In this post I want to show you how to swing a golf club step by step.
Golf is a difficult game, and the golf swing is a difficult athletic movement to master. This is particularly true for adults who are just learning how to play golf.
One of the major issues for new golfers is understanding how to swing the golf club.
First of all, before you start working on your golf swing, you should have a good understanding of how to hold a golf club, and the proper golf setup.
Now, let’s move on to the golf swing itself.
How To Swing A Golf Club Step by Step – The Back Swing
In the golf swing, the back swing is clearly the most complicated part of the picture, and this is where many golfers really begin to go off track.
Let’s start with the takeaway.
The takeaway ends when the club is parallel to the ground. As the club reaches parallel to the ground, it should be parallel to the target line.
The initial part of the back swing, i.e., takeaway, starts with the shoulders turning and a modest hinge of the wrists. At this point, the lower body is not yet very active.
As the backswing continues, we try to keep the club on a swing plane angle that is parallel to the shaft angle at address.
The club swings a little inside and a little up. The shoulders continue turning and the hips resist turning as much.
Notice how the club shaft half way back is parallel to the green line, my original shaft angle at address.
In the top photo to the right, my weight has shifted to the back foot a bit, but the body stays relatively centered.
There is no major lateral shift. Also notice how the club has begun to lean toward the target in the photo to the right. This is a result of the cocking, or hinging in my wrists.
At the top of my swing, since I am short of parallel, the club should still point off to the left.
The club shaft is still nearly parallel to the original shaft angle at address. I normally do not get the club to parallel at the top of my swing with an iron.
Notice in the top photo that my shoulders have turned just about 90 degrees, and my hips about half that much.
My right leg acts as a brace in the back swing. The weight is loaded into my right heel, inside my right thigh and in my right glute.
At the top of my swing, my left wrist has a similar angle as the clubface. I also have decent extension with my arms. Finally, my spine is tilted slightly away from the target.
When the shoulders are done turning, the backswing is complete. If my club shaft were parallel to the ground, it would be parallel to the target line.
If the club goes past parallel, it will cross the target line, but that is ok, I would still be on plane.
Ultimately, I would not regard this as a perfect back swing, as I would prefer to have a more shallow swing plane. In other words, I am swinging the arms a little too high as I posed for this photo!
How To Swing A Golf Club – The Down Swing and Follow Through
The downswing essentially starts before the backswing is completed.
In other words the left hip starts moving forward as the weight shifts from the back foot to the front foot, before the shoulders have completed turning into the back swing.
At impact, 90% of your weight should be on your front foot, and you should have a strong front side. Ideally, your left arm is nice and extended at impact and the back of your left hand faces the target.
Your upper body may be straight up or have a slight lean away from the target.
After the club passes through the impact zone, your hips continue to turn and your arms will be fully extended about two feet beyond impact.
In the top photo is my impact position. Notice how similar the angle of my clubshaft is on the left as it is compared to my set up position in the bottom photo..
You can see in the top photo that I have shifted my weight to the left foot, and my hips are now more open.
Also, my center of gravity has dropped, and while my upper back is a little more rounded, I have maintained my overall spine angle pretty well.
Halfway into my follow through position you can see the extension of my arms after impact. Again, when the club reaches parallel to the ground, it should be parallel to the target line, or slightly inside of that. The head should be going with the ball now as well.
At the end of your golf swing your belly button would be facing the target, all your weight should be on your front foot, and you should be standing tall.
You should be up on the toe of your back foot, but totally balanced on your front foot.
If you pick up your back foot, you should not have to adjust your balance to avoid falling over.
If I were standing behind you, I should see the entire bottom of your back foot. If I dont then you have not transferred all of your weight.
And that concludes our discussion of the full swing. For more info, check out the video below.
Final Thoughts on How to Swing a Golf Club
Now you have all of the information you need on how to swing a golf club. However, I never recommend that you start right out and start blasting away on the driving range.
First, as I mentioned, the golf swing is a complicated movement. As an adult, attempting to master the movement with a club in your hand makes it even more difficult.
Therefore, I highly recommend working on the movements WITHOUT a club in your hand. Go to this page to learn how.
Next, work on building your swing initially with short chip shots and pitch shots around the green. This will help you learn the proper impact more quickly.
Then, when you are ready to step on the driving range, focus more on half swings at half speed with a wedge, and slowly build toward a full swing over several practice sessions.
Ok, now you should have a good idea of how to swing a golf club step by step. It’s time to get to work!
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The offer a ton of video and other content to help you hit if further and lower your scores. Go here… Swing Man Golf.
