Today, I want to share with you a quick golf tip that I recently sent to a reader that asked me a question about how far should he be standing from the golf ball.

This is a great question and something that I struggled with for a while.  Years ago, I followed a tip from a buddy of mine and I ended up standing too far away from the ball.  And I have to admit that it really screwed up my swing and my contact with the ball.

Sometimes it just doesn’t matter if you have great posture, a perfect spine angle and everything feels right at setup. As long as you’re standing too far away from the ball, you’re going to struggle hitting consistent golf shots.  From watching and talking with many golfers on the practice range, most golfers tend to stand too far away from the ball.  Most  stand too far awy because they have a fear of shanking the ball off the hosel or hitting a fat shot. But the intersting thing is,  standing too far away can actually cause those kinds of shots due to having to overcompensate and lunge toward the ball during the swing.

So, how do you know how far is too far?

Here is a simple tip.  Begin by addressing the ball as you normally would,then place one of your headcovers under your right underarm.  Hold it snug, and try and keep it there during the start of your backswing.  If the headcover falls from your underarm before you reach the end of your backswing, then you know you’re standing too far from the golf ball. If the headcover stays put, you’re setup just right. 

The arms should be free of tension, hanging naturally from the shoulder sockets. Any overextension will cause not only inconsistent golf shots, but may also put strain on your lower back. 

You will also notice that the length of your golf club also determines the length between you and the golf ball.

Also, anytime you are on the golf course and you feel you may be standing too far from the ball, back away and take some practice swings with this simple drill with a headcover until you feel more comfortable. Then set up to the ball and swing away!

Every golfer, no matter their skill level, wants to improve and develop the best golf swing for their golf game. Whether you are an experienced golfer or are just learning how to play golf, you want to learn the best golf swing.

Below are some tips to help you achieve your best golf swing:

The Grip

Let’s first focus on your golf grip. To develop your best golf swing, you need to be aware that the grip is the foundation of the golf swing. If your grip is not correct, your entire game is going to be off. So if you want to improve you golf swing lower your golf scores, you are going to have to learn how to correctly grip the golf club.

To learn how to grip the golf club correctly read an earlier post The Proper Golf Grip.

Pause at the Top

Another quick golf tip that will help you to develop your best golf swing is to pause at the top.  Some golfers swing too quickly and lose any rythym and sequence of your golf swing.  If you swing to quickly you are not alone, many golfers suffer from a golf swing that is too quick.  At the top of your golf swing you need a slight pause just to make sure every part of your backswing is in the correct position before you begin your downswing.  I am not saying that you need to pause for 5 seconds, however you may want to try pausing longer when you are practicing this tip.  You just need a quick pause to get in position to start your downswing.

Over the Top

Another common problem I see with most golfers is the action of “Coming over the top”.  If you are going to develop your best golf swing you must avoid this action.  Swinging over the top can cause a whole host of faults.  The cause of this swinging over the top is due the upper body getting way ahead of the lower body, and the initial move in the downswing is the shoulders.  The correct start of the downswing should be weight shift in the lower body, with a slight dropping of the club and then your body starting to rotate.

If you want to develop the best golf swing you can, follow the above helpful golf tips and tricks.

The golf grip is much more important than most amateur golfers think. Without a sound grip you will never be able to advance your game.  Maybe you are at that point, where no matter what you try you can not seem to improve your golf swing.  The good news is it can be the easiest fix you will ever experience in golf.

If you can do any one thing to improve your golf game it would be ensuring your grip is correct. Even with excellent golf swing form your game will suffer from an improper grip.

If there is only one thing you learn from me, it would be to perfect your golf grip!

The most traditional and widely used grip in golf is called the interlocking golf grip. If you are right handed you should start by gripping the club in your left hand naturally with the shaft resting in your fingers and your thumb running down the right hand side of the grip (see image below). If you can envision your left hand being perpendicular to the ground, as if you were shaking hands left handed, you would turn it over slightly farther so your left thumb is running down the right side of the grip and the shaft sits closer to your palm in your pinkie finger than your index finger.

It should feel natural and comfortable on the club. To properly grip the club with your right hand you should interlock your pinkie finger on your right hand with your index finger on your left. The club should sit comfortably across your fingers (do not place the club in you palm) with your thumb running down the middle right hand side of the shaft.

The most important part of the grip is to stay loose!  I can’t stress this enough. I know this sounds backwards to most amateur golfers, but come on has your game really improved by trying to grip the club tighter?  By loosening your grip you will experience more solid contact, more distance, and more accurate shots. You will be amazed what loosening a grip can do  improve your golf shots and lower your scores.

I suggest you grip the club only enough so it will not twist in your hands, and if you have the proper grip setup you’ll find that you can let yourself grip it fairly loosely. A loose grip will  reduce the tension in your wrists and arms, which results in a freer, more natural and less inhibited swing.

There is also a variation on the popular grip where the pinkie finger does not interlock with the index finger but overlaps it instead.  Thus it is called the overlap grip.

The last grip is referred to as the baseball grip.  None of your fingers interlock or overlap.  Some people claim this grip feels more natural. For this grip, think like you are holding a baseball bat but maintain the shaft in your fingers and the thumbs in the correct position, with the left hand thumb running down the right side of the grip and the right thumb running down the middle left hand side of the grip.

Personally, I prefer the interlocking grip because I think it naturally puts your wrists in a better position during the swing and allows a looser grip pressure.  I suggest you try each one for yourself and see which gives you the best results.

Did I mention that the most important part of the grip is to stay loose!  If I did not, the most important part of the grip is to stay loose!

Find the proper grip for you and enjoy the experience of improved golf shots and lower golf scores.

Leave a comment below and share with us which grip you like to use.

SO what’s the big secret?  Do more with your hips than turn them.

If you don’t feel a “snap” at impact or the ball doesn’t come off your driver with much power or you hit pop-ups with weak slices then this lesson is definitely for you.

If you are a righty, then you need to do move your left hip up and straighten your left leg; if you are a lefty then you need to move your right hip up and straighten your right leg.

You need to practice the steps below in slow motion first to get a good feel for what you body needs to do.

Step 1:Start down from the top of your swing by moving your hips slightly toward the target.

Step 2: With your hips set forward, turn them toward the target as normal and swing the club down with your arms.

Step 3: When your hands reach waist high, start moving your left hip up while continuing to turn it behind you. Your left leg should straighten as a result.

You will accomplish two things by doing this.  First, you create resistance that your right side can use to smash through as you turn toward the target. Second, you ensure that your release happens at the bottom of your swing, not before or after.

These two things will give you the explosive power you’ve been wanting.

Earlier this summer, my teaching pro showed me and told me something that no one else has really ever explained to me before. It has really changed my golf swing forever! And I think it will change yours too!

I have taken many golf lessons over the years, and it was not until I started working with my current instructor that I have been able to fix my very steep downswing, and lack of hip clearance through impact.

Within just one lesson with him, he gave me a tip that changed my swing forever. Then he had me watch some YouTube videos, some of the ones I have shared with my golf tip e-mail subscribers.

For years I have tried to study different swings by different pros like Tiger, Adam Scott, Ernie Els and many others I had developed the mindset that the downswing was a real prevalent “down” move from the top. My instructor quickly got me to swing AROUND my body and I had NEVER before hit the ball like I had hit it that day. I could not believe the difference it made.

The picture above is my teaching pro Bobby Eldridge of Pure Point Golf.

Bobby has developed a private Golf Apprentice Program that is the best golf swing improvement program I have ever seen.

I am so excited I found him because his knowledge of the golf swing is unmatched!

To learn more about the program and how it can improve your golf swing, check out…Golf Apprentice Program