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Build An Athletic Golf Swing

Sporting goods and household items are the key to a softer swing!

This Article Features Photo Zoom

THROW THE DISCUS!

The discus throw has always been one of my favorite track-and-field events. There's a lot to learn from how the throwers are able to keep their upper and lower body in sync as they uncoil and hurl the discus down the field. When they throw, not only are they using circular power, but they also know that the key to more distance is to open the hips first and allow the upper body to follow.

To demonstrate, grab a discus, or a frisbee if you don't have one. As you attempt to throw it, notice how difficult it is to throw the discus in the intended direction if you don't open your hips. It's almost impossible, right? Yet, it seems so many golfers actually try to hit the ball with their hips and shoulders square to the target at impact. As you may guess, this rarely leads to good shots, and in most cases, the arms outrace the body, the left elbow raises, and voila—a chicken wing! 

Instead of stopping your body at impact, make sure you rotate all the way through the shot, just like a discus thrower. You'll see longer, straighter and more consistent shots right away.


FIELD THE GROUNDER!

A great lesson from another sport is to look at how a baseball player fields a ground ball. As he reaches down to pick up the ball, notice how the left leg braces against the ground and the body rotates around it.

The same principle applies to the golf swing! True power comes from having a rock-solid left leg on the downswing.

So keep that left leg firm as you swing into the ball. You'll increase your swing speed and hit more powerful shots.


SWING FOR THE FENCES!

The baseball swing is so commonly associated with the golf swing, that some instructors actually teach both! As you can see in the photos above, what I'm trying to show is simple. The golf swing and the baseball swing are best executed when the arms extend through impact with the ball. And in keeping with the theme of this article, the best way to ensure your arms stay extended through the hit is to keep rotating your body.

By continuing the circular rotation of the body, and again, by keeping your arms in front of your chest, making a full extension of the arms becomes a much easier task. In fact, you really don't even need to think about it, since it happens naturally when you maintain a good rotation through the hit.

Also, the more you can extend through the shot, the greater centrifugal force and speed you'll generate. Meaning, the better your arm extension, the more power you'll have and the longer your shots will go. It's a simple swing thought, but a relevant one: Extend your arms like a baseball player swinging for the fences!

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