by: Joe Chung

You don't have hours every day to perfect your golf swing on the range. Are there any golf swing tips that you can practice at home that will simplify your swing and help your score? You bet there are!

Summary

- posture is key!

- feel the turn

- hands lead at impact

The one thing I have had the most trouble with in my golf career is knowing if my set up is correct. I'm not alone. From what I've seen on the golf course, most amateurs have no chance of hitting the ball well because their set up is so poor.

The problem is this: what feels "good" is almost never "right". You may feel o.k., but you are really bending your knees too much, or not enough. Maybe you aren't straightening your left arm, or you hunch your shoulders unconsciously.

I won't go into all the details of the correct set up here. Instead, I'll give you one golf swing tip that will help you no matter what your set up flaws may be. Simply do this…

Practice setting up to the ball. When you are ready to swing, check these three things: 1. Your left arm (for RH golfers) is fully but comfortably extended. 2. The club is barely touching the ground behind the ball. 3. The club is lying flat (i.e. the toe or heel is not off the ground).

If anything is off, change something in your posture to "fit" the club to the ground behind the ball. Once you get all three aspects correct, try to memorize that feel and go on to the next drill.

The only way to get a powerful, inside to out golf swing is to turn the shoulders. This drill helps you feel the correct sensation.

After setting up in drill one, take the club back slowly. I won't go into the correct takeaway here. The point is to have the correct position at the top that will set you up for a powerful inside to out downswing.

As you get to the top of your swing, the only thing you should focus on is feeling your left shoulder tucked under your chin. The seam of your shirt on top of your shoulder should be completely under your chin.

Getting used to this feeling at the top of your backswing is the number one cure for a slice and gives you the best chance for an inside to out downswing. This golf swing tip helped me get rid of my slice forever. It will work for you too!

Hands Before Club Head

Now you are ready for the last drill. From the top of your backswing, slowly begin your downswing. Focus on dropping your arms and coming at the ball from the inside.

Stop just as you are about to hit the ball (or where the ball would be if you are practicing without a ball). Look at your hands. Are they ahead of the club head? They should be.

To hit the ball consistently and powerfully, your hands must be ahead of your hands when you strike the ball. If they are not, go back to the end of drill two and do it again.

The purpose of these golf swing tips is to teach you the correct feel at three critical points in your golf swing: setup, the top of the backswing, and impact. Practice these drills every day slowly.

The goal is for your body to recognize and repeat the same feelings that go along with the correct positions. Soon your body will instinctively go to these positions because you've repeatedly ingrained the right feel.

I recommend using a mid-iron for these drills, but any club will work. Once you get it down with one club, see how using a different club affects your feel at each of the three positions.

Of course, the golf swing tips in this article are just the tip of the iceberg. You can copy many things from pros as well. The Tiger Woods golf swing or the Ben Hogan golf swing might be a good fit for you. However, these three golf swing tips will help any golfer no matter what your body size or skill level.

Practice these drills to get the right feeling without hitting balls. Once the feel becomes instinct, you'll see an incredible improvement to your ball flight and your scores! Combine these drills with other drills to improve your golf game and you'll be a happy golfer! Remember to have fun out there!