How to Get a Consistent Golf Swing

There is no single secret to playing more consistent golf, but there are some widely agreed upon methods when it comes to building a more consistent golf swing.

1. Practice! At Home or On The Range. It is hard to get better if you don’t practice. Finding the time and knowing what to practice can be difficult. Practicing at the range is great, but you don’t always have to hit balls to get better. Short practice sessions at home can be just as beneficial!  Practicing key positions and rehearsing how your body should move will go a long way in helping you build a more consistent golf swing.
2. Improve Your Set-Up and Alignment. You don’t need to be a professional to set up to the ball squarely every time. You can do things before your swing even starts that will help you make a better swing, better chip shots and putts, and improve your golf consistency.
3. Get Help. Take a lesson from a PGA Professional or qualified Golf Instructor, watch swing videos, use a training device. If you can’t improve on your own get some help!  Golf is a challenging game and a little knowledge and feedback goes a long way.
4. Work on Important Fundamentals.  Alignment, connection, and rotation are three key fundamentals that will improve your golf swing consistency.

Swing Align Training Aid from Golf on Vimeo.

According to golf coach Devan Bonebrake, there are three major takeaways from his lessons that are made much easier to understand and retain with the use of a Swing Align. These three concepts are our core principals, alignment, connection, and rotation, and they are critical to building a consistent golf swing.

1. Alignment

Wondering how to play consistent golf?  Alignment is the first, and probably most important step. Every good golf swing starts with good alignment. If your shoulders are open, which is very common according to Golf Channel Academy lead instructor and Golf Digest Top 50 Young Golf Instructor Devan Bonebrake, you’ve pre-set yourself for a slice. You’re also more prone to come down on the ball, steeply producing big divots, chunks and other bad results. There is a laundry list of poor golf mechanics that follow poor set up. It’s common for golfers to utilize a ground based alignment rod when they practice, like the Swing Junction rod that is part of the Swing Align Bundle, but it is always more difficult to align your upper body than it is to set your feet.

Use a friend to observe your upper body alignment, or use the Swing Align swing trainer to see and feel proper upper body alignment by matching the rod across your chest to the line of your feet. Proper alignment allows you to get the most out of your training, your practice, and ultimately your golf game.  Learn how to set-up square and you’ll be more consistent in golf!

Golf alignment is something that every golfer can do well. No matter what your skill level, you can align to your target like a pro every time with only a little practice. How you set-up has a lot to do with your takeaway, which has a lot to do with the rest of your swing. There is a cascade effect to alignment that influences every subsequent part of the golf swing.

2. Connection

Another important swing mechanic that stands between Devan’s students and golf consistency is connection. An instructor can explain what it’s like to have your arms and body working together in a proper, connected golf swing; the more difficult part is the student taking that home with them, then remembering how to apply it when playing. Swing Align provides an easy way to feel connection and is a great reminder of how your arm and body connection should feel.

Regular use of the Swing Align, even just a few minutes per day at home, promotes positive muscle memory. Over time the feeling of proper connection will start to stay with you out on the course. The adjustable Swing Align connection belt can even be tightened down to overemphasize the feeling, and to speed up the process of correcting poor habits - especially if you struggle with your arms disconnecting from your body. Devan likes for his students to make some short swings to drill the feel of the Swing Align keeping their arms and body connected. These partial swings can be done anywhere and make for a great, quick practice session. In order to build a consistent golf swing it is important to practice regularly, and to do so with guidance to avoid any bad habits.

3. Rotation

The last golf swing fundamental Devan stresses is rotation. Rotation is another one of those golf swing mechanics that a lot of players struggle with. Lack of flexibility is often thought to be the root of the problem, as it leads golfers to give up on their rotation sooner than they should. But good rotation is possible even if you don’t have great flexibility once you learn to see and feel how much you should rotate.

Devan’s favorite drill with Swing Align is a simple one. 

• Set an alignment rod on the ground parallel to your trail foot, perpendicular to your target line. 
• As you rotate, make sure that the rod across your chest gets to the point that matches or turns beyond the rod you’ve placed on the ground.
• If you have trouble rotating your upper body enough be sure to rotate your lower body, specifically your hips, to help you get enough upper body turn.

With Swing Align you receive instant feedback on exactly how much your body has rotated. The rod position at the top of your backswing also provides lots of useful information on body position, swing plane, tilt, etc.

In a golf instruction environment this makes Swing Align a valuable tool and is the reason so many instructors use it in their lessons. It will help you clearly see the positions you struggle with, how your positions are out of place, and how to correct them. What’s more, because the device is so visual, these types of corrections go from being difficult to conceptualize to being simple to understand and replicate. Swing Align allows the golfer to see their swing like they never have before, which makes it your greatest tool for achieving a consistent golf swing. 

Build a More Consistent Golf Swing with Swing Align!

Wondering how to be more consistent in golf? Many golfers of all abilities have asked themselves this question!  The best way to be more consistent in golf is through regular practice. But practice without guidance can do more harm than good. That’s where Swing Align comes in! With the right tools it is much easier to be sure that your practice is moving you toward golf consistency, and not toward reinforcing bad habits. Check out our shop today!

Check out more videos from Devan Bonebrake in our instructional blog!