I now want to share with you my ideas about the 'false basics'.

Following on from my last article I now want to share with you my ideas about the 'false basics.' So, let's make this interactive! I want you to start by writing down your top 6 basics of the perfect golf swing. Go on, do it straight away before you read any further and don't worry if it takes some time.

Now that you've got your list in front of you we can use it to compare how we both think. Remember, I didn't promise to be traditional so we may just differ in our opinions. I will now tell you about the 6 worst misconceptions and we'll see if you avoided any of them.

1. The biggest and most damaging false belief is the old one about keeping your head still or down. Top coaches don't give this advice any more as they recognise that you can't stay still and move at one and the same time. After a bad shot nearly everyone will tell you that you lifted your head with the exception of any good coach who knows that it might have been your whole body that came up but that isn't the fault of your head.

2. Keeping your leading arm straight is something only valid for some, yes, some top players who have the physical strength and flexibility to cope with the tension it undoubtedly creates. When overdone for extended periods it can even lead to tendinitis (golf/tennis elbow).

3. Fixing your front foot to the ground as you swing back will limit your ability to turn, increase tension and dynamically pull your weight to the wrong foot by the time you get to the top of the backswing. If you combine the first 3 erroneous points together you will not only create stiffness and stillness, hardly assets of a relaxed swinging motion, but you will give yourself every cause to have a sore neck and a bad back.

4. The club head should move on a straight line both back and through the ball. This can only be true if the shaft was hanging vertically. The pendulum action would then swing the club head in a perfect line that would follow the ball-to-target line at all times as with a croquet mallet. Trying to do this with a club that sits flatter than that will again cause great difficulty in turning your body. As the famous British golf teacher, Percy Boomer, said over half a century ago, "There's no such thing as a straight line in the golf swing."

5. Keep your eyes fixed on a point on the golf ball throughout the swing. Now, I might agree if golf was a moving ball game but it isn’t. So why do we need to pay it so much fanatical attention. Easy to reply as we are all totally consumed by this innocent little white sphere. Maybe we get so mesmerised by it that we become its prisoner! It then controls us rather than the other way round. Ah, I hear you say, but what about 'hand eye coordination.' Inner eye yes, but how do blind golfers hit the ball so well? Have you ever tried to hit a ball with your eyes shut? Go on, try it. I am a sighted golfer so I prefer to 'see' the ball but don't feel the need to 'look' at it. Keeping it within my field of vision allows me to move freely whilst being comforted by knowing where it is.

6. Keep your arms straight and the club face square to the target for as long as possible after impact. Well, here we go again. Not only will this produce more tension and stiffness just when we want to be supple and generate good speed but this will also prevent the club from closing as it should do. The club face should rotate at anything up to 2 degrees per inch through the impact area and doing anything to reduce this will probably cause you to slice.

In my next article I will tell you about what I believe to be the 6 true basics of a good golf swing. Keep your list as it will be interesting again to compare notes.

In the meantime, enjoy exploring the above ideas and don�t hesitate to look at my website � www.positiveimpactgolf.co.uk or contact me on brian@positiveimpactgolf.co.uk with your comments.
Brian Sparks