| Putts and short chips are ideally played without | | | | purchased from mail-order and Internet |
| much movement of the body, but most other | | | | catalogues, as well as golf stores. A golfer who |
| golf shots are played using variants of the full golf | | | | plays right-handed, but holds the club |
| swing. The full golf swing itself is used in tee and | | | | left-hand-below-right is said to be "cack-handed". It |
| fairway shots. | | | | is difficult to obtain the same consistency and |
| A full swing is a complex rotation of the body | | | | power with this arrangement as is possible with |
| aimed at accelerating the club head to a great | | | | conventional technique. |
| speed. For a right-handed golfer, it consists of a | | | | Besides the physical part, the mental aspect |
| backswing to the right, a downswing to the left | | | | contributes to the difficulty of the golf swing. |
| (in which the ball is hit), and a follow through. At | | | | Golfers play against the course, not each other |
| address, the player stands with the left shoulder | | | | directly, and hit a stationary object, not one put |
| and hip pointing in the intended direction of ball | | | | into motion by an opponent. This means that |
| flight, with the ball before the feet. The club is | | | | there is never anyone to blame but oneself for a |
| held with both hands (right below left for | | | | bad result, and in most competitive formats there |
| right-handed players), the clubhead resting on the | | | | are no teammates to directly help one out. |
| ground behind the ball, hips and knees somewhat | | | | Knowledge of this creates a great deal of |
| flexed, and the arms hanging from the shoulders. | | | | psychological pressure on the golfer; this pressure |
| The backswing is a rotation to the right, consisting | | | | exists at all levels of play. Even the best |
| of a shifting of the player's body weight to the | | | | professional golfers sometimes succumb to this |
| right side, a turning of the pelvis and shoulders, | | | | pressure, such as getting the "yips" (an infamous |
| lifting of the arms and flexing of the elbows and | | | | affliction of Bernhard Langer) a severe putting |
| wrists. At the end of the backswing the hands | | | | disorder caused by uncontrolled muscle spasms of |
| are above the right shoulder, with the club pointing | | | | the arms, resulting in a jerking motion during the |
| more or less in the intended direction of ball flight. | | | | follow through of the putt causing the ball to go |
| The downswing is roughly a backswing reversed. | | | | much farther than desired, or having collapses of |
| After the ball is hit, the follow-through stage | | | | their full swing (as with Ian Baker-Finch). |
| consists of a continued rotation to the left. At the | | | | A golf ball acquires spin when it is hit. Backspin is |
| end of the swing, the weight has shifted almost | | | | imparted for almost every shot due to the golf |
| entirely to the left foot, the body is fully turned | | | | club's loft (i.e., angle between the clubface and a |
| to the left and the hands are above the left | | | | vertical plane). A spinning ball deforms the flow of |
| shoulder with the club hanging down over the | | | | air around it [6] similar to an airplane wing; a |
| players' back. | | | | back-spinning ball therefore experiences an |
| The full golf swing is an unnatural, highly complex | | | | upward force which makes it fly higher and longer |
| motion and notoriously difficult to learn. It is not | | | | than a ball without spin. The amount of backspin |
| uncommon for beginners to spend several | | | | also influences the behavior of a ball when it |
| months practising the very basics before playing | | | | impacts the ground. A ball with little backspin will |
| their first ball on a course. It is usually very | | | | usually roll out for a few yards/meters while a ball |
| difficult to acquire a stable and successful swing | | | | with more backspin may not roll at all, even |
| without professional instruction and even highly | | | | backwards. Sidespin occurs when the clubface is |
| skilled golfers may continue to take golf lessons | | | | not aligned perpendicularly to the plane of swing. |
| for many years. One can also purchase or use a | | | | Sidespin makes the ball curve left or right: a curve |
| new golf simulator that can cost upwards of | | | | to the left is a draw, and to the right a fade (for |
| $50,000. | | | | right-handed players). Accomplished golfers |
| Relatively few golfers play left-handed (i.e., swing | | | | purposely use sidespin to steer their ball around |
| back to the left and forward to the right), with | | | | obstacles or towards the safe side of fairways |
| even players who are strongly left-handed in their | | | | and greens. But because it's sometimes difficult to |
| daily life preferring the right-handed golf swing. In | | | | control or predict the amount of sidespin, balls |
| the past, this may have been due to the difficulty | | | | may take an undesirable trajectory, such as hook |
| of finding left-handed golf clubs. Today, more | | | | to the left, or slice to the right (for right-handed |
| manufacturers provide left-handed versions of | | | | players). |
| their club lines, and the clubs are more readily | | | | |