Beginner’s Guide
Fundamentals of Golf.
Fundamentals of golf is the foundation that builds the swing and with proper fundamentals, it’s easier for you to improve quicker.
Stance
Referred to the way we stand and from the image on the left, you can see that the width of my stance is hip width apart.
This is your start position before we move on to the next section.
Posture.
The posture is the way we stand in preparation before taking a swing.
From and erect position with stance hip width apart.
Bend from hip joint. Imagine pushing buttocks out to the back.
Making sure your spine angle is straight.
Bend a little on your knees, you should be able to see that your knees are over half of your feet (not covering the entire feet). If you can’t see your knees, it’s probably blocked by your tummy :). In that circumstances, have someone to spot for you.
Let your arms hang naturally. That’s how far your hands should be when holding the club.
Taking your grip (for right handed golfers).
Ball position should be in the middle of your stance.
Place the clubface facing the target and making sure the butt end of the club is pointing to your inner left thigh.
Place your left hand first (lead hand or lead arm). You should be able to see 2 to 3 knuckles of your left hand.
Thereafter, place your right hand (trail hand or trail arm) under your left hand.
Refer below for detailed info on holding the club in your hands properly.
Left hand grip (for right handed golfers).
Ensure that grip is place between the ridge between the palm and fingers of your left hand.
Notice that the grip is running through to the middle section of your left index finger.
Left thumb runs along the grip.
Right hand grip (for right handed golfers).
Place the grip in your right hand fingers.
When the grip is held with your right hand, the palm is facing towards the target.
Grip pressure should be firm but not tight.
Imagine holding a bird in your hands and not killing it but firm enough that it doesn’t fly away.
Types of grips.
There are 3 main types of grips in golf and we will only focus on these 3 which are widely used by golfers of varying skills from beginners to professionals.
Baseball grip.
As the name suggest, there is no connection of the left and right hand. It’s mainly used by juniors, ladies or men with smaller hands.
Vardon or overlapping grip.
This is a popular grip used by many golfers and professionals. Notice the right hand pinky (last finger) overlaps the left hand between the index and middle finger.
Interlocking grip.
This grip is favoured by golfers with smaller hands and juniors but also used by the former #1 golfer in the world, Tiger Woods.
There is no right or wrong but I would suggest for you to use either one of these that feels comfortable to you. Do note that whatever you start with might be difficult to change in future due to habit.
9 to 3 Drill.
For beginners, hitting a full golf shot might be difficult hence the need to break it down into smaller parts.
Why is this term a 9 to 3? Imagine I’m a clock. My head is 12 and my feet are at 6.
Start position = 6 o’clock
Taking the club back = 9 o’clock
Downswing = 6 o’clock
Finish = 3 o’clock
You can hit plenty of balls with this drill to learn how to move the club in a correct position going back and through. Hit at least 300 balls with this drill before we move on to the next. You can either practice this at the driving range or indoor with foam balls.
One thing to note is that there will not be much lower body motion but to focus on your upper body movement. Your lower body will automatically balance the weight pressure so that that you do not fall over.
Video of 9 to 3 drill. Do Subscride me on YouTube for Golf Tips or Instructions. Thank you.
Full Swing.
I hope you have practiced before moving on to the full swing chapter. This is to ensure that you are capable of having a proper takeaway and follow through as the 9 to 3 drill will ensure that your swing path is correct and chances of hitting it to your intended target is higher as well.
Backswing (face on).
Start position = 6 o’clock
Taking the club back = 9 o’clock
Wrist hinge is produced in preparation to unload the energy to the ball at impact.
Completed backswing will look similar to the last image (from L to R) on the left/above (mine is before parallel). At this point, your club might be parallel to the ground or go past parallel depending whether you have maintained posture.
My spine angle is tilted away from the target and you should not have a reverse spine angle which is tilted towards the target.
My pressure shift is now almost 70 to 80% towards my right foot.
Backswing (down the line).
Address position.
Takeaway to 9 o’clock. Noticed the club face is in line with my spine angle (not pointing towards the sky).
Wrist hinge.
Completed backswing. Yours might looks different due to flexibility or incorrect posture. Left wrist is flat but for beginners, you might have a cup wrist due to weakness of not being able to hold the position at the top as the club now weighs more due to force.
In order to get into these ideal positions, it’s important that you spend time to develop your swing. Similar to anything that we do, correct practice makes perfect.
Downswing and follow through (face one).
Top of the backswing.
Downswing with wrist still hinged. Left hip moves slightly towards the target (not slide) with pressure shift (70 - 80% towards the left foot) doing the same.
The downswing is completed in a fraction of a second and during the transition down to impact, you will need to feel your left butt cheek going back and away from the ball. You will unhinge and wrist and let the clubhead strike the ball.
3 o’clock position is an extension after impact.
The follow through or finish position is to dissipate any energy left from force of the swing similar to that of you bowling a ball on the bowling alley.
Downswing and follow through (down the line).
Top of the backswing.
Downswing.
Impact.
Extension.
Follow through.
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