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