4 Helpful Golf Swing Tips to Upgrade Your Game

Learning how to master one of the most complex and intricate movements in all of sport is no simple task. It requires plenty of scrutiny and time spent practicing to figure out what works with your specific body. Below you’ll find some helpful information and golf swing tips that you can start incorporating into your game for improved performance, health, power, and longevity.

Achieving the perfect golf swing is far from simple. While we’d all love to look like Rory McIlroy or Tiger Woods while swinging a club, the vast majority of us are just happy if we can hit the ball straight. Thankfully there are some widespread faults and areas of discrepancy we can pay attention to if we want to start making our swing just a little prettier.

Tip #1: Address Your Mobility

One of the most basic golf swing tips to understand is a fact: Golf takes all of your joints through a large range of motion. With this in mind, we have to think about what will happen if there is any sort of restriction in one, or many, of these joints. The answer is compensation. The body will find a place for force that cannot travel freely, and it may not be a place you want it to go.

Let’s look at some common mobility restrictions in golfers and how the body compensates to work around them:

Cervical Spine (Neck)

Restriction in the cervical spine can be disastrous for your golf swing, particularly because of this region’s heavy contribution to proprioception and balance in the body. If vertebrae above or below the restriction cannot effectively compensate for a restriction, it often results in the eyes momentarily losing track of the ball, disrupting target acquisition and body control.

Shoulders

When the shoulders are restricted, the body will try to compensate through rotation of the spine. Unfortunately, many golfers also have limited mobility in the back, so this scenario is a stressful one. Excess force sent through a tight spine is a recipe for back injury, something golfers often deal with. Therapists may resultantly look to the spine for a problem coming from the shoulders.

Hips

Lack of internal or external rotation of the hips causes the body to search for it up the chain first in the spine and then in the shoulders. If it can’t find it there, the golfer will be forced to overuse the wrists for acceleration and deceleration of the golf club. This excessively loads the spine and shoulders, also creating a serious risk of wrist injury, if the inertia makes it that far.

As you can see, mobility restrictions have the potential to not just affect your golf swing but to injure your body, as well. Staying on track with a well-balanced flexibility and mobility routine like the ones offered here at Dynamic Golfers are key to keeping your body tuned to the highest level so you can swing to your potential.

Tip #2: Film Your Swing

You can receive all the coaching cues in the world, but sometimes you need to see yourself in action to really make the connection. This golf swing tip will help all others as it allows you to get instant feedback on any adjustments you might’ve made. It also gives a trained eye, like a coach, something to point to as evidence of their suggestions in your own body.

Try filming yourself from all angles, as you’ll see something new with each different perspective. You can look for parts of the body that aren’t moving, parts that seem to be stretching too much, and areas that look like they lack control or stability. Filming your swing will also help show your progress, and give you something to reference over time.

You can use the above information on common mobility restrictions to see if you might be overcompensating in one area or the other. We also have another article, which you can find here, that talks about some pre-golf stretches you can do prior to heading out for a big day on the course.

Tip #3: Build a Powerful Backswing

Newton’s third law of motion states the following: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This applies to golf when we look at the backswing. Bryson DeChambeau is an excellent example of this. He’s one of the biggest drivers on tour, and part of the reason is the force with which he recoils back into his top position.

Think of your muscles as elastic bands. When they stretch under tension, all of that potential energy is stored in the tissue, waiting to be released. The more force you stretch them under, the harder they contract to resist that stretch. This also makes them more willing to “backfire” and release that energy in the opposite direction, which in this case would be your downswing.

First things first, you have to build a smooth and accurate swing path before you start stacking speed on top of it. We have to walk before we can run. Adding speed to the backswing can significantly throw off your swing mechanics and result in an incredibly inconsistent impact. So start slow, then look to add speed to this part of your swing for increased rotational power.

(Image credit: Adobe Stock)

Tip #4: Fix Muscle Imbalances

You can look at exercise through a layered lens when it comes to taking care of the body. You have to see what each activity does and doesn’t do for it. Golf, for example, is something that gets you up and moving, but it doesn’t get you out of breath. You rotate your body, but mostly in one direction. The heaviest thing you lift is your club bag. And the list goes on.

Every activity, if done chronically (and to the exclusion of other activities/training), will lead to some sort of imbalance in the body - golf is no exception. If all you did was golf, you would be one twisted (literally) person in the direction of your swing. Just imagine your muscles tightening into the position of your follow through, and the damage that would cause long-term.

Participating regularly in a professionally designed strength training program for golfers is one of the best golf swing tips for beginners, amateurs, and professionals alike. Nobody is immune to injury, wear, and tear…so we have to do our due diligence when it comes to ensuring that our bodies stay in a strong and healthy state of balance.

Golf Pain-Free with Dynamic Golfers!

We’ve done the hard work here for you at Dynamic Golfers. Join our community of golf enthusiasts worldwide and experience our extensive library of high-quality programming. Strength training, mobility sessions, injury rehab routines, and so much more. Try us out for 7 days FREE by clicking here, and begin your journey towards pain-free golfing!

Written by Eric Lister – Certified Personal Trainer & Corrective Exercise Specialist