Go for what feels natural and easy

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

Spring is all but here, and more people may be inclined to go outside to exercise. When I visit a golf driving range, I hear people chatting about swing mechanics. Yesterday I accidentally heard a man beside me insisting that one should use large muscles to swing a golf club correctly. He looked like he was an ardent, royal follower of the so-called “body swing,” where shoulders and hips dominate. He claimed the only way to make a successful shot was by swinging the club with the body, leaving out the hands and arms.

However, blindly following the body swing technique may bring serious problems that can worsen your swing. As a golf teacher, I want to tell you there are many other “correct” ways to swing decently including the “arm swing.” You need to choose a swing that fits you.

Many modern golf teachers claim players should control the golf club with large muscles like in the shoulders and hips. They argue hand actions can invite unstable results that are hard to time and control. They believe small muscles like in the hands and arms are apt to cause various unwanted moves. If you keep your hands passive or quiet, your wrists will work naturally, helping you have better control of your golf club. You will naturally hit longer and straighter without much extra effort.

Still, when you exclude hands in your golf swing, you will have difficulty making natural swing moves. Hands are the only connection to the club and are a major speed producer. Let your hands play a pivotal role. Your hands feel more natural and are more efficient than your body in swinging a golf club. Applying your mind to your hand action, you will better perform a more instinctive, athletic action that is also comfortable and easy to repeat.

After all, if you employ your hands and arms correctly, your body will react to work decently. Similarly, if you use your shoulders and hips correctly, your hands and arms will respond to swing properly.

In fact, you use your torso and limbs to hit the ball with the head of golf club. You will hardly make an effective golf swing if you exclude one or the other of the two. To be a good ball-striker, you need to let your trunk and limbs work harmoniously in tandem.

When you were a novice golfer, you first tried to swing your club with your hands rather than your body. So, you'd better consider how to use your torso after mastering how to use your upper limbs properly.

Importantly, if you are an experienced player, I believe you've picked up a natural swing that feels easy and effective. Either way you can hit your ball decently. Just stick to the swing. Overhauling your present swing can invite disaster.

Experience taught me I cannot enjoy a solid, powerful shot without gripping the club properly. I unfailingly grip the club mostly with the last three finger of my left hand, with its heel on top of the handle. I position the bone of the right forefinger to the right of my grip to better pour power into the ball.

The author is an experienced golf teacher living in a city near Seoul.