What constitutes the perfect golf swing?

By Ram Menon

Man as a creature has always tried to strive for perfection in whatever he chooses to do. In few other fields is this more evident or necessary than in the great game of golf.

It seems this habit is so ingrained in the species as a whole that no matter what the field, one will always find role models who have somehow been able to achieve at last, that perfect embodiment of body and mind which produces sublime results whenever challenges are thrown at them.

In sports and in particular golf, it is of primary importance because a solid repeatable and bankable swing is of prime importance to have a steady game.

Golfers spend countless hours learning under the watchful eyes of venerable coaches on how to perfect their swing.

The weakest and the best golfers are equally interested in it and while one may live off the earnings accrued from the game the other wants to have a good swing purely because it is human nature to excel in a sport that interests him or her so dearly.

What is common among elite players

No player swings in the same way. While some are elegant like Steve Elkington or Adam Scott, others like Ben Hogan and Nick Price had a machine-like short swing built on thoughtfully worked out planes and angles.

During recent times the golf swing it seems has been completely transformed with longer courses forcing short players like Justin Thomas and others who are seen taking their backswings sometimes past the parallel, something frowned upon earlier in order to add distance in their game.

However because of their superb hand eye coordination, long hours of practice and talent great players are always able to get the clubhead in the correct position at impact. To blindly follow what a Tour pro does therefore may not work out for the weekend amateur.

Remember, a good golf swing is only part of their game. Good and especially great players are blessed with “feel” which comes through hours of practice. This helps them in shaping their shots and their short game and putting.

Combined with this armoury of skills, that is a solid dependable swing, the ability to shape shots, an excellent short game and putting helps the elite player play well under pressure in all conditions. A good swing alone will not win you a tournament.

However it is the base on which the rest of the game rests. In the next para I will list out a few fundamentals very shortly which if adhered to will bring remarkable results in your game.

Fundamentals for a dependable swing

These are the Grip, The Stance, The Plane of the Swing, The Weight Shift and the Follow Through. When done correctly the golf ball is struck pure and with minimum effort. While there are many variations of the above mentioned parts they have to be done correctly in combination to achieve the net result.

One could have the Interlocking Grip, the Vardon Grip or a Ten Finger Grip . Similarly some may have an upright stance while some may bend their knees more.

As far as the plane of the swing is concerned it follows that those who stand taller have a more upright plane compared to someone who bends more at the knees and has a more flatter plane. This also is dependent on the ball position as if the ball were to be too near one would stand upright and vice versa.

Hence correct positioning of the ball is crucial. Of all the fundamentals the weight shift is the least visible but the most important for purity of contact. It is very difficult to teach as it relies more on feel and timing.

When Fred Couples hits those lazy long drives it is as if there was no effort at all but there are things happening which we just cannot see. That is why sometimes when you watch Tour players you feel how easily they pure their shots seemingly without any effort.

When all the above is done properly, the follow through is a natural extension of the arms so that the arms and the club-head are in one line after impact.

Conclusion

Good golf begins with a good swing and this gives you time to concentrate on all other parts of your game . Unfortunately there is no shortcut and only steady and regular practice under the watchful eyes of a good coach will help you.

Hope this year makes you a better golfer who understands his strengths and weaknesses and allows you to get a greater sense of satisfaction when you play the game .

Happy Golfing 2020 …..

(About the author: Ram Menon is a retired Lt Colonel from the Indian Army. An avid golfer he writes on various subjects. His book of Poetry The Monks of Dagana and a Few Other Poems is available on Kindle in India and as a paperback in USA and Europe through Amazon.com. He works as the Regional Business Manager, North India for a MNC).

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