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Essentials to creating an efficient amateur golf swing

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Mystery Meat

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If you were to develop the perfect swing for an amateur to enjoy golf for his entire life . What essentials would you have him/ her work on ? This swing wouldn't necessarily have to hit the ball 300 .. But let's say 250 to 255 for argument sake . A swing that will keep this amateur competitive no matter what golf course they go to .

Personally i would recommend the following
/ a controlled backswing ( possibly 3/4 length )
/ on plane down swing / or as close as possible
/ Impact with hands slightly ahead of inline with shaft
/ Master a draw or fade as your go to shot
/ Consistent swing speed from high 90 to low 100 speed


Curious to see what anyone else recommends
 
Solid footing, our stance is paramount to a repeatable swing
A good grip, Whether neutral or strong, make it a good one that can hold the club with confidence
Tempo, I think this has a huge impact on the whole swing, find a nice smooth comfortable tempo and make it repeatable
A good take away, get on plane and go back as far as your comfortable with, without letting it disturb your set up
The elbows, keep them close to tour body back and forth
Swing as hard as you want but as slow as you can (Tempo) let the club build speed naturally
look at the ground as long as you can after you hit the ball, most times it will go where you want it too
Use working the ball as a tool and not a display of skill, you'll be better for it
Hold your follow through for a few seconds, it promotes good balance if you shift your weight properly
Have fun and don't get too upset at any one shot, there are plenty of others coming that will make you scratch your head too

Just tidbits I've picked up along the journey from people better than I was at each stage.
 
So basically you are looking for the stereotypical solid golf swing. What you described is the platform most swing and swing theories have been built.
Mystery Meat said:
If you were to develop the perfect swing for an amateur to enjoy golf for his entire life . What essentials would you have him/ her work on ? This swing wouldn't necessarily have to hit the ball 300 .. But let's say 250 to 255 for argument sake . A swing that will keep this amateur competitive no matter what golf course they go to .

Personally i would recommend the following
/ a controlled backswing ( possibly 3/4 length )
/ on plane down swing / or as close as possible
/ Impact with hands slightly ahead of inline with shaft
/ Master a draw or fade as your go to shot
/ Consistent swing speed from high 90 to low 100 speed


Curious to see what anyone else recommends
Click to expand...
 
Yep .. I guess a road map. Areas of the swing that need to be focused to play good golf at an amateur level . Areas that we can control and monitor due to Lack of practice/ play time that we all experience .

not a quick fix band aid tips .. But areas of the swing that really need to be focused on throughout a season / career
 
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Square address position. Shoulders directly over hips over feet at address. It feels closed for a newer player until they get used to it.
Proper grip pressure. Learning to grip the club easy enough to create a natural release.
A proper swing plane, ie, one you can actually get back to at impact. It's probably flatter than you think.
Creating a smooth transition from your backswing to your downswing.

Those are the things I think of as being really important to learn and nail down that create a repeatable swing. I'm about as amateur as it gets, and those are the things I try to think about when I'm working on my swing.
 
I would stress
1) proper grip - probably the most overlooked issue.
2) Stance - straight to target line, and in good balance
3) tempo "Swing easy, hit hard"
4) weight transfer throughout the swing.
 
Mystery Meat said:
If you were to develop the perfect swing for an amateur to enjoy golf for his entire life . What essentials would you have him/ her work on ? This swing wouldn't necessarily have to hit the ball 300 .. But let's say 250 to 255 for argument sake . A swing that will keep this amateur competitive no matter what golf course they go to .

Personally i would recommend the following
/ a controlled backswing ( possibly 3/4 length )
/ on plane down swing / or as close as possible
/ Impact with hands slightly ahead of inline with shaft
/ Master a draw or fade as your go to shot
/ Consistent swing speed from high 90 to low 100 speed


Curious to see what anyone else recommends
Click to expand...

I've been working on this for 30 years. Yet to master.
 
Spivey said:
I would stress
1) proper grip - probably the most overlooked issue.
2) Stance - straight to target line, and in good balance
3) tempo "Swing easy, hit hard"
4) weight transfer throughout the swing.
Click to expand...
Mine would be pretty similar... Grip, alignment, posture. I'd also stress a solid backswing movement. For me (YMMV), the better I start, the more likely I am to have a positive result.
 
Paladin said:
Square address position. Shoulders directly over hips over feet at address. It feels closed for a newer player until they get used to it.
Click to expand...

Whenever my swing goes to crap, this is almost always the culprit. Square to me feels like I'm pointing my left shoulder 30 degrees to the right of where it should be.
 
It's all here:
b9d3c_Fundamentals_51fv633LeqL.jpg
 
mpeterson said:
Whenever my swing goes to crap, this is almost always the culprit. Square to me feels like I'm pointing my left shoulder 30 degrees to the right of where it should be.
Click to expand...

Funny, my swing going to crap involves my left shoulder about 30 degrees left of where it should be, and my right shoulder is out over my right toes instead of my heel.

Amazing how much goes wrong before we move the club an inch.
 
Paladin said:
Funny, my swing going to crap involves my left shoulder about 30 degrees left of where it should be, and my right shoulder is out over my right toes instead of my heel.

Amazing how much goes wrong before we move the club an inch.
Click to expand...

Yup. That's exactly what I do. What feels square is open, square feels closed. It was absolutely amazing what a difference that made in my first lesson.
 
Spivey said:
I would stress
1) proper grip - probably the most overlooked issue.
2) Stance - straight to target line, and in good balance
3) tempo "Swing easy, hit hard"
4) weight transfer throughout the swing.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree. I think 1 & 2 are linked (that is bad grip often begets bad stance). Without a good grip, it is almost impossible to make a good swing with release and trying to overcome that creates a host of problems. Good grip allows release which allows for an easy tempo.

I've been on a swing journey this last year that has been a de-construction / re-construction project. I've really torn down my old swing and re-built a new one and it all started with changing my grip so I could better control clubface.
 
mpeterson said:
Yup. That's exactly what I do. What feels square is open, square feels closed. It was absolutely amazing what a difference that made in my first lesson.
Click to expand...

This feels so true. I have to focus on keeping my shoulders "closed" (which is actually square), especially with my driver. I can still hit plenty of bad shots, but there are less of them if I can get started in the right spot.
 
Paladin said:
Square address position. Shoulders directly over hips over feet at address. It feels closed for a newer player until they get used to it.
Proper grip pressure. Learning to grip the club easy enough to create a natural release.
A proper swing plane, ie, one you can actually get back to at impact. It's probably flatter than you think.
Creating a smooth transition from your backswing to your downswing.

Those are the things I think of as being really important to learn and nail down that create a repeatable swing. I'm about as amateur as it gets, and those are the things I try to think about when I'm working on my swing.
Click to expand...


( flat swing plane to the ball) .. This is one area I believe in . Unfortunately , it is something that many of us may never obtain for various reasons . I have spent since beginning of September doing in person drills / exercises / lessons to do this . I can get close after an hour session of the above I mentioned ( with help from a pro) .. When I try and do on my own I have varying results from steep / on plane .. To very few underplane .. How many of us have the time to do wrist exercises and stretches .. Etc before every round of golf or practice session ? I'm starting to question this now using an open mind.. ( and will never post this to my instructor ) ... Being completely honest , why I think being an amateur golfer like us with full time careers/ family .. Etc etc .. May not be practical . I literally play / practice on the spur of the moment , how can I have the time to do this intense workout everyday ? Wonder what pro would say ?
 
There is no one blue print to follow as it pertains to the golf swing. The only constants are grip, stance and posture as it relates to one's physical attributes.

Take JB'S swing, it's his own and when he practices he is tough to beat. Jimmy numbers has a classic move, Canada has a long flowing swing, trout has a hogan like swing, cookie has his own unique move. All these guys could play top amateur golf. All different action but have stance, posture and grip. These three elements allow for repeatablity.
 
Mystery Meat said:
( flat swing plane to the ball) .. This is one area I believe in . Unfortunately , it is something that many of us may never obtain for various reasons . I have spent since beginning of September doing in person drills / exercises / lessons to do this . I can get close after an hour session of the above I mentioned ( with help from a pro) .. When I try and do on my own I have varying results from steep / on plane .. To very few underplane .. How many of us have the time to do wrist exercises and stretches .. Etc before every round of golf or practice session ? I'm starting to question this now using an open mind.. ( and will never post this to my instructor ) ... Being completely honest , why I think being an amateur golfer like us with full time careers/ family .. Etc etc .. May not be practical . I literally play / practice on the spur of the moment , how can I have the time to do this intense workout everyday ? Wonder what pro would say ?
Click to expand...

I admit that I'm in something of a different boat, since I'm still pretty young, I'm a good athlete, and I haven't developed injuries that affect others. I can get a pretty big shoulder turn and X-factor in my backswing and still keep my elbows tight, which I think makes it easier to keep my swing plane from getting as steep. I think one problem I see from a lot of golfers is their arms getting away from them in the backswing -- too high, elbows out, out of sync with their bodies -- and it creates a tendency to get very steep, especially with driver.

When I say an amateur should be gunning for a flatter swing plane, I guess I'm trying to say they should aim to swing more like Kuchar and less like Rory. It's simply more consistent, and far less reliant on timing.
 
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Tadashi70 said:
There is no one blue print to follow as it pertains to the golf swing. The only constants are grip, stance and posture as it relates to one's physical attributes.

Take JB'S swing, it's his own and when he practices he is tough to beat. Jimmy numbers has a classic move, Canada has a long flowing swing, trout has a hogan like swing, cookie has his own unique move. All these guys could play top amateur golf. All different action but have stance, posture and grip. These three elements allow for repeatablity.
Click to expand...
That's a five star response .. A response from a guy that plays for lowest score not looking like a certain way . We all need to copy and keep that post . Very true response
 
Tadashi70 said:
There is no one blue print to follow as it pertains to the golf swing. The only constants are grip, stance and posture as it relates to one's physical attributes.

Take JB'S swing, it's his own and when he practices he is tough to beat. Jimmy numbers has a classic move, Canada has a long flowing swing, trout has a hogan like swing, cookie has his own unique move. All these guys could play top amateur golf. All different action but have stance, posture and grip. These three elements allow for repeatablity.
Click to expand...


Well said but I'd like to add that Freddie has all these attributes as well and if you want efficiency and power, you'd do well to take some of Freddie's advice in the swing tips thread, he can help you build an efficient and powerful Amateur swing.
 
well , speaking for myself , I have made a very big investment $ so far .. And I'm sure I'm just getting impatient as we all do . But yes I agree , has some great responses to guys looking for swing help .

add :: and tons of hours
 
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deuce said:
Can you teach a swing speed?
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If what's holding back your swing speed is a proper wrist hinge and release, yes. (This is what I'm working on with my pro)
 
I'm currently struggling to consistently make ground contact when hitting my irons. I had no idea that I'm supposed to making contact with the ball at the bottom of the downswing before the club sweeps the ground. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I know now. But just something as small as that has caused me to completely start from scratch in learning how to swing.
 
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