By Kim Jeong-kyoo

What needs to be done first when a swing goes sour is to check on the fundamentals including grip, posture, alignment and ball position. Pre-swing basics are critical for solid strikes. Shot quality hinges on how to make the pre-swing preparation.

A good pre-swing preparation allows you to make proper use of the body. If the body does not work properly, you cannot take the club away from the ball in the correct fashion, which in turn, leaves you with very little chance of setting up a good backswing. Undoubtedly, contact with the ball is far from solid unless you make a good backswing,

For sound pre-swing preparation it is essential to grip the club lightly, mainly with the fingers. Not only for a fluid swing, but also for a free, full release through the ball, you need to avoid tightening the muscles in the hands, arms and shoulders. Too tight a grip is the main culprit for the arms and shoulders becoming tense and stiff. At the bottom of a jerky takeaway that leads to a precipitous backswing lies a faulty grip that is overly tight.

Also essential is to get the stance right so the feet are about shoulder width apart. To enjoy the best stability and balance, agile golfers who can move swiftly may take a tad wider stance and golfers who were born less nimble on their feet had better take a slightly narrower stance.

The heels of the feet, not toes, need to be parallel to the ball-target line with both feet flaring slightly outwards. The left foot needs to be pointing to the left a little bit more than the right as you propel the ball toward the left.

Of key importance is how far from the ball you stand. Being either too close to or too far from the ball causes less-than-solid contact with the ball on the heel- or toe-side of the clubface.

Equally important is where to place the ball. You need to position it opposite the instep of the left foot with the and off the left heel with a fairway wood. The ball needs to be placed slightly closer to the left heel with longer irons and towards the middle of the feet with middle irons. With lofted clubs like short irons and wedges, it needs to be positioned in the middle of the feet or slightly to the right.

At the top of the backswing it is essential to keep the left arm relatively straight, have the club shaft parallel to the ball-target line and get the clubface remaining parallel with the outside of the left forearm. This means having a flat left wrist that is in line with the left forearm.

Also crucial here is to let the butt of the club point to the ball. The imagined straight line extended from the butt of the handle to the ball is the path your hands should take on the way down to the ball.

A sweet, solid impact as well as a good finish results from a good downswing, which is impossible without being in position at the top of the backswing.

Irrespective of the position at the top, you will suffer a poor result if you go all out to use your full potential strength to swipe at the ball. Ironically, to produce powerful, solid strikes you need to do the opposite.

A powerful swing requires strength but this does not necessarily mean that you should hit the ball with brute force. Distance is about solid contact in the centre of the clubface, rather than brute strength. Take care to use only about 75 percent of your potential power and swing gently. You need to apply power in a controlled and relaxed manner.

Powerful, solid strikes from the sweet spot of the clubface are products of less effort. Just swing the club with the absence of brute force and you will hit farther and straighter on a more consistent basis.