Beginning Golf: The Practice Swing During Play

It took me several years of playing golf to understand why people take a practice swing before hitting the golf ball. I thought at first it was to show off, to build wrist strength, lack of confidence, inability to watch the ball, or the desire to focus concentration. Many of these are good reasons for a practice swing, but they aren't the primary ones.

To understand the practice swing, you need to be able to take apart your golf swing and understand what is happening at each stage. The setup places your tee height, positions your feet, your club position, and your reach. The back swing winds the club up and sets you up to power through. The downward stroke is meant to hit the ball squarely at the bottom of your swing. The follow through establishes direction, and in some cases, upward arc.

The primary goal of every golfer is to have a perfect swing. The perfect swing involves a number of things. A perfect swing minimizes any resistance. Resistance comes when you change direction, impact a surface, hit the ball awkwardly, or if your muscles fight the action.

Align Your Shoulder to Point to the Ball's Destination

You should stand perpendicular to where you want the ball to go. A good test is to position yourself and look over your left shoulder. Once I've assured myself that I am lined up to hit to the ball's destination, I never have to look at where it's going again until after I've hit the ball. People who continually look at the destination are likely to not watch the ball. To hit the ball cleanly, you have to keep your eye on the ball and not move your head.

Place Your Tee

You will soon know the perfect height for your tee if you practice enough. If I look at the tee box or lie and see that the ball is below my feet, i.e. the surface is sloped downward, I will often raise the tee. If the ball is above my feet, i.e. the surface is sloped upward, I will often lower my average tee height.

Select Your Reach