The Basic Steps to Perfect Golf.

Masterfile.

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Shoulder/Arms-unit. (Changed -27/04/2012)

The "compact upper body unit" is the shoulders and the arms which has been formed into a triangular shape. This is done by holding the elbows as close together as is physically possible, forming the chest, the upper back and the shoulder muscles into a taut condition thus forcing the arms to become an intregal part of the upper body unit.

I cannot stress too strongly how vital the action of keeping the elbows close together throughout the complete golf swing contributes to playing very good golf.

However once the shoulders and the arms have been formed into this compact unit it must be held in this condition at all times - you must not allow this unit to break down at any point in the golf swing.
Simply use the flexibility of the wrist joints to accelerate the club head into the back of the ball.

When you first try to make a swing whilst the upper body in held in this compact condition, thus totally controlling the movement of the arms, you will naturally assume that you will not hit the ball very far, but I can assure you that on the contrary, once you get used to the method of holding the upper body in this condition especially during the back swing movement, the core muscles will be wound up to their maximum.
This controlled back swing movement makes the down swing more controlled - Therefore whilst holding the upper body unit firmly together during the down swing movement, simply use the wrist joints to stop the golf club from releasing for as long as possible whilst you watch the club head strike the back of the ball and you will strike the ball solidly and the shot will be more accurate, thus hitting the ball further.

Back swing.

You must focus on the left shoulder as being in over-all control as the back muscle rotate the compact upper body unit to the end of the back swing movement.
( A correct back swing movement is absolutely vital to a successful golf swing.)

The triangular shape of the upper body has been maintained throughout the complete swing (Compare this photo with the one below) The only difference is that in the photograph below, the hips have initially got ahead of the compact upper body unit but eventually the two components have rotated into the down swing as a one piece unit.

Down swing.

During the down swing movement the hips begin to rotate towards the target area which in turn forces the upper body unit to rotate around the central core of the spine.

However as the upper body unit is forced to rotate around the central core of the spine, the wrist joints hold the golf club in the lagged position that achieved at the end of the back swing movement for as long as possible.

As the hip movement continues to force the passive compact upper body unit to rotate around the central core of the spine, it is important to understand that whilst the upper body unit rotates into the down swing movement, you have to judge the moment prior to striking the ball, when to increase the speed of the hips in order to pull the club head through the contact area at speed, thus automatically pulling the right arm into the fully straightened position and thereby completing the Key Movement.
However you must keep the elbows as close together as the arms interact.
(Top class golfers physically force the right arm into the fully straightened position but for now simply allow this happen automatically.)

But all this must be performed without allowing the hips or the head to sway away from the original address position.

It is absolutely vital that the upper body unit remain held together as a very compact unit and the left arm fully extended, especially as the club head swings through the contact area.

From the position you see in the above photo, the Key Movement is performed which only takes a milli-seconds,

Almost immediately the right shoulder begins to rotate under the chin and the lower part of the body begins to turn to fully face the target area, but the upper body unit is still held firmly together as a very compact unit thus holding the triangular shape as set up at the address position.

When you first begin to make a golf swing with the elbows held close together it will feel odd, but persevere and you notice how accurate and powerful the shots become.

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