Quite often if you are struggling with your golf game it's because you may have gone away from the basics. Sometimes even going back over the basics of the standard golf swing will work, even if you are a top amateur or single figure marker.

Golf Swing Information Overload

The problem comes from playing golf for many years and learning too much information. That's right, yes you can actually learn too much about the golf swing. Because what you will find is there is so much information out there on the golf swing from books, magazines, videos and the internet. It is very easy to become confused!

Unfortunately, we are unable to master all of the golf skills. Even the professionals haven't figured them all out. For the time being, the best thing to do to improve your golf swing is to clear your head and take a trip back to the basic fundamentals of the standard golf swing.

First off start by getting to know the golf backswing again. Here are the key elements of your backswing listed in order.

1) The golf club is pulled back away from the ball, low and slow for the first few inches.

2) The clubhead should be moving along an invisible target line, and for as long as possible.

3) As the golf club moves back, your right elbow should be folded into your side and the left arm should be as straight as possible (the opposite for left-handed golfers).

4) Your shoulders should start to turn away from your target line.

5) Your shoulders should also coil up as much as possible as this builds power, but only as far as being comfortable.

This will set off a chain reaction and club head speed will build up, but the first six inches of your golf backswing should be a slow movement away from the ball, as discussed earlier. After that point the chain reaction sets in with your legs, arms and shoulders.

The invisible line that you created should be one that is visualized as running from the middle of the golf ball all the way to the target line. From here you need to picture this line as you move the clubhead, keeping it on the line until your swing is well behind the ball.

About 1 to 2 feet behind the ball your clubhead will start to move away from this line. This must happen, as it is physically impossible to keep it on the line in the back part of your golf swing (otherwise you would literally fall over). So when you are unable to hold the club back on this line any longer, the coiling action begins as you wrap the golf club around your body.

Make sure you keep turning your shoulders. Your hands should move back until they reach the height of your shoulders. It's very important that your hands should not be forced to go any higher up. Ideally you want them as close as you can, maybe getting them to the level of your shoulders without too much effort. At the top of your golf backswing, your wrists should cock naturally back, ready for the downswing to begin.