Good golfers have sound basic fundamentals. In my opinion, good basic fundamentals are directly related to all aspects of a sound a repeatable golf swing. Most swing flaws and errant shots can be traced back to a faulty set-up. Basic fundamentals include Grip, Alignment, Posture, and Stance, which we will refer to as GAPS.
GRIP:
A good grip, in my opinion is the most important fundamental of the golf swing. Let's be very clear: You will not hit good, solid, consistent golf shots with a faulty grip.
A sound grip allows for a secure and proper connection between you and the golf club. It also allows your hands to work as one unit in swinging the club. You must determine whether you should use the overlap grip (Figure 1), interlock grip (Figure 2), or ten finger grip (Figure 3). Also, you must choose between a "neutral" or "strong" grip. A "weak" grip is not recommended for most golfers. Personal preference, the ability to square the club face at impact, and producing club head speed will dictate which type of grip you should use.
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Figure 1 |
Figure 2 |
Figure 3 |
Alignment / AIM:
Learning the proper alignment is probably the easiest fundamental to achieve. A good swing with improper alignment will usually produce an errant shot. I like to think of the proper alignment as positioning your club face down the target line, and position your feet, hips, and shoulders square or parallel to that line. This will put your body in the "parallel left" position (Figure 4). The best way to visualize this is to picture a set of railroad tracks. The golf ball and club are on the outer track and your body is lined up on the inside track.
Posture:
A good posture allows for proper body rotation and a constant swing plane. You must be in an athletic and ready to go position. In creating this athletic position, stand erect and bend from the hips until the sole of the golf club touches the ground, and slightly flex your knees. You should feel the weight towards the balls of your feet (Figure 5).
Stance:
In my opinion the stance and ball position are probably the most misunderstood of all basic fundamentals. The proper stance width will promote flexibility and stability. Your stance needs to be wide enough to maintain your balance and support the turning motion of the body, and narrow enough to allow enough flexibility so the body can turn properly. Turn your left foot outward ten to twenty degrees depending on the length of club. I like to follow a few basic ideas regarding the stance and ball position.
With short and mid-irons, place your feet shoulder width apart, with the ball placed in the middle of your stance (Figure 6). With the driver, place your feet so that the inside portions of your feet line up with the outside portion of your shoulders, with the ball placed off your left heel (Figure 7). With longer irons and fairway woods, place your feet and ball position somewhere between your short iron set-up and your driver set-up.
These basic fundamentals or GAPS can vary slightly from player to player based on size, strength, and physical ability. Our staff instructors can help you determine how to apply these ideas to your golf swing. The bottom line is this: If you want to improve your swing and become a better ball striker, you must have good, sound basic fundamentals, or (GAPS).
