Your Swing Map

Following this network of swing 'essentials' is the shortest and most effective route to a better game.

Whether you are a beginner or an accomplished player, if you want to improve you need a route that will allow you to develop your own individual style, at your own pace. And that's the real crux of this article: rather than trying to force upon you 'the swing of the moment', I want you to use the elements of my swing map in a way that best suits you, and change only what is absolutely necessary to play your best golf.

I stress the individuality here. When Nick Faldo was at his peak, he inspired golfers the world over to take lessons and to work on their game, but the potential downside, it seemed to me, was that everyone felt they had to copy his technique. The same thing's happening today with Tiger Woods. I believe it makes more sense to improve the swing you have. You are never going to swing like a Tiger or Nick Faldo. So be yourself- not a cheap imitation.

The history of the swing map you see opposite is quite simple. About 10 years ago I decided to break down the basics.

What do golfers really need to know?

Logic told me you have to hold the club and stand to the ball, so 'GRIP' and 'SET-UP' became the foundation to the map. My technical knowledge told me that within the swing itself there were generally three main issues teachers come back to: how to use the big muscles (shoulders, hips and knees), which I combined under 'BALANCE'; co-ordinating the smaller muscles (wrists, forearms and the clubshaft itself) I group together under 'LEVEARGE'; while the 'PLAN E' of the swing deals with the simple fact that we hold the club above the ground, creating a natural shaft angle.

Finally, I needed a term to convey that pervading quality that allows a player to blend together balance, plane and leverage for a consistent swing and solid ball-striking, bearing in mind individual physique and ability? These key ingredients, I believe, are best thought of collectively as the flow of 'MOTION'.

I cannot think of anything outside this map that you need to be concerned about to find your best game - so let's get started.

The Grip

Your first consideration in the search for a better game

A fairly predictable starting point, but the truth is you cannot begin to play good golf until you appreciate the role of the grip. To achieve the general look you see here, you have to learn how to put your hands on the grip properly (outlined below), and stand to the ball in a manner that facilitates your best swing. As you go about doing this, remember that the grip itself is not a passive thing that has to be taken care of before the swing gets underway but an active instrument that essentially brings a good swing to life.

What's more, keep it in mind that everything in this map is geared towards delivering motion. A good grip enables the wrists to hinge correctly, and thus keeps the club swinging with a fluent rhythm. Grip pressure is key. It has been said many times that the grip should be taken in the fingers and the palm of the left hand, and in the fingers of the right hand, and that's probably the best advice anyone can give. You really want to sense that the fingers on the left hand press the handle of the club into the palm, thus securing the club. But not too tight!

On a matter of detail, you may also have heard discussions about whether it's best to have a 'long' or a 'short' left thumb. My suggestion is that it should be somewhere between the longest you can extend it down the shaft and the shortest you can pull it back up the grip - get it between those two extremes and you will have solved that little problem for life.

Neutral-to-strong left hand grip facilitates your best swing

The right hand has three separate functions. It has to join the grip together with the left hand (which we'll come back to), it has to be secured with the two middle fingers compressing the grip itself, keeping the right palm away from the grip, and it has to offer a great sense of feel through the 'trigger' unit.

Should you overlap, interlock or use a baseball-type grip? It really doesn't matter. The way the hands align on the club is more important than how they form. And it's interesting to note that more and more golfers on the professional tours are tending towards the stronger grip, in which both the left and right hands are turned slightly more clockwise on the grip (below) to the extent that at least three knuckles are visible on the left hand. Not only is this acceptable, I would suggest it is advisable for the club golfer, as it positively assists forearm rotation in the swing.