Beginners Guide To Golf

Hello there,

I have been asked over and over by both beginner golfers and advanced golfers how to position the body for a good swing. It’s really simple!

Posture is the foundation of a good golf swing. It is important to put good balance and posture into your pre-shot routine. A ritual of the events leading up to the swing is important to maintaining accuracy and drive. This all starts with posture of the golfer’s body.

Five basic steps in creating good golf posture:

1. Distribution of weight evenly between the soles of the two feet and not too much on the heels or toes is essential.

2. Bending over is done from the lower back or waist. Try to minimise curvature of the spine. It should feel like you buttocks are sticking out.

3. Avoid touching your chest with your chin. This will allow a more clean rotation. Touching you chest with your chin will only force the spine to bend giving a swing which is not accurate.

4. Flex the knees a bit. If you plumb-bobbed a golf club over your kneecap
it should rest directly above the centre of your foot.

5. Arms need to hang naturally with gravity. If done correctly, there should be a gap of about 4-6 inches between your wrists and you legs. This is enough of a gap for your arms to swing past your body freely.

Quick Posture Check

Standing sideways in front of a mirror, dangle a golf club from your shoulder. The shaft should hang down the centre of the shoulder, in front of the kneecap and end should dangle over the ball of the foot. If it is not like this, you are making a mistake somewhere and your posture is incorrect so you will need to double check.