A Mechanically Sound Golf Swing

Many people have an image of their golf swing planted in their minds but you must understand that the image you have probably doesn't match your actual swing. The feel of your actual swing is not an indicator of what's really occurring. When becoming your own best coach, don't rely on your perceptions during your swing. Use mirrors, videotape and the comments of others with experience to help you understand what's occurring during your golf swing.

In addition to the unreliability of perceptions, the manner in which the brain and body work together creates a unique challenge to varying your swing. Changing the golf swing can be tricky. The nervous system is inclined toward repetition; it creates a pattern of every repetitive action, and it is these ingrained patterns that your body has been trained to perform. So, change can be difficult. In fact, when you're trying to change your golf swing, replacing old habits with new routines is likely the biggest hurdle you will face. For this reason, when training you must focus your attention on incorporating only one change into your swing at a time. It takes time and practice to transmit the aspects of a golf swing into your long-term memory. The best way to go about it is to practice the new skill on a regular basis and be patient. Upon mastering one new golf skill, you can start working on changing another part of your golf swing.

When you're restructuring your behavior through practice, make sure you heed your current limitations. You need to swing within the physical capabilities you have at the time - while also working to improve these capabilities. Sometimes the distance between where you are and where you want to be is quite large, but you can't skip steps and rush things. Swing within your physical limits at the time, accepting that change occurs gradually rather than suddenly. No matter how straight or long your golf ball travels, it's always better to stay patient and endure that to attempt to swing outside your limits; if you try to do too much too fast, you will develop bad habits that will need to be corrected later.

An example of exceeding individual physical limits is a golfer who tends to be inflexible in the upper body trying to make a swing that is parallel to the ground at the top. This can result in a lot of off center, inconsistent swings and shots. There is no one test to establish the restrictions of your physical aptitude, but you can expect that if your swing is uncultivated and inconsistent, you are exceeding your physical limitations.

As you seek to build improvements on a skill, don't misjudge your abilities. Don't try to be more powerful or flexible that you truly are. You'll only incorporate mechanics into your swing that have no business being there. Admiring Tiger Woods' swing is one thing, but trying to replicate his shoulder turn and extension is asking for a horde of compensations that bring about disaster. There are elements of Tiger's swing you should try if you fit the right physical profile. By maximizing your strengths and playing within your limitations you will make significant improvements in your game.