A good golf swing takes numbers off your handicap. If you’re like many golfers, your quest for the perfect golf swing is a never-ending endeavour.

Did you know you can greatly improve your performance by holding your clubs tightly? And by tightly, I mean tightly. Not so tight, however, that your back, neck and shoulder muscles bunch up when you make the swing.

Far too many golfers believe that they must hold the club loosely when making their golf swing. They believe that their swing will be stiff and unyielding if they hold the club tightly. This faulty belief contributes to a less than ideal swing.

No golfer has ever developed a bad golf swing from holding the club too tightly, but many have done so by holding it too loosely. This loose grip causes errors that you can avoid by gripping the club tightly. The loose grip results in the hands opening at the top, over swinging, collapse of the left wrist and numerous others. If you are accustomed to a loose grip, the tight grip may feel awkward at first, but it is worth the effort. Your game will improve and you will carry through with the swinging motion more effectively.

When you take hold of the club, remember that “Tight is Right.”

To hold the club properly, you are going for a tight, two-knuckle overlap. In other words, your fingers should be tight enough that almost all fingers are grasping the club. Right handed golfers should ensure that fingers three, four and five of the left hand, and fingers one, two and three of the right hand are on the club, with the forefinger of your right hand connecting with the tip of your left thumb. This prevents the club from dropping into the v-space between your thumb and forefinger at the top of your golf swing and causing a lack of control that you will have regain as your golf club swings downward. Obviously, if you are a left handed golfer, you will reverse this positioning..

Your stance is also important. It helps to remember a couple of points when you are positioning yourself for your golf swing.

Now, this is the correct way to how to stand up to the ball so you get a good golf swing. It’s not difficult, but there are a couple of things to remember.

Stand far enough away from the ball that you have enough room to swing the club back freely and to gracefully arc the golf downwards towards your feet during the downswing. You should divide your weight evenly on your feet, and flex the knees. If you’re not sure how much to flex, err on the side of too much flex rather than too little. Bend forward from the waist so your shoulders are rounded. The right shoulder should be lower than the left shoulder, since your right hand reaches further down the club’s shaft than the left hand. The opposite is true if you are a left handed golfer.

Now make your golf swing! Keep these golf tips in mind and you’ll be on your way to paring the course!

That big booming drive soaring down the center of the fairway is a pretty thing to see but it’s your next shot, the iron shot, that’s going to determine how easy or difficult your putt is going to be. Miss left, right, short or long and you are going to have to scramble for par. Stick it inside four feet and it’s birdie time.

Irons, particularly long irons, are difficult to hit. Most amateurs make the mistake of trying to help the iron lift the ball into the air. The result is thin hits and fat shots. Irons are designed to strike down on the ball compressing it into the earth. Striking down and through the ball creates spin and the spin, along with the loft of the club, push the ball up and away from the earth.

So what’s the secret to hitting crisp iron shots?

Here’s a golf tip or two on irons and how to make them a great tool in lowering your score.

Tip 1 The Concept

Irons are meant and designed to strike the ball at the bottom of the swing arc. Hitting the ball thin is typically the result of hitting the ball at the beginning of the upswing or from the golfer getting “wristy” and trying to scoop the ball off the ground.

On your down swing think hitting down and through the ball. You want to hit the ball first then the ground. You should take a divot about the size of a dollar bill and the divot should be on target line and ahead of where the ball was.

Tip 2 The Setup

For mid-irons the ball should be in the center of your stance. Short irons should be no more than one ball width back from center and long irons no more than one ball length forward of center. These different ball placements are meant to accommodate the different shaft lengths and lofts of the irons.

As in all golf shots you have to have your body aligned with the target. Shoulders, hips and toes should be on the same line as the club face. With the iron shot you should have slightly more weight on your front leg to assist in hitting down on the shot.

Balance is key in this shot. The old adage of keeping your feet shoulder width apart is fine if you feel comfortable and balanced with it. However it is not written in stone. If you need a wider or narrower stance to be able to comfortably transfer weight then by all means adjust. Keeping your balance is more important than a big shoulder turn. If you make a big turn but you are off balance you will alter the swing plane and miss the shot.

Tip 3 The Swing

This is going to be a steeper swing than what you use for your driver and fairway metals. If, like many amateurs, you suffer from an “over the top” golf swing, or striking the ball with an outside in swing, try this. Close your stance a little and aim your shoulders slightly to the right of the target. This will promote an inside out swing and make it far easier to strike down on the ball.

Big drives are nice but if you have a solid iron shot in your bag, odds are you are going to lower your score by making more greens in regulation and even setting up the birdie putt.