Professional Golf Swings

To watch a professional's golf swing is to watch a thing of beauty. The difference between most weekend warriors and a professional is the pro knows every aspect of their swing.

A professional golf swing takes years upon years to hone. A professional will practice the motion of their swing daily. They need to practice so much because, unlike most of us, they need to know their clubs, the distance of each club and what each type of swing will do for them. The professional can take a 5 iron, turn the face of the club 1/16 of an inch, then take a three 1/4 swing and know that the ball is going 220 yards with a slight fade.

A pro has a consistence swing. They have a pre-shot routine that they will do every time. Most get their club from their caddy. Put their grip on the club, most pros use an overlapping grip. They will then stand behind the ball, this gives them time to focus and get a mental picture of the shot they want to use.

Once they have committed to the shot, they will come to the side of the ball and take a practice swing or two. At this point, they are not trying to think about or change anything in their swing. They are just trying to "feel" the shot.

They are now ready to pull the trigger. They get their proper stance, which is critical. If your stance is off, so is your balance, which, in turn, will give you less club head speed, diminishing your distance. They take the club back on line. They will have a large arc from the beginning of the swing to the top of the back swing by keeping their hands as far away from their body as possible. At the top of the swing they will have "loaded" the swing. The left foot remains flat on the ground, the weight has now gathered to the right heel. The right knee is still flexed. The left shoulder is turned under the chin. The wrists are cocked. All the while keeping the head still. The clubface is square at the top. (Description is for the right handed, reverse for lefties.)

The down swing begins with a weight shift, back to the left. The club comes down, then through the line. When starting down, the wrists are still cocked. They will then unload everything, perfectly timed, at the bottom of their swing. The ball has no choice but to go and go far.

Any pro will tell you that practice is the most important thing you can do to acquire a repeatable swing. There are no short cuts to getting a professional golf swing. They practice; they analyze every aspect, and every inch of their swing. They also get a lot of help from their instructors and caddies. If you are going to try to emulate a professional's golf swing, make sure you pick one who is similar to your body type.