The Zen of The Perfect Golf Swing

Golf, played at one level, a socializing game at another level, considered a Zen like sport that strives to synchronize one’s mind’s will with one’s body’s ability in order to achieve feats of greatness. It is played best when the player’s psyche and physical strengths coordinate together as one unit in perfect harmony. But how is this achieved? Can it be learned, taught, developed? Many golf instructors and retired pro’s make a good living claiming they can teach it.

Unraveling the mystery of the perfect golf swing is like searching for Ahab’s white whale. You’re not sure it really exits but people keep telling you they’ve seen it. If only someone would write down the recipe.

There’s nothing as frustrating as hitting a bucket of balls with one shot curving to the left, the next veering off to the right, one hit dribbles short followed by a high pop fly, one swing you miss the ball completely “I hope nobody was watching.” Then, when you’re about to give up, for some odd reason you smack one that sores right for the flag. As excited and delighted as you are, you’re also confused and way more exhausted than you thought you’d be after whacking a handful of golf balls. “They call this relaxation and recreation? There’s got to be a trick to this that everyone forgot to share with me.”

Yes there are tricks, many of them (library shelves full) for correcting faulty shots. Some are common sense. Ball curving to the left so you aim more to the right, slicing to the right, aim left.

Slightly more technical hints; club length – the longer the driver you choose the more powerful the shot you‘ll get. A shorter club gives you better control. Widen your leg stance to elevate the ball higher. Swing faster to create a spin that will help the ball hang in the air longer. Move your legs closer together to keep the ball sailing line drive like, closer to the ground. Making sure your top thumb consistently presses down on your bottom thumb will usually prevent the ball from hooking. Set the ball higher off the ground when teeing up when you’re swinging for distance.

There’s also fundamental don’ts (no no’s) that everyone should be aware of: Gripping the club too tightly or too high on the handle restricts the wrist from moving freely. To the beginner, this may seem good as it will allow you more control but stopping the wrist from moving is only desired during putting when it’s absolutely essential that the wrist doesn’t break, throwing off your precision put. Beginners also tend to lift their forward leg’s heel when swinging their club back over their shoulder in order to lean back forward into the shot on the down swing to add power. This is a bad habit to break. Keep the front foot’s heel planted or lift only slightly. Let the power come from your upper body’s twisting torque. Letting your forward leg collapse inward towards the back leg is another mistake that is commonly made when winding back, also used to compensate for adding strength to one’s swing. This works in baseball but in golf, throws off your precision to line up your point of impact where your club meets the ball.

What’s wrong with all these hints is nothing except they’re quick fixes, adjustments being made to cure your shot based on what crazy direction your ball keeps taking off in. They all work and you should know them and experiment with them so you can use them during a game to fine tune in the clutch. But, what you need to do during practice if you really want to hit better, more consistently is practice improving your swing itself. That means concentrating on your form while swinging and not worrying where the ball ends up. Yes, even practice your swing without a ball, until you get the motion down pat.

Your swing should feel comfortable and natural all the way through with no physical strain. Both hands should work together, neither dominating. Pay attention to your weight distribution. You should start your stance with your weight evenly distributed which is the easy part. When you end your follow through, you will probably notice you’re either leaning forward or back on your heels. You’ll have to concentrate on keeping your weight constant and neutral throughout the whole swing right up to the end. This will feel uncomfortable at first but the longer you practice the more natural it will become. Remember, you’re looking for consistency and simplicity, natural fluidity of motion, the psych and the physical working as one.

If you have access to a huge mirror practice swings in front of it. Seeing yourself in action can help you identify problems with your form that you never dreamed you had. Correct your posture, stance and follow through. But, remember, eyes down, focused on the ball is an important part of your form so the mirror can only help so much. Having a friend film you hitting a bucket of balls can be a real eye opener. Every player will benefit immensely by watching themselves in motion seeing their flaws and making the necessary adjustments.

 Feet shoulder length apart, toes slightly pointed outward, knees slightly bent, waist bent forward at the hips, shoulders squared, eyes looking down at the target are all good starts. Now, take a few swings.  Don’t worry about the ball yet. Your swing should be symmetrical and fluid like a pendulum. Practice swinging until you are comfortable physically and mentally relaxed with your pendulum motion. Neither side of your body should strain more than the other side. Once balanced, now add the ball.

Nothing works for everyone. On the quest for the perfect swing you must first realize and come to accept that there is no magical swing that is perfect for every player. Each person must find their own unique swing that is perfectly unison and in sync with their own body type and emotional style of play. Find the swing that feels good and natural then settle in for the long haul. Don’t keep changing your swing based on every new trend or every time a new professional star pops onto the golf scene with a unique style.

Once your grip, stance and follow through comes naturally and feels right, you’ll be able to find your swing and pick up right where you left off a few days ago or a few weeks ago. This is the real mystery revealed. You can now work on slow and steady improvement. No more one step forward two steps back. The ultimate goal is to free your mind to concentrate on visualizing precisely where you want the ball to end up. With no more self doubt or questions about; Are my feet spaced properly, my grip tight enough, back straight? Follow through proper? Using enough power? Or too much power? No one can concentrate on all of these things at the time of the shot. Especially, if it’s the big all important pressure shot of the game.

These fundamental elements of your swing must already be mastered. They must have been practiced so much that they are always performed precisely and automatically. If you keep varying your swing style you’ll never achieve the level you seek, harmony of mind and body. Stick to one technique and master it. Then, you add slight adjustments based on sound advice to overcome specific problems or conditions.

In your mind your swing should always be fundamentally the same no matter what shot you desire. Hitting up hill, down hill, into a northern wind; tiny little adjustments change the shot you want but the basic swing structure remains the same always through out your long game. Need to keep the ball low; slow down your swing, grip lower on the club, set up with your ball an inch or two back and shorten your follow through. Need to pop the ball up high over the tree tops obviously set up with the ball a little more forward. You might want to pick a different club, they manufacture many kinds to create specific shots but you still swing them all relatively the same, using the same form and same fluidity of motion. To curve the ball right or left, experiment with rotating your hands two or three seconds clockwise or counter clockwise there’s still no need to vary your swing style.

Practice, practice and more practice is the only way to develop a championship swing. Just like in any other sport or challenge, the more you practice the better you get. To hit consistently hard and accurate time and time again in varying situations and under all kinds of conditions you must develop a good, simple swing form that you yourself are comfortable and relaxed with. In order to practice shots again and again for long periods of time without exhaustion, pulling muscles or soreness setting in somewhere on your body, your swing must be natural, fluid, unstrained and most of all enjoyable for you.

First comes the great swing then comes the great shots over and over and over again. Find your rhythm. Some say, Golf is a reflection of life. To be successful in golf one must use the same tools that make one successful in life. So, practice, have patience and find your groove then swing away with courage, confidence, risk and heart.

Golf is a game where the strength of one mind, is equally as important as the player’s physical ability. Negativity, self doubt, anxiety all throw your game off. The only way to stop that second guessing feeling from standing in your way is to let yourself sink into the most natural, relaxed swing technique you can muster up then stick to it. Practice until it clicks and your mind and body start working as one. Then concentrate, visualize and practice with total confidence blocking out all negativity until you fall into a relaxed zone where you control the ball and where it goes. Like the magic of a marathon runner’s second wind it will feel spiritual and maybe it is. Once you’ve developed a really great, automatic swing, only then can your mind truly concentrate on how the ball and your club’s face meet each other and master what happens at the point of impact that causes the ball to act the way it acts.   

Here are some more tips to help you on your way: Make sure the fingers of your left hand continue to grasp the club’s handle through out your swing and hold on for the follow through. Don’t rush your swing, take your time. It’s all right to slightly pause after the back swing when you’re at the top about to shift your whole body into the downswing. And I mean put your whole body into the swing don’t try to do it all with just your arm strength and wrists. Swing down and power through the ball. Let the slope back design of the club’s head elevate the ball into the air. Always finish with a good follow through. If your follow through is awkward, or strained it’s a good indication that something before the follow through is out of sync. Remember working on your swing is a life long project, one you should enjoy. Good luck.