When you’re facing down a golf ball, how do you feel about your swing?  Does it seem as if you have a natural golf swing, or do you instead often wind up off balance, twisted around, with very little distance and accuracy?  A golf swing requires some work and it does have its own methodology, but if you’re becoming off balance when you swing or are rubbing your hands raw and feeling pain in your back, you might want to think about developing a more natural golf swing.  How can this be done and what elements of a swing must still be manipulated?

First off, when developing a natural golf swing, remember that a swing has just a few aspects that are necessary.  You need a firm but soft grip on the club, your stance should be with your fee about shoulder-width apart so you have balance but can still move, and the swing originates from the shoulders and not just the arms.  The clubs needs to come around in a barrel-shaped arc, not pulled straight up an straight down.  Your elbows need to stay level with one another and your wrists cock at the last moment so that the club can come around in a rounded follow-through.  All of these things may sound like too many details for a natural golf swing, but if you think about them, you realize they’re actually somewhat easy and should flow together nicely.  As a matter of fact, these things actually encourage a natural golf swing.

The reason we can say this is that those who struggle with their swing often are too focused on one part of it, trying to force something that goes against a natural golf swing.  They may be holding their elbows up too high, forcing their arms out of alignment.  Or they may be trying to overpower the ball, thinking that distance is achieved through strength and not the smoothness of the swing.  If you’re thinking about a natural golf swing you stop obsessing over every minor detail and your body begins to move naturally, keeping you balanced and keeping your movements smooth and controlled.  Concentrating on the major aspects of a swing and not worrying about every minor detail will make your swing that much more effective.

It’s helpful when developing a natural golf swing to remember the barrel illustration. This means that you swing as if you’re standing in a large barrel.  The club follows the curve of that barrel, both for your backswing and your forward swing.  If you do this you can easily develop a natural golf swing as your body will have a tendency to pivot the way it should.  Your club will go back easily and your follow-through will be just as accurate.  This illustration will keep you from pulling the club up vertically and coming down in a chopping motion, and should help to keep the clubface square on the ball the way it should be.