GOLF INFORMATION ARTICLES

Basic Golf Techniques

Now that you know about the different pieces of Golf Equipment that you will need, it's time to start practicing before you call the nearest Golf Course for some tee time. Your goal in Golf is to strike the ball and get it into the hole with the least number of strokes. But for someone who has never even attempted to touch a Golf Club and hit a Golf Ball, it is best to set your goal to simply being able to strike the ball and get it into the hole in the end. Forget about the number of strikes, you can aim for a Birdie later.

The first thing that you need to know is how you will be able to hold your Golf Club or the Grip. There are different Types of Grip and the type that you use usually depends on the size of your hands. After being able to hold your club, you will start setting up. It is important to stand properly to maintain balance when you do the final movement - that is swinging and finally striking the ball. Each of these Golf Techniques are interrelated. Making a mistake on one will create a chain reaction and will, more often than not, lead to a bad shot. Your club may fall out of your hand in the middle of the Downswing if you do not firmly Grip it. Not standing properly and having a bad posture will cause loss of balance, and doing the Golf Swing in the wrong way will make your Golf Ball fly away from your target.

Basic Golf Grip - Holding your Golf Club

The illustration shows the most common ways of holding your Golf Clubs. The Golf Grip you choose will mostly depend on the size of your hand. A Good Grip is when you feel comfortable, and when you are able to take full control of your club and give full power to your Golf Swing. There are Three Kinds of Grip: the Baseball or Ten-Finger Grip, the Overlap Grip, and the Interlock Grip.

Ten-finger / Baseball Grip
On this type of Golf Grip, your right hand rests next to the side of the index finger of your left hand.

Interlock Grip
In this Type of Golf Grip, the pinkie of your right hand is intertwined with the index finger of your left hand

Overlap Grip
This Grip is also called the Vardon Grip since it is popularized by Harry Vardon. In this Golf Grip, the pinkie of your right hand rests on the groove between your index and middle finger of your left hand.

For more information, read our detailed section on Good Golf Grips.

Basic Golf Stance - How to stand before making a Golf Swing

The perfect stance is when your weight is balanced in the center and slightly forward over the toes. You must be in a position where you will not fall out of balance once you make your swing and constantly remain aiming at the target. To achieve this, you need to consider the following:

Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
The toe of the foot closest to the target should be rotated three inches towards the target
The toe of the foot farthest from the target should be pointed to a spot perpendicular to the target
Your knees should be slightly bent but keep your back straight.
The sole of your Golf Club should rest flatly on the ground.
Your weight must rest lightly on the balls of your feet.
Your arms should be stretched, forming a V-like shape.
The clubface should be square to the target.
The club you will be using also plays a part. For the short Irons, your ball needs to be positioned in the middle of your feet. Using long Irons and the Five-Wood will require you to put your ball just in front of the center of your feet. For long Woods - including the Driver, the ball is positioned just inside your front foot - the left heel.

The position of your ball in your set-up is also determined by the length of your Club Shaft. For Short Irons, position your ball between your feet, exactly at the center. Put your ball just in front of the center of your feet when you are using long irons and the five wood. For the driver and other long woods, position your ball just inside your front foot. Make sure that the clubface is square to the target line on the Downswing.

For more information read our detailed section on Good Golf Stance.

Golf Swing - Swinging to hit the Golf Ball

The third and the most important Golf Technique is the Swing. The Golf Swing is a three-step process: Backswing; Downswing and Follow-Through. In the Backswing, you take your Golf Club away from your ball. It is important that the clubface and the back of your left hand remain facing front throughout the Backswing. Then you make the Downswing, wherein you move your club towards the ball until you hit it towards your target. In the Downswing, the angle of your club shaft and left forearm should remain unchanged as your club and hands moves towards the toe line. You should be able to hit the ball just because it happens to be in the path of the club and not because you aim for the ball throughout the Downswing. The last step in the Golf Swing is the Follow-through. The Follow-through comes after you hit the ball. This is done to finish your Golf Swing. The power of your swing will vary depending on the Type of Golf Shot you need to take. Hitting from the tee-box requires more force than Putting.

Putting requires lesser force since you do not need to strike your ball to fly for about a hundred yards. For Putting, you follow a Swing path similar to the pendulum of a grandfather clock. You move your club for only about 10 inches away from the ball as the Backswing; then move it towards the ball for the Downswing, and; then Swing it for about 10 inches more for the Follow-through.

Grip, Stance, and Golf Swing are the three basic Golf Techniques you need to learn as a beginner. If you get to master all three, you are now fully ready to have tee time in the nearest Golf Course. For more information, you can read our section on How to Play Golf - Golf Techniques.

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