Golf can be a complicated game.
If you tune in to any major golf publication you hear tips and lessons that could go on for days, months or even years.
There are different systems and approaches to the golf swing.
Some of the things you might hear…
Keep your head here, put your right arm in this position, make sure you move your hips in this motion, flex your left wrist in this direction on the downswing, use the ground forces for exztra speed and so on and so on.
You could get lost for years trying to figure out the golf swing. Here at golfjourney365, we try to simplify the game for you and to reduce it to 3 keys or fundamentals that are the basics of the game.
3 Keys To A Good Golf Swing!
We believe the three fundamentals to be the following:
- Low Point Control – The golfer must be able to control the bottom of the swing, which helps the golfer strike the ball solid. Without solid ball striking the golfer will struggle with distance control and overall hitting quality shots.
- Start Line and Curve Control – The golfer must be able to start the ball on the intended start line and have a predictable curve to the ball. Without this the golfer will be guessing where the ball is going to fly which leads to tension and over control of the golf swing.
- Speed – The golfer must have enough swing speed to hit the ball far enough to play the golf course. Without enough swing speed, the golfer will struggle to have decent approach shots into the green.
But what about grip, alignment, tempo, etc?
The reality is that great golf has been played with a variety of grips, alignments, tempos, etc.
- Grip – There have been golfers that have played with weak grips and strong grips.
- Alignment – There have been golfers that aim 20-30 yards left and golfers that aim 20-30 yards right! Both have played golf at the highest levels and have won major championships.
- Tempo – There are golfers that have quick tempos like Jon Rahm and tempos that seem longer and slower like Fred Couples of Ernie Els.
The one thing great golfers like Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Tiger Woods and all of the other professionals and golfers even at the scratch level have in common are quality ball striking, a stock shot and enough speed to play the course.
While there are certain elements that are vital with the grip, alignment, tempo, etc. there are a variety that you can use. So we break it down to three drills or training systems you can use to develop the 3 keys to a good golf swing.
Key #1: Low Point Control
The golfer must strike the ball solid a high percentage of the time. The more shots that are playable after the tee shot and the better you strike your irons, the more opportunities to make birdie putts. We highly recommend the Low Point Control Drill
The Low Point Control Drill
- Take some yard paint and paint a 1-2 yard long line.
- Setup with 55% of your weight on your front side.
- Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully!
- Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to to this successfully in trials of ten.
- You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swings.
If you are struggling, put more weight forward and work on keeping your head still to help control the low point in the swing.
Key #2: Build A Stock Shot
When a golfer can consistently hit a draw or a fade, they can eliminate a side of the golf course on every shot. They can control their golf ball and play offense by having the ball curve towards the hole instead of away from the hole.
Stock Shot Drill
- At the driving range, set up an alignment stick about 6-8 yards in front of you, straight down your target line.
- If you have a second alignment stick, set the stick 3-4 feet right of the first stick (for a draw) or left of the first stick (for a fade).
- Complete your initial assessment see how many times out of 10 you can start the ball to the right or left of your target. Pick one side and measure your game at this point.
- The goal is to eventually complete this successfully 7 out of 10 times!
Key #3: Speed Training With SuperSpeed Golf
The game of golf has evolved to where speed is important in the game of golf. The faster your swing, the further the ball flies and the more shorter irons or wedges you have into a green.
Training for speed is a great idea and one worth exploring!
My 50% swing example above can be a great swing because I have enough in my swing to still hit the ball far enough with the feel of a bunt swing.
If you are going to train for speed, I would highly recommend the SuperSpeed Training System.
Gone are the days of simply being content with the distance you currently hit your golf ball. Many older golfers have proven over the past several years that an increase in swing speed is possible.
There are training systems to help you get your game to the next level and distance is arguably the fastest way to make this happen!
My number one recommendation is to check out SuperSpeed Golf and their protocols to help you find a safe way to increase your swing speed.
I spent many years wondering how I can increase my swing speed. When I was playing junior golf, we weren’t fortunate enough to have some of the training aids and knowledge that is now available. Smart people have studied the golf swing and have created training aids and protocols to help all golfers increase their distance!
At around the same time, the statistics from the PGA Tour have become more clear and the importance of speed is acknowledged by many to be a key to being the best on the PGA Tour.
Within the past several years, there have been several products hit the market to make speed gains possible. While many people for many years waited for the latest driver to come out to gain an additional 5-10 yards, you can now do this even with your current clubs.
Did you know that with the SuperSpeed Training System you can gain 5-8% increase in swing speed as early as the first training session? This would allow you to gain somewhere between 10 and 30 yards depending on your current swing speed.
The SuperSpeed Training System is based on three different swing speed sticks all weighing at different weights. There is a green club that is 10% lighter than the average driver, the blue club which is 5% lighter and the red club which is actually 5% heavier!
Following their prescribed protocols the golfer completes the training every other day. The total time to complete most of their protocols is between 10-15 minutes. Most people can find the time to make this happen. The golfer will also need a swing radar to measure their progress.
The science behind the SuperSpeed Training System is based on overspeed training. Overspeed training has been around for several decades now and has been used by olympic athletics in the sport of Track and Field.
The science behind this overspeed training is based on the premise that your brain will only allow your body to move as fast as it feels it can stop safely! So, you get to work and swing the clubs as fast as possible, retraining your brain to allow you to swing your driver faster.
For more permanent results, the golfer should continue these training protocols for several months. The initial 5-8% is great and can become more permanent with the right length of training. The golfer can expect to continue to break down barriers every several months at a 1-2% increase.
My own experience has been an increase of 7-10 miles per hour on average from between 98-101 all the way up to 106-109. My goal is to hit the PGA Tour average of 113 mph in the coming months. I will continue to train every other day and watch in amazement as I am hitting drivers longer now than ever before!
Phil Mickelson (a senior golfer now) has been known to increase his swing speed in the past year or so and is close to 120 miles per hour in his swing speed. There are potential results for golfers of all ability levels and age!
Check the current price on SuperSpeed Golf System, here!
| Original Swing Speed | After 4-6 Weeks | New Carry Distance | Total Distance |
| 95 | 102 | 245 | 265 |
| 100 | 108 | 259 | 279 |
| 105 | 113 | 271 | 291 |
| 110 | 118 | 283 | 303 |
Next Steps: Take Action
The best golfers strike the ball solid, control their start line and curve and have enough speed. You now have three drills you can use over time to improve these 3 keys to the golf swing.
Key Understanding: The Ball Flight Laws
The golfer that understands the ball flight laws and what causes a ball to start and curve a certain direction can make self correction before, during or after a round of golf. These simple adjustments can help the golfer become more a systematic golfer and make the corrections needed, even if they are minor corrections.
What Are The Ball Flight Laws?
The basic idea is that the ball will start in the direction that the club face is pointing at impact. From there it will curve based on the swing path relative to the club face. For example, if your club face is 2 degrees right and your path is 4 degrees right. The ball will start right and curve left towards the target, which is away from the swing path direction.
Ball flight laws (complete overview)
9 Ball Flight Laws
#1: Shots That Start Straight And fly straight
This is a shot where the golfer has everything pretty much squared away. More than likely the clubface is at around 0 degrees and the swing path is at around 0 degrees. Give or take a degree or two and you might have the slightest fade or draw at the very end of the shot.
Golfers might think this is the desired shot, but it is actually rather difficult to hit this shot on a consistent basis. If you miss by a degree or two with the swing path and your club face is perfect square, the ball will curve away from your target and end up further away from the pin.
The goal is to create a shot that starts right or left of the target and curves towards the target.
#2: Shots That Start Straight And Draw
This is the shot we are referencing above. If the clubface is square, the shot will start straight. If the club face is at 0 degrees with a 2 degree path to the right, the ball will start straight and curve away from the target and end up left of the target.
The golfer needs to make a simple adjustment and get the clubface just slightly open and a path slightly more right to have a simple push draw stock shot in their bag.
#3: Shots That Start Straight And Fade
The only difference in this shot from the shot detailed above is the swing path is to the left. The face remains at 0 degrees with a swing path to the left. As we know the ball wilil curve away from the swing path, resulting in a shot that starts straight and fades away from the target.
#4: Shots That Start Right and Fly Straight
This is often referred to as a pushed shot. The shot that starts right and stays right. Often ending up as a shot just a bit offline or if the numbers are more drastic in the trees to the right. Here are two examples: the clubface is 2 degrees open with a 2 degree swing path to the right.
This is a shot that will start just to the right and fly straight missing the target by a little bit. The option example is a clubface that is 9 degrees open with a 9 degree swing path to the right. This is a shot that is blocked right and might end up out of bounds.
Push Shot in Golf (Complete Overview)
#5: Shots That Start Right and Fade Right
This is a tough shot to deal with. Sometimes this is referred to as a double cross. The golfer might be trying to hit a push draw and instead hits a push fade. This shot is often up way off line and starts away from the target and then curves further away from the target.
An example of this includes a club face that is 5 degrees open with a swing path that is 3 degrees open. So we are starting with a shot that starts right and then curves away from the swing path even further and continues to the right.
Why Does My Golf Ball Curve to the right?
#6: Shots That Start Right and Draws Left
This is known as a push draw. When the golfer can get an ideal 2 degrees open club face with a 4 degree swing path, they can play this stock draw all day long. It works with the driver and approach shots with irons. Most golfers try to live in this world with their push draw. It helps them eliminate trouble by having a predictable shot pattern during their round.
Draw Shot in Golf (Complete Overview)
How to Hit a Draw with the Driver
#7: Shots That Start Left and Fly Straight
This is often known as a pulled shot. Once again, we can have two different levels of pulled shots. The one that barely misses the target, maye a 2 degree closed club face and a path that is 2 degrees left. Or a clubface that is 8 degrees left with a swing path that is 8 degrees left as well. The golfer can live with one, but not the extreme situation.
Why Am I Pulling My Driver Left?
#8: Shots That Start Left and Draws Left
Depending on the amount of curve, this is a shot that can be referred to as a pull hook. The shot starts left and curves further left. The pull hook might have numbers that look like a club face that is 5 degrees left and a swing path that is 1 degree left. The ball will start left and curve hard to the left.
Why does my golf ball curve to the left?
#9: Shots That Start Left and Fades Right
This shot can either be a fade or a slice. For example, if the clubface is 2 degrees closed and the swing path is 4 degrees left, you will have a slight fade back towards the target. However, if the clubface is 3 degrees closed with a swing path of 10 degree left, you are going to have a pull slice (common among beginners).
Fade Shot in Golf (What, How, Why and When)
How to hit a Fade with Driver!
Final Thoughts
Now that you have the 3 drills or training systems to help you and you can understand the ball flights laws, you can get to work and build a swing of a lifetime.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Arnold Palmer (often aimed right with a strong grip and hit a pull draw)
“Swing your swing. Not some idea of a swing. Not a swing you saw on TV. Not that swing you wish you had. No, swing your swing. Capable of greatness. Prized only by you. Perfect in its imperfection. Swing your swing. I know, I did.”
Arnold Palmer
My Secret To Golf Improvement
Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage. I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.
This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.
It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.
Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:
Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better
What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:
1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:
Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:
3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
4 – Practice Frequently
Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:
- Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator?
- What is the Best Golf Simulator?
- Golf Simulator Accessories?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000
- Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000
- Why Build A Golf Simulator?
- What Space is Needed?
- Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game?
- How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost?
- Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.