7 Faults Most Amateurs Make

Editor’s Note: This story was updated May 10, 2017

While every golf swing is unique in its own way, there are certain fundamentals that all good players share, across all parts of the game, and if you want to join them, you need to work on the common problems that hold you back — I call them 7 Faults Most Amateurs Make. For the following series of tips I’ll concentrate on these bedrock tenets and have you playing your best.

1. Poor Balance? Stick Your Finish

Here’s something to look for the next time you watch a professional golf tournament: Notice how, on great shots, the pros hold their finish and how, on bad shots, they don’t. Why’s this worth noting? Because, all too often, amateurs swing as if, once they hit the ball, nothing afterward matters. Just the opposite is true.

Whether you’re on the range or on the course, I want you to swing fully into your finish. If you find yourself falling backward, then you’ve pulled the golf club through with your shoulders and hips rather than starting your swing with your lead leg and then swinging your arms. If you fall forward on your toes or start to walk after you’ve finished your swing, then your downswing started with your shoulders and you came over the top.

I tell my students to feel their swing from start to finish, and by finish, I mean to hold their finish. This keeps them focused through the ball versus checking out before the hit.