Free Golf Swing

Golf Swing Tempo - Is A Golf Fundamental
By Steve Snead

Without a doubt, swing tempo IS a fundamental of the swing. However, it would appear to be the most overlooked and underwritten about. What doesn't help, is that half of what I read on the subject is just nonsense anyway. If I were a high handicapper, some of these articles would leave me more mystified about Swing Tempo than when I started them.

Here is an excerpt from such an article...."Get into a rhythm with your swing by counting one on the way back, two at the top (give it a little pause) and three on the way down." Now I ask you, do you understand this. I know I don't. If you and I both counted to three, and it were timed, there's a good chance that we would not both do it, in the same time frame. Our nature would affect the count. Would your little pause be longer or shorter than my little pause? It will be our brains that are doing the counting, and it's our brains that get us into so much trouble, out on the course, in the first place. Will we count to three in the same calm way, when we are facing a 150 yard carry over a lake to a bunker guarded green?.......I think not! I don't know that I ever saw Tiger, Phil or VJ taking this little pause.

The article goes on further to suggest that, when practicing at the range, this pause should be for TWO SECONDS! Now I ask you, does this sound like Swing Tempo training? If you are going to hold at the top of the back swing for 2 seconds, then why not just cut out the middleman. Yes, that's right, forget the whole address the ball, waggle, smooth take away and the rest. Just start your swing at the top. Like facing a pitcher with a baseball bat in your hands. Trust me though, you can kiss swing speed Goodbye!

If you are a golfer, then I'm sure that it's safe to say, that if I were to ask you to write a list of the fundamentals of golf, you would probably hand me a list that included:

* Grip
* Posture
* Ball Position
* Alignment
* Pre-swing Routine

...and you wouldn't be wrong. I'd be mightily impressed. I could take those fundamentals to the range with a bunch of books and magazines and work on them. But sooner or later I'm going to ask you, (Because I'm an inquisitive kind of guy), "This is all great stuff, but how fast should I swing?" Because after all, we are always hearing about club head speed, and how it affects distance.

So let us add Swing Tempo to our list of fundamentals. In fact, lets put it in 3rd Place, right behind grip and alignment. The reason being is that, if you have a basic understanding of swing technique, then Swing Tempo is the glue that holds it all together. Pausing at the top of your back swing, for anywhere between a pause and 2 seconds is the stuff that will bring it crashing down. In fact this will more than likely cause you to 'Cast,' or come over the top in the swing. With good tempo, the left knee should be starting it's Downswing move to the left, just as the hands and club are reaching the top of the back swing.

I don't disagree totally with the counting system. What you need though is a device to dictate the count, a device that is external. A device that is not your brain. Be it one of the many swing tempo devices, a simple and inexpensive metronome, or a piece of music with a beat that you can swing to. If you are an Iphone user, there is even an application that you can download exactly for the purpose.

Now it is often said that most high handicappers swing too fast. This is not, in fact, the case. Most swing too slow, but their swings look fast because they lack a decent tempo. Either a really quick take away that then slows on the way to impact, or the reverse. Ernie Els' 'Big Easy' swing, is in fact, exactly the same tempo as Phil Mickelson's and VJ Singh's. Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player's were slightly faster. Where the tour pros do not vary, is in the ratio of their swings. THIS IS KEY! The tour pros ALL swing at a 3 To 1 Ratio. However long they take getting to the top of their back swing is 3 Times that of getting the club head back to impact!

So there you go. Probably the simplest fundamental you ever read. Get to the range with some type of timing device, and swing to a 3 TO 1 Ratio. The magic thing about it is, that you will find yourself so engrossed with listening to the Beats, that all other swing thoughts (particularly negative ones), will leave your head. Try different tempos (NOT RATIOS) and find the one that suits your personality. When you have, you can take your new tempo onto the course, where my guess is, you'll swing with a new found confidence.

Steve Snead lives in Youngstown, Ohio. He teaches golf, part time, to children of all ages. He has many published articles on the subject of Golf Swing Aid.

The Basic Guide To Choosing Golf Clubs
By oladipo

Choosing a decent set of clubs is a very important part of maturing in the game. Therefore you should consider many different things when buying the clubs. If you have no previous experience with the selection and purchase of clubs, you should be glad that you have stumbled across this article. You will find out some of the most helpful advice when buying clubs, as well as general helpful information that any golfer should know. If you are very thorough in your search for the right clubs, you will be glad that you took the extra time and research to find out the information needed to make that choice.

Firstly you should familiarize yourself with the types of clubs that you need. There are 14 clubs total for each set, but they can all be categorized in the following: irons, woods, and putters. Irons are the ones that are used for very distance specific golfing work, and the distance is determined by the size and weight of the head. You are provably most familiar with these from using them on the course. Woods are used to achieve very large distances with a slightly lower accuracy level than irons. You will have to hit a ball a few times with a wood to get an idea of how far it will go with your stroke. Putters are used for shorter strokes, and strokes that require a higher level of accuracy than the other clubs can provide. In order for your club collection to be complete (or even functional within the game), you will need to have at least one of each of these.


If you are just getting started with golfing, then you probably won’t want to buy a full set. It is a better idea to buy adjustable clubs that can change into different types. You may be able to change the 14 clubs into just 5 or 6. This not only means
less to carry, but also that you will be able to tweak your clubs to perfection after you purchase them. This is the best way to get a feel for your needs when it comes to the specific statistics of the club. Once you have pretty much decided on certain settings, you may decide to buy clubs that are permanently set like that. Until then, you should be perfectly fine with adjustable clubs, especially since you are a beginner.

Graphite is something that many golfers are split on. The advocates of graphite say that it is lighter, easier to swing, and allow for more powerful strokes because of this. However, there are many who disagree with graphite and will remain steel golfers for life. They maintain that graphite clubs are unnecessarily expensive, without giving noticeable benefits. Some prefer the stiffness of steel over the comparatively flexible graphite clubs. If you have a fast stroke or you prefer to have some weight in your club, you will be fine sticking with steel clubs. After all, there’s nothing better than really having a heavy club that you can feel the momentum in when you swing.

Until you are an advanced golfer, you won’t have to worry about things like spin and head weight. The best thing you can do as a beginner is to familiarize yourself with all aspects of the game, and become very skilled with the equipment that you already have. Doing this will allow you to make smart choices for the future, and therefore constantly improve your game. Until then, just stick with what you have and master it. You will be glad in the future when you have not wasted huge amounts of money on equipment that is far more fancy and technical than you could possibly need. This is something that many golfers regret, and something that you can avoid.

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Driving Iron Golf Clubs: Are They Outdated?
By Ben Brooks

With the rise in popularity of other clubs in recent years, some people feel that the driving iron clubs are a thing of the past. I am not so sure, so let's take a look at the ideas.

First, what is a driving iron, and how does it work?

Well, a driving iron is a club which is basically derived from the 1 iron, but it is designed to be used off the tee.

The reason for the use of this club is that a lot of players get intimidated when they hold the longer shaft of a driver at the tee, and also feel they need to hit the ball harder to get distance. That is a basic golfing error. An attempt to hit harder will only produce less control and consistency in the swing, which coupled with the extra length of the driver's shaft, results in ineffective drives.

As a result of this, some people would use their 1 iron instead of a driver, feeling they had better control of the swing with the shorter club shaft. However, a 1 iron is not ideally designed to drive off from the tee, so the driving iron comes into play instead.

The difference between the driving iron and the 1 iron is that the head of the driving iron is thicker and more solid. This gives extra power to the club Golfhead as it strikes the ball, while maintaining the feel of the 1 iron.

The reason that this club has begun to be less popular in recent years is due to the evolution of the hybrid club. A hybrid club is effectively a combination of two clubs, but it does not have the one noticeable disadvantage of the driving iron. Because the driving iron has such a flat face, it produces little backspin or loft, so if you want to get a high trajectory off the tee, the driving iron has its limitations.

This why, with only limited space in the bag, the hybrid club has come into favor, as it offers a greater variety of shot potential. Many players have replaced the driving iron with a hybrid club.

However, in some situations the extra weight of the driving iron can give it advantages over a hybrid club. Where you want a long, low shot, you may find that a driving iron gives you more distance. Try for yourself to see if it brings benefits to the drive off any of the tees at your favorite course.

Although they may have waned in popularity, driving irons still have a place in the game of many players. If you have space in your bag, it can be worth adding a driving iron club for certain shots.

Hi my name is Ben Brooks, Ever since the age of 10, I have dealt with slices, hooks, bad drives, and horrible putting. But now, my game is great and I go now with groups of people. Unfortunately, it took me 15 years to find out how to get it.