Golf Swing Tips for Beginners

Golf has grown exponentially in popularity in the last decade, with new golfers hitting golf courses around the country at record rates. Anyone can start the game of golf at any age, but for beginner golfers, some of the hardest fundamentals to get down are the golf swing basics.

Obtaining a consistent swing can do wonders for your driving, chipping and short game, but finding your perfect golf swing is a mechanical process that needs to be practiced and repeated properly each time.

Here are some of the best golf swing tips to remember.

Nice and Easy

No matter what you do with a golf swing, you will find that it goes much better when you take it nice and easy from your backswing to your follow-through. You often see PGA Tour professionals taking deep and slow breaths before they strike the ball on an important golf shot, and there is a reason for this.

Your golf swing should be in tempo with your breathing, and that is why professionals attempt to maintain their breathing in important situations. Learn to use your breathing as a tempo indicator with your golf swing and you will find that you can maintain a smooth tempo in any situation.

Square to the Target

You will hear the phrase "square to the target" frequently if you take golf lessons. It means you want to try to make sure you are facing the right direction when you are getting ready to swing the golf club.

Your shoulders should point at the target, whether that’s down the fairway or at a driving range, and your feet should line up squarely under your shoulders as you address the ball. As long as you are pointing your shoulders and feet squarely at the target, you should be able to get the ball where you want it to go.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

The golf coaching phrase "keep your eye on the ball" has been used so often that it has become a punchline for many jokes. Keeping your eye on the ball is something people are taught, but they are sometimes not told why they need to keep their eye on the ball.

When you keep your eye on the ball, you are keeping your head down throughout the full swing. If you do not allow your head to come up, then it is impossible for your shoulders to come up.

That means you are able to keep your shoulders in place throughout your swing if you keep your eye on the ball. If you lift your head with your swing to watch the ball fly, then you will lift your shoulders and probably miss the ball completely.

Keeping your eye on the ball also helps to improve your chances of making solid clubhead contact with the ball.

Pick out a spot on the back of the ball that you want to contact with the clubface and then focus on that spot as you swing the club. You will find that if you practice this enough, your hand-eye coordination will improve dramatically, and you will consistently make solid contact with the golf ball.

Gripping the Golf Club

Golf grip is one of the most important factors in determining how your swing will go. See the attached full videos below for left hand-dominant and right hand-dominant grip tips. Once you get these beginner golf tips down, get your golf bag and go begin your golfing journey out on the course!

Right-handed golfer swing

Left-handed golfer swing