There are 7 key stages to the golf swing. Popular golf coach, and Director of Coaching at The Sussex Golf Academy, Jerry Newham explains:

Address / Setup
Tilt forward from the hips, keeping the back straight and the chin up. Flex both knees with weight evenly spread between both feet. Arms hang freely under the chin. Active body, passive arms and hands.

Halfway Back
Left arm and hand swing club back on a slight inside path. Right arm folds. This will allow backswing position to be achieved creating width and depth. Shoulders fully turn along the same hip turn. Both knees stay flexed and poiting to the front. Toe of club should be pointing to the sky.

Top of Backswing
A correct position is achieved by swinging the left arm and hand. The right arm is passive but supportive. Shoulders should be fully turned 90 degrees and hips turned 45 degrees. The knees stay flexed with weight in the feet. Balance and body position / height should be maintained. Downward resistance powers the hands.

Downswing
The hands initiate the downswing which makes the body respond. The angle of the backswing is maintained through the downswing, allowing the club to be released just prior to impact, thus club head speed is created through the ball.

Impact Position
The club returns square to the target and is now able to extend forward along the intended line of flight. Note the shoulder line should be parallel to the club line just as in the setup but the hip is open. This creates space to allow us to swing through to our finish.

Extension Through Ball
The weight is transferred to our target side through the hip and foot action, this allows the arms, hands and club to be swung through the ball towards our target generating prolonged contact and most importantly the direction. Note the head remains still looking at the point where the ball was to allow backward resistance.

The Follow Through
The follow through tells us what has gone before. If we finish the swing in the correct position and are poised and balanced facing the target then we have completed the swing with a consistent flowing movement which must be repeated until it becomes automatic.

About the Author

Jerry Newham is one of Europe’s most popular golf coaches. Thousands of pupils each year take golf lessons at his indoor golf academy in Sussex, UK in order to learn the ultimate way to swing. Jerry is also star of the new golf instructional DVD, The Swingmakers.

Many golfers practice a great deal, and still never achieve the swing that they want to possess. If this sounds like you, you may benefit from golf swing aids. There are many golf swing aids on the market today that will help you greatly improve your swing – in less time in most cases. Choosing the gold swing aids that are right for you, however, often presents a challenge.

One of the most popular golf swing aids in existence today is the launch monitor. These are showing up in more and more pro shops across the country and in other countries as well. These takes data from your golf swing to determine what club or clubs are best for you at certain distances, and even tell you how much spin you are putting on the ball. Personal renditions of these launch monitors are also available, and experts agree that the personal monitors are just as powerful as the more expensive ones used in the pro shops – but golfers need to learn how to operate them properly for best results.

Another useful golf swing aid is the golf swing speed monitor. This little box sits on the ground directly across from you, with the ball in the middle. It should sit about six to eight inches away from the ball. It measures the speed of your swing. Increasing swing speed is vital if you want to improve your long game, and this little gadget can help you do just that, by telling you whether your swing speed exercises are doing any good. Training clubs, which are much heavier than your regular clubs, are also good for swing speed increases. They also help build strength and range of motion.

Golf training clubs and elbow braces are also great aids. These help to train you not to break your wrists when swinging, and to keep your form with your elbows during the swing as well. There are also lots of different training clubs available to help with specific problems, such as slices, and plane devices designed to help you improve your swing plane. There are even mats that are designed to help you line up your shot for an improved game! If you can imagine it, it exists!

There are swing aids available for any swing problem that you can imagine. But do they all work? Well, some work for some people, others work for other people, and some don’t work for any people at all. Before rushing out to buy brand new training equipment, slow down and do your research. Talk to other golfers to find out what training equipment they have used, and what results they had with that equipment. Look for used equipment, and if it is reasonable, buy it and give it a try. You should also consider going in with some friends to purchase some training equipment that can be shared by a group.

Training aids are easy to find – both online and offline – but again, not all training equipment is right for you. Talk to a golf pro to find out what equipment you should consider, based on your skill level, and the specific problems you are having. Be careful – if the golf pro you are talking to owns the shop you are standing in – he is a salesman first, and a golf pro trying to help you improve your game second! Talk to other golfers before making a high ticket purchase!

The best information on the training equipment that is available will be found in online forums where golfers hang out – and on the course where golfers also hang out. You can look for customer reviews, but they may not be accurate – or even real. Talk to the real golfers who have really used the products to find out which golf swing aids are most likely to help you. Most golfers are very happy to help each other out with tips and advice – you just have to be willing to take it! Some golfers are a bit more stubborn and a bit more traditional – they don’t want to allow technology to enter into the game of golf. Most of the golf swing aids you will find do represent technology – but if this doesn’t bother you, you should definitely take advantage of what’s out there!

About the Author

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