If you’ve ever hit a golf ball, you’ve probably asked yourself at least once, “What am I doing wrong?” If you have ever played golf at least several times in your life, you’ve probably asked yourself that question many times!
If you’re looking to knock a few strokes off your game, or just trying to hit the thing straight, you’ll want to know what you can do to improve your swing. We recommend pairing up with someone who is a pro to truly improve your swing, because there are many mistakes that come with a player not understanding their golf swing. In this blog, we will break down those top 3 swing mistakes that most golfers make and how you can fix them along with other golf tips that come with it.
Why Do People Make Mistakes in Their Swing?
One big reason is the mind of the golfer. Golf is one of, if not the most psychologically induced sport in the world when it comes to making mistakes. Regardless of if you’re competing against someone else, you are always competing against yourself in your head. Nothing trips you up more than when you hit a bad shot and you start questioning if it’s your swing that’s off or if it’s something else.
With a sport like golf, where you are alone in your thoughts, it’s far more challenging than in other team-based sports, where mistakes can be communicated effectively between teammates.
Another reason why people make swing mistakes is because they simply don’t follow the fundamentals of having a good, consistent swing. We will explain some of those fundamentals below.
Another big mistake is that their clubs are probably not up to par with being in the best shape, and either need to be repaired or replaced with new ones. We will also explain the importance of that in the blog.
First Mistake: Having a Bad Grip on The Club
As all-time PGA champion Jack Nicklaus has said, “A good grip allows everything in the swing to happen naturally”. It establishes that the grip within your swing is the most important thing to get right.
Like with how Jack puts it, the reason why so many golf instructors harp on the grip of your club is because failing to keep a proper grip leads to bad ball striking, hooks, slices, and a loss of distance, everything that defines your game. Your grip should be analyzed by a professional so you can best understand what works best for you.
The reason we say this is that there are multiple types of club grips. There is the strong grip, the weak grip, and the neutral grip.
A strong grip is more of a right-handed golfer’s grip where the back of the lead hand is visible and the “V” formed by the thumb and forefinger points towards the right shoulder.
A weak grip is where the palms are facing more towards the target, or slightly rotated counter-clockwise.
A neutral grip is when both hands work together to create a square clubface at impact.
Many people consider the neutral grip to be the best grip, and what better demonstration than one of the greatest golfers in history, Tiger Woods, who has adopted this grip in his career.
Once again, what’s best for one person may not be best for another, which is what we are here for! We can help!
Second Mistake: Posture and Stance
Now that we’ve established holding the club, we must present how you hold it in your stance when swinging it. Your posture in how you stand over the ball when swinging will be everything towards a proper backswing, how far the ball goes, and whether or now it might cut to the left, right or straight down the center like how you want it.
The general stance you’ve seen from the pros is exactly how you are meant to stand, but sometimes certain golfers are more comfortable being in a different posture where the arms are set a certain way, or your feet might be positioned differently per where the ball is. Again, the greatest benefit from finding or fixing your posture/stance is to let a professional take a look.
Third Mistake: Not Warming Up Properly
A golfer’s biggest nightmare and just overall mistake within the game of golf… not warming up enough or properly. Warming up, along with how you warm up, can certainly impact how well you do on the course. Getting yourself in a good state of mind, but also the motions of your swing, allows you to not think of it while playing, to know if that’s the problem with you playing badly.
Make sure your arms are loose and the wrists are in good health because if they aren’t, you will struggle to grip the club properly. Another way to warm up is by practicing with all the different types of clubs, your driver, sand wedge, putter, irons, or hybrid wedges. Our pros here at Woods 2 Wedges can provide you with a great warm up routine focused on your strengths and weaknesses.
Do These Mistakes Affect Your Clubs?
With what Woods to Wedges specializes in with golf club repair, golf club fitting and more, we believe you will ask the question, “Do my actual clubs affect the swing?”. The short answer is yes, but the true answer for the clubs you own can’t be answered until you get a fitting of them to fit your needs.
At Woods to Wedges, we offer some of the best golf club fitting in WNY, along with an opportunity for you to grab a lesson with one of our PGA professional instructors. They will take you through the process of identifying the mistakes you might be making within your swing. Don’t be afraid to reach out if you have any questions!