Learn to Golf

What do you think is the most important part of golf? The swing? The grip? Alignment? Equipment? Nope, it none of those. It is balance.

Balance is the key to the whole thing. If there is a "secret" to golf, that is it. It is the most forgotten of all tips.

What is balance? I will describe it as, the ability to stay centered and relaxed, ready to swing the golf club. Any club. Any where.

Golf balls come to rest in the wackiest places. Preparing to remove it from one of those places takes knowledge. Right now, this is something you do not have too much of. But with a little thought, you will minimize your misses.

We always practice on straight level ground, but rarely do we have that luxury on the golf course. Even the tee boxes have their uneven surfaces to deal with. Your goal as a golfer is to minimize the effect these surfaces have on your ability to stay centered and perform your swing.

Here is an excerpt from our "Balance" lesson.

  • "Stand erect with your feet together. Get the feel of doing this simple thing. It will amaze you how little you actually do this. Close your eyes to help the feeling sink in to your consciousness. While your eyes are closed, notice that you are relaxed, but balanced. As you focus on the balance, you will see that it is an active thing. You are constantly rebalancing many times a minute. It is not possible to stay totally still and be balanced. Balance is a conscious activity.

    With your eyes still closed, spread your feet a little at a time until you feel more stable in your balancing. Find a comfortable width and stop. Open your eyes and look at your feet. They will probably be about 1 foot apart. Most likely, they will not be outside your shoulders but comfortably under your chest somewhere. If you listen to it, your body will tell you where it is comfortable. Just let it tell you.

    I am sure you know all about this but have not paid attention to it in quite this way. Now that you have found out where your body is comfortable being balanced, let’s put it to work for golf."

This seems reasonably easy. But achieving the same ease when your ball is on a hill, takes concentration. My advice is to make balance part of your preshot routine. Feel the conditions and feel your relationship to them. Adapt to the terrain and your swing will have a greater chance of success.

This tip is a suggestion from The Club Shack