Getting your swing off to a smooth start is essential as it will set the tone for the entire swing and will help you time the ball better.

Many professionals use a swing thought or trigger to get the rhythm.

The Trigger - Your Grip

Look at your grip; it is the only part of you touching the club (Ben Hogan believed the grip was the heartbeat of the Golf Swing).

One of the most important aspects is to grip the club as perfectly as you can without any tension in the hands.

Gripping too tightly creates tension and promotes a snatched takeaway. To alleviate this problem waggle the club smoothly a few times back and forth whilst addressing the ball or even before in your practice swings.

The Swing Thought

The swing thought that I use is to count slowly.

The back swing is the count of

One... Two

whilst the downswing is the count of

One...

Whilst this may seem very simplistic it has helped me over many years.

You need to practice this swing thought on the practice ground long before you take it onto the course.

All golfers believe the harder you hit the ball the longer it goes, if the ball is flying in completely the wrong direction this will be of no benefit to you whatsoever!