Golf … the game where you are expected to enter a borderline meditative state by clearing your mind, yet subconsciously execute on about a million different swing thoughts. Sounds like “Catch 22,” right? 

Well to make it easier for you, we’ve listed out the top ten golf swing killers and how to address each one so at least you have a guide to improve at this wonderfully impossible game!

1.  Swinging Too Hard

This is the age-old pro tip that everyone hates to hear … because it’s obvious, right?

Sometimes it is difficult to take this tip seriously, however, swinging out of your shoes to the point of no control is also no one’s cup of tea!

We know what you’re thinking though, “if Bryson DeChambeau can swing at 120 mph, then so can I!” Keep in mind that tour professionals like Bryson are working out every single day to get stronger to accommodate a more aggressive swing without losing control.

Now… if this sounds like you, then by all means carry on your merry way – but if you’re like rest of us average Joe’s out there … for goodness sake, SLOW DOWN.

To build up to your natural swing speed, try to start off your driving range session with the simple clock drill. Start with a few shots from the 9 o’clock position (stopping your swing when your club face reaches parallel with the ground) and pay attention to the rhythm that results in the best contact with your golf ball.

Once you’ve found your natural rhythm, start moving up to 10 o’clock, 11 o’clock, and so on until you’ve reached the top of your swing.

After this drill, you should have a much better understanding of the speed that is just right for your own personal golf swing. Remember what your mother taught you – “Don’t try and be something that you’re not!”

2.  Death Grip

This is one of the most underrated swing killers that frankly goes unchecked a lot of the times because there are not too many ways to measure it yourself and it can be difficult for others to judge your grip pressure.

Other than the obvious of checking yourself to ensure you are not holding on so tight that your forearm veins are popping out, a great rule of thumb is to hold the golf club as if you were holding a baby bird. You would hold it just tight enough to keep it from flying away and retain control, but not tight enough to constrict it.

Oddly enough this great piece of advice is straight out of the Disney move, “The Greatest Game Ever Played” with Shia LeBeouf … this is a golf movie must watch if you haven’t already!

It tells a heartwarming story of the hard work necessary to make it as a tour professional and is based on the true story of Francis Ouimet’s journey to win the U.S. Open in 1913.

3.  Excess Lateral Movement Off the Ball

Trust us, the game of golf is hard enough as it is … adding any unnecessary movement off the golf ball is just making it harder for yourself. When you slide off the golf ball, you now find yourself first moving your body back into it position and only then can your mind shift to concentrating on making contact with the ball.

The golf swing is already just a couple seconds long, and so your mind is forced to shift gears within a fraction of a second – that’s a tall order!

Is it possible to play golf like this? Of course, however, ultimately you will struggle with maintaining any level of consistency.

If you are struggling with this, the best drill for you can be completed on the driving range or at home if you’re still experiencing Covid-19 lockdowns.

On the driving range, place a club or alignment stick a few inches outside and parallel to your trailing foot. Your goal is to keep your body from crossing over this line – this creates a great visual for you to get immediate feedback.

If you are at home, set up with your lead foot resting tightly up against a wall. Lean your body up against the wall as well and make some practice swings while you focus on maintaining body contact with the wall. This is a great drill to work on your muscle memory!

4.  Neutral, Weak, or Strong Grip … What’s Best For You?

A popular misconception is that everyone should grip their golf club the same way and so, a lot of people google “how to grip a golf club” and try to identically mimic what they see.

It’s important to remember every person’s golf swing is unique and different because … news flash! We are all built differently. Your golf grip is no exception!

You can find out what is the best grip for you by completing a simple exercise. Start by standing up and let your arms naturally fall to your sides and note how your wrists or hands are rotated.

If your palms naturally point behind you, then your natural grip will tend to be on the stronger side. If your palms naturally point towards your body, then your natural grip will be a more neutral grip. Finally, if your palms naturally point out in front of you, then your natural grip should be more on the weaker side. 

5.  Bad Alignment

Bad alignment is a silent killer and can lead your body to create horrible habits (that are even more difficult to break) in order to compensate for this fundamental issue.

Alignment is something that can naturally drift for everyone, which is why you will see almost all tour professionals start their driving range sessions with alignment sticks on the ground. When your alignment starts to drift, any swing mechanics you are trying to work on become a moot point because of poor fundamentals.

Try starting your driving range session by placing a golf club or alignment stick parallel to your feet. Remember that you should visualize your alignment as a pair of train tracks – your feet alignment should be just parallel to your target line for a “square” address position.

6.  No Rhythm

You golf swing’s rhythm (not to be confused with the previously mentioned swing speed) is one of the most overlooked components of the swing.

Impeccable rhythm leads to increased consistency – imagine hitting one shot at 92 mph and one at 100 mph, you are going to struggle with consistent distance control. The trick is to find a rhythm where you can maintain the same swing speed day in and day out.

One way to improve your rhythm is to download a metronome app on your phone and hit a few shots listening to the consistent ticking. You will be surprised at how your body and golf swing will automatically begin to respond to the rhythm.

The metronome drill can easily be translated to your putting stroke as well and is widely used amongst the professionals on tour. 

7.  Hyperactive Hips

Hyperactive hips have the potential to destroy your golf swing.

They can completely get in the way and ultimately shift your entire golf swing’s swing path leading to some squirrely shots to say the least!

A great drill to see if this is something you struggle with (as diagnosing your own swing issues can be difficult to identify without drills that provide immediate feedback) requires a simple alignment stick.

Insert the alignment into the ground so it’s sticking straight up. Then, set up to your golf ball and ensure you can feel the alignment stick resting up against your backside (tip: if you struggle with feeling the presence of the alignment stick, try placing a headcover on the top of it to create a bigger surface area).

Now, you can hit a few golf shots focusing on maintaining contact with that alignment stick – if you’re struggling with this then odds are one of your silent swing killers are hyperactive hips!

8.  Limited Shoulder Turn 

This is one of the most common golf swing killers you will see if you take a look down the driving range, especially amongst beginners!

The golf swing is by no means an “arms only” swing. On the contrary, in order to develop a consistent and solid golf swing, it is most important to activate your ENTIRE body – your upper body is no exception.

A great drill to practice your muscle memory when it comes to completing a full turn or coil is to focus on touching your chin to your left shoulder on your backswing. You will immediately notice that it is more of a natural move to rotate your upper body to get your shoulder and chin to touch – if you are only relying on your arms, the move itself will actually feel noticeably more strenuous.

The emphasis on a full shoulder turn should not be underestimated. Imagine your body as a slingshot – if you’re not winding up to your fullest ability, you will detrimentally decrease the amount of force your golf swing can create. 

9.  No Follow Through

Accelerate, accelerate, accelerate!

We’ll say it again for those in the back to hear… accelerate!

Deceleration is a clear killer of the golf swing – when you abruptly halt your golf swing upon your follow through, you are not only hindering your golf shot, but more importantly you are actually slowly laying a foundation for future injuries to present themselves.

The golf swing is a naturally fluid motion and the path of most resistance (deceleration) is the culprit for injuries such as most notably lower back pain as a result from the shock of sudden deceleration.

A drill to help you improve your golf swing acceleration is to start with some gentle shots. Once you’ve established a gentle rhythm, upon impact try swinging your trailing leg down your target line and actually taking a step towards your target.

This engages your whole body and works on getting your body more fluid and naturally allows you to feel what acceleration should feel like.

10.  Over The Top Swing a.k.a Slice Central!

Another common golf swing killer is the infamous over the top swing – meaning an “out-to-in” swing path. This is the swing path that is responsible for that every day golfer’s killer slice.

Golf is a constant battle of addressing a problem with practicing drills that emphasize the exact opposite of what you’re currently struggling with – keeping in mind that it is an everlasting balance to ensure you don’t all of a sudden end up with an overcorrection.

To address an over the top golf swing, the headcover drill is one of the best for immediate feedback. Try placing one of your headcovers one to two inches just outside the toe of your golf club at your address position. The goal is to make contact with your golf ball without hitting the headcover. If you struggle with an over the top swing, this drill will be quite difficult for you.

In order to be more successful with this drill, you will need to force yourself to start swinging the golf club on a more “in-to-out” swing path – this will result in you making less contact with the headcover.

Once you start to master this drill, remove the headcover and set up to your golf ball as you normally would. Now, however, slide your trailing foot back about six to eight inches and start hitting a few gentle shots. This is an additional drill to improve your muscle memory that will enhance the “in-to-out” swing path.

Once both of these drills have been completed, you can resume to your square address and see if you notice any differences. If you feel like you are still struggling with coming over the top, keep rotating between the two drills and your normal set up.

At the end of the day golf is golf and “Rome wasn’t built in a day” – it might take you some time to break and create a new habit!

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