To play golf to any degree of success, you must have a sound, natural grip. The hands are your only attachment to the club and thus control much of the function of the swing. A good grip will:
• deliver the clubface squarely to the back of the ball
• keep the handle from slipping in your swing
• allows the swing to be a fluid continous motion
• transmits power through the ball by allowing some wrist hinge
Many students ask me - Why is it so important to finish? The golf ball is already in flight, so why should I worry about what I do thereafter? Although this is a good question, the answer is quite simple -- all great players go to a complete balance finish, so should you. There are many varying golf swings on tour, and everyone of them has good balance. Furthermore, great players can hold their finish because they are relaxed and in balance. They don't finish because they are trying, they finish because they have to. Why? Momentum.
A stable preshot routine is your template for consistency in a round of golf. By repeating the same procedure prior to each shot, you will gain confidence and reliability in your game regardless of the pressures during the round. In addition, you will develop a rock solid set-up everytime to the ball.
Most of all the control you exude during a golf shot comes from these four pre-swing elements - the grip, alignment, ball-position, and posture. In a good pre-shot routine, a player will subconsciously cover all these pre-swing elements with precision and accuracy. It is also important to note that a pre-shot routine should not be so exact each time that it consumes the player. It must be natural not mechanical. Generally, a good routine is loose enough to cover all the pre-swing elements and it lasts between 15 and 25 seconds.
Highly successful golf swings are based on good fundamentals. These fundamentals are adopted through proper practice. It is not only the knowledge of basic golf fundamentals, it is the repeated application of them that produces consistent success. A very small percentage of golfers are ‘naturals’ and intuitively apply sound swing principals all the time. Hogan once said, “A natural golf swing produces bad results!” In other words, it takes practice to make a good motion - it does not come overnight.