Many pros say that half the swing is performed before you start the backswing, stressing the importance of the preswing fundamentals: i.e. grip, stance, posture, alignment, etc. While I totally agree with this, I don’t want to stress them too much. Again, this is because I want to get away from dividing the swing into stages, and the idea that the golfer must master a stage before going onto the next. The impression that the preswing set-up has to be perfect and exact only creates more tension, and inhibits the motion. I want to get people feeling the motion as early as possible. The Swing is there for you to discover. If you are stressed and tense before you ever get the motion started, you have little chance of letting the Swing happen.

I am going to mention a few things about the preswing fundamentals here. I don’t want to go too deeply into it. Many books cover this part very well.

Try to avoid staying still in a stationary position for any length of time as you line up and prepare to swing. In fact, try to make the time over the ball as short as possible. I am not saying that you should hurry. However, if you are like most weekend players, you spend too much time thinking about the swing as you stand over the ball. I can sometimes "see" the high handicapper going through a "mental checklist" as he stays frozen over the ball. There is NO way you can let the Swing happen with this kind of preshot routine. You should practise the grip and the set-up as often as possible, even away from the course, so that it becomes automatic. There’s really no excuse for not practising the preswing fundamentals everyday. You can do it anywhere, indoors or outdoors.

When a good grip, set-up, and alignment becomes second nature, you can simply step up to the ball, and get the swing started straight away. You are carefree, and this will allow you to let the Swing happen. A carefree state of mind, along with a relaxed grip, is essential for the flailing swing. Practise shortening the time spent over the ball while you are at the range. At first, you may feel like you are rushing it. You may spray a couple of shots. Don’t worry. Do a couple of mini-Swings away from the ball, and try to feel the clubhead. When you feel relaxed and carefree, step up to the ball and get the backswing started before you have time to think about the swing. Once the backswing has started, just allow the motion to happen. The Swing WANTS to happen. Let it. Give up manipulative, left brain control, in order to gain swinging, right brain control.

There is no one correct way to grip the club. This is very individual. Having said this, it is good to start with an orthodox grip in the beginning and work from there. My grip is pretty conventional. I use an overlapping grip, with the V’s pointing somewhere between the right ear and the right shoulder. I can see 2 and a half to 3 knuckles of my left hand, and the left thumb lies beneath the life-line of my right hand. It’s a snug fit.

When I first started playing golf, I was told to have the palms facing each other and parallel to the club face, with the right palm facing the target at address. This, in my view, is too weak for most people. Because the hands at impact are further forward (i.e. closer to the target) than they are at address, they should feel a bit strong at address. The back of the left hand and the right palm should feel like they are facing a little bit towards the sky (only a little). This slightly strong grip helps you to swing the club while minimising wrist roll. The little clubface rotation that exists during the swing happens naturally. Having said this, some people prefer to have the hands a bit weaker. Colin Montgomery, for example, plays with a weak right hand grip. This works well for him. Experiment for yourself. I would, however, caution against EXTREMES. Avoid overly strong or weak grips.

Having a light grip pressure is very important, especially for the flail swing. If you are used to gripping the club tight, the grip pressure should feel like a 2 out of 10 at first. It’s probably closer to 4 or 5 out of 10, but I can’t stress enough how important a relaxed grip is to this kind of swing. Sam Snead used to imagine holding a little bird. Some people use the image of holding a tube of toothpaste without squeezing any out. Whatever image works, use it. For me, just the mere ANTICIPATION of the flailing swing to come gets me gripping the club very lightly.

Although my grip pressure is very light, the club is secure in my hands. My hands sort of "gel" together into a single unit. They fit like a jigsaw puzzle, and thus feel relaxed yet secure. You have to find your own way of achieving this. For me, having the left hand grip slightly strong, with the left thumb a little bit behind the club (i.e. to the right) rather than on top, help to fit the right hand grip securely over it. If the top of the grip is 12 o’clock, then my left thumb is at around 1:30 position.

I’ll only mention a couple of things. You should experiment for yourself. Some people like taking a very wide stance, while some prefer a narrower stance. If anything, I like to err on the side of having a narrow stance. This allows my legs to work naturally, effortlessly, and subconsciously. They feel lighter, and seem to WANT to do their thing. Having too wide a stance makes my legs feel heavy and lifeless. The legs should work as relaxed, "active" stabilisers for the swing rather than as tense, rigid supports. Purely subconsciously. Look at Colin Montgomery’s swing. His legs seem to work effortlessly, in harmony with the swing. He doesn’t think about his leg action. Just performing the Swing lets the legs work naturally. Experiment with various stance widths, and see what works the best for you.

I like to position the ball relative to my upper body rather than relative to my feet. Many golfers position the ball relative to the left heel. I like to position the ball relative to my left armpit. For the driver, the ball is slightly ahead of the left armpit. For the fairway woods and long irons, the ball is directly below the left armpit. For the short irons, it is slightly behind it.

I like to see the golfer stand up relatively tall, with the knees slightly flexed. Bend from the hips, and while the back should be relatively straight, don’t tense it up in order to do so. There’s no point. In fact, the tension would make it counterproductive. When I am feeling care-free, I find that I naturally stand tall and relaxed, with the chin up, and plenty of space for me to swing. It’s only when I am tense that I start to feel cramped up, thus finding myself standing further and further away from the ball, with my head down. Be "arrogant" towards the ball. Relax and keep your chin up (again without introducing tension) and feel some "space" around your neck/shoulder area.

One technical thing I like to mention about posture ... LOWER the right shoulder, and gently TUCK IN the right elbow. This is very subtle. Please don’t stress over this point. Just practise it often, so that it becomes second nature. Commonly, the weekend golfer has the right shoulder riding high at address, with the right elbow sticking out. Lower the right shoulder GENTLY and tuck in the right elbow GENTLY. Do this while remaining relaxed. You shouldn’t have to think about this when you are actually setting up for the shot. Make it second nature so that it will happen without you having to think about it.

While having a good alignment is very important, again I don’t want the golfer to stress over this. I agree whole heartedly to the famous Harvey Penick phrase "Take Dead Aim". However, if you tell this to a weekend golfer, who hardly ever practises, you’ll see him tense up as he is setting up to the ball. In his quest to get the alignment EXACTLY right, he will freeze into a tense position, while mentally ticking off the positions of his various body parts. This kind of "left brain" activity is counterproductive. Precise alignment should come about in a carefree manner, with the golfer strolling up to his ball in a relaxed way. This requires a lot of practice. Practise setting up to the ball, even when indoors. Lay some clubs on the ground, and try to ingrain the feel of a square alignment. Make it second nature.

I personally like to use an intermediate target. I pick a spot about two to three feet in front of the ball along the target line. I do this whilst standing behind the line of the shot. I walk up to the ball whilst looking at my intermediate target. I align myself parallel to the imaginary line between it and the ball, and start my backswing pretty much straight away. If you stand over the ball for too long, not only will you tense up, but you’ll also start to be unsure of your alignment as well. The visual aberration due to the fact you are standing to the SIDE of the ball, will start playing tricks on you. That is why I like to start the backswing as soon as I have lined up. I don’t like to check and double-check my alignment whilst standing over the ball. I trust my alignment procedure, and get the swing started straight away.

To sum up this page then, I want to stress the importance of the preswing fundamentals. However, it is just as important that things are done in a relaxed, carefree manner. Practise the preswing fundamentals as often as you can, so you don’t get stressed and tense over it on the course. Don’t go through a mental checklist while you are over the ball. If you do, then it means I haven’t communicated my ideas well. I’d rather see you a little off line and relaxed, than on line and tense. FEEL yourself into a good set up position. Don’t try to analyse yourself into it. Be carefree. Relax. If you have a video of Colin Montgomery, watch how he "eases" himself into the set-up position. Watch how he starts the backswing pretty much straight after he places the clubhead behind the ball.

Let me finish this page by running through my preshot routine. First, I decide what shot to play. This is all left brain stuff. I weigh up the situation, and analyse as much as I want to. After I have decided, I go to my bag and pick up the required club. From here, I’m on "auto-pilot". No more left brain activity. No internal verbalisation. Just feel with the right side of the brain.

I stand away from the ball, and perform a couple of mini-Swings. I try to feel the flailing motion. I do one full practise swing, trying to feel the Swing as a whole. I then stand behind the ball and form my grip on the club. I pick out an intermediate target, while waggling the club gently with my hands relaxed. I walk up to the ball, still looking at the intermediate target, and align myself parallel to the target line. From here, I don’t look up at the target. Through experience, I have found that my alignment is better when I forget about the target whilst over the ball. I place the club lightly on the ground behind the ball, and I start the backswing pretty much straight away. When I am playing well, there is no internal verbalisation from the moment I stand behind the ball till the ball is struck. It almost seems like time is standing still, and I am in my own little space. Pure right brain stuff.