Golf swing tips and drills

These great golf swing tips and drills are fun ways to build a solid swing.
In order to really build a solid swing with good rhythm and pure ball striking, I would recommend working through the below drills on the practice range at least once a month (the more often, the better!).
You may also want to make the small investment in this excellent Full Swing Drills DVD.
Many golfers struggle to produce the correct swing shape.
An easy way to feel how the club swings naturally along the swing path is to grip the club with only the middle, index finger and thumb of your right hand.
By gripping the club lightly between these three fingers only, it keeps you from over-controlling the swing. Practice these right-handed swings until you feel the correct, natural swinging motion of the club.
Great rhythm & tempo will help you to swing with more consistency. As the golf swing starts from a standstill, the club take away can often be tense and jerky.
Let the club hover in the air a couple of feet in front of the ball and start the swing from this position. You will feel that the backswing immediately becomes smoother and more free flowing, which will result in a more consistent and powerful swing.
Place another ball around 10 inches behind the ball you are about to hit and take your normal stance.
As you start your backswing, 'sweep' the second ball away. This helps encourage a smooth takeaway and will prevent you from picking the club up too early.
Nothing feels better than making crisp contact with the ball right out of the middle of the club. Pure contact with the ball is also crucial for hitting it with accuracy, as well as achieving the maximum distance.
An excellent drill which helps me strike it pure, is to take a number of swings with my feet together.
Swinging with my feet together helps me improve my balance and posture. If I swing too fast, I will fall over, which makes it clear that I need to swing easier.
Poor weight transfer causes a severe decrease in distance. If you lean back through impact with the ball, you will hit a weak shot.
A nifty little practice drill to encourage good weight transfer, is to place a ball under my right foot during my normal stance.
Now I swing normally, but the ball under my right foot really pushes the weight from my right to left side. This will encourage a powerful drive through the ball and help achieve maximum distance on my shots.
I good drill for developing a feel for weight transfer, is to hit a few shots bear foot. By swinging without shoes and socks you can get a better feel for the way your weight shifts naturally between your right and left legs.