lessonspin
full swing fundamentals
Two aspects of the full swing are
the pre-swing and the in-swing. The
pre-swing is the set up at address
and includes the fundamentals for
everything a player should do prior
to starting the back swing. The inswing includes the fundamentals for
everything a player should do once
the back swing is initiated. The
full swing is one in which a player
desires maximum distance from
woods and irons. (Note: for lefthanded players, all statements that
Tad Kivett refer to “left” will be obviously be
PGA Professional reversed to right.)
Pre-swing: It is important to have
proper posture when addressing the
golf ball. In golf, the definition of
“address” is “placing the club on
the ground behind the ball and
taking a stance.” Every player needs
to be in the proper setup position in
order to execute an effective golf
swing.
Stand straight with your feet
about shoulder width apart. Slightly
flex your knees, then tilt your upper
body forward toward the golf ball,
bending from where the hip joint
meets the leg joint. Do not bend
from the waist, bend from the hip
joint. (Fig.1). Bend until your upper
body is at a 45-degree angle to the
lower body allowing the arms
to hang straight down and
tension free. (Fig.2).
Bending from the hip
joint will move your buttocks
slightly outward allowing for
better balance. Keep your chin
up and eyes down. This position
will straighten your spine and
allow the shoulders to move freely
underneath the chin and will help
keep your head still throughout the
swing.
The frequently asked question
is, “How far should I stand from
the golf ball?” This question easily
is answered in that wherever your
arms hang straight down in a
“dangling” tension free position
is the position you should grip the
How far should I stand
from the golf ball?
30
club when addressing the ball.
(Fig.3).
Ball position: For iron shots,
position the ball in the center of the
stance directly even with your chin,
as the club will tend to reach its
fullest extension and hit the ground
where the chin is positioned. For the
driver and fairway woods, position
the ball slightly left of center.
Be careful not to position
the ball too far left in the
stance, as the club head
should still be moving down
the target line after impact,
allowing for a straighter ball
flight.
Be careful not to position the
ball too far left in the stance, as the
club head should still be moving
down the target line after impact,
allowing for a straighter ball flight.
If the ball is positioned too far to
the left in the stance, the club will
move left at impact imparting left
to right ball spin, resulting in a slice
or some other off line shot. To view
correct ball position, refer to (fig.
5a, b, c).
Weight distribution is key to
maintaining balance throughout
the swing. Keep the weight on the
inside of both feet, what most refer
to as the “ball” of your foot behind
the big toe. In this position, you
should be able to lift your heels off
the ground and still feel balanced.
(Fig.4). This position is an “athletic”
position, much like a tennis player
waiting to return a serve or a
football quarterback waiting for the
hike. In all cases the player must be
able to move in any direction at any
given time.
Keeping your weight balanced,
as mentioned above, will allow you
to have resistance from all four sides
of the body. A good drill is to keep
the heels lifted off the ground while
swinging the club. This drill will
improve balance and help eliminate
wasted motion in the lower body.
For iron shots, I encourage my
students to distribute the weight
of the body 60 percent left and
40 percent right. Anchoring the
weight to the left side of the body
encourages a descending motion on
the downswing, allowing the club to
move down and through the impact
zone. In order to get the effective
loft of the clubface and proper
ball trajectory with the irons, the
club must be moving downward at
impact.
For a ball that is teed up, such
as the driver, keep the weight
distributed evenly: 50 percent left
– 50 percent right. Since the ball
is on a tee, you do not need to
swing downward, but rather level
to the ground, more of a sweeping
motion, not taking a divot but
rather brushing the grass.
The path of the club is similar
to an airplane landing and taking
off. An airplane must land level to
the runway just as a driver should
approach the impact zone more
level to the ground. For iron shots,
position the hands slightly ahead
of the golf ball more towards the
target, forming more of a straight
line from the shoulder down the
arm and through the shaft. The
more lofted the club, such as the
9-iron, the more forward the hands
are towards the target. When
swinging a driver with the ball teed
up, position the hands more evenly
in line with the golf ball. (Fig. 5a,
b, c).
There is more to this lesson! See the
full article, including more information
on the grip, the back swing and the
downswing at backspinmag.com/fullswing-fundamentals/.