To play good golf, you need to work hard. To play top level golf you need to work hard, be fit and also need to have sound fundamentals to produce a reliable swing. The difference between a good player and a great player is that a good player will produce a good shot once in a while, whereas the best player will produce good shots more often.
If you wish to achieve a higher level of consistency in your game, fundamentals have to be right. Very often we focus on lot of other things and neglect the basic things that need tweaking every now and then. Hitting balls without a plan may simply be waste of time. In most cases the golf swing faults are caused by inefficiencies on the fundamentals. Focus more on your fundamentals to reduce the miss when you hit.
Your golf swing technique is really all about fundamentals. Get the fundamentals right and you’ve got a great chance at making a good swing, resulting in straight shots that go optimal distances. Even tour professionals who have been playing the game since childhood go back to work on fundamentals of the golf swing in periodic intervals. Working on the basics of the game will make your golf swing strong and consistent.
What are the fundamentals?
Grip: You must check your grip from time to time, if you don’t pay attention for a while you will either start holding it too strong or the opposite.
Alignment: You should always check whether you are aiming at your target. If your alignment is wrong and not in parallel line to your target, chances are you will begin to make adjustments to hit the ball at the target and begin to ruin your golf swing from this moment.
Swing plane: While starting downwards from the top of your backswing you must ensure that your right elbow drops closer to your body to make you able to swing in the correct plane. Once you drop it nicely inside, it will be very easy to throw it outside from this angle. If your right hand comes closer to the body in the beginning of the downswing you can swing with an immense power and achieve great distance with accuracy.
To juice it up, add flexibility. If you want to play top level golf you must exercise and keep yourself fit. As you get older, your body doesn’t do what you want it to do, and your technique falters. It is important to keep yourself flexible and fit to keep performing well in golf.
Follow the above tips and you are soon going to be more consistent on your performance.
(The author is a golf instructor and golf director at Gokarna Forest Golf Resort & Spa, Kathmandu.
He can be contacted at prodeepak@hotmail.com)