve.
What do you think of our list? Do you have any proper golf swing tips you would add? Tell us about them in the comments.
Enjoyed your golf tips.
Thank you.
Pat