Five Swing Myths Making Golf Harder Than It Needs to Be

Golf is already hard enough. Bad advice passed down on the range or repeated by well-meaning buddies can make it even harder. These five common swing tips sound helpful. However, they often lead golfers in the wrong direction. Let’s clear up the confusion and eliminate these five swing myths, making golf harder than it needs to be.

“Keep your head down”

The old “keep your head down” feels like it’s been around since the start of the game. Some have even simplified it to the point that’s all you need to be good at golf. While the intention is good, promoting consistent posture and focus, trying to lock your head in place can restrict your ability to rotate. It can end up hurting your swing.

What you should do instead:

Maintaining posture is the primary goal, not freezing or locking your head. Think about keeping the center of your face relatively stable and your chest rotating through impact. If you want to think about keeping your head behind the ball as your hips clear, that could be a safer swing thought.

“Don’t swing too hard”

Golfers are often told to swing “smooth” or “easy.” You’ve probably had one of those days on the course when nothing is going your way and a player partner says, “slow it down”. A smooth swing doesn’t have to mean a slow swing. Swinging with intent isn’t a bad thing.

What you should do instead:
Accelerate through the ball. Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler aren’t swinging soft; they’re just sequencing it correctly. We tested this concept of swinging harder versus swinging easier, and the harder swings resulted in a better shot.

“Hit down on it”

The trouble with the “hit down on it” concept is that it’s not entirely wrong. Good iron shots have a downward angle of attack but trying to force a “hit down” move can steepen your swing too much. It may leave you hitting behind the ball and potentially losing distance.

What you should do instead:
Trust the loft on your club and strike the golf ball first. The ball-first and then turf contact creates compression without slamming the club into the ground. A clean strike with a shallow arc may not even produce a large divot and that’s OK. As long as the club and golf ball connect with each other before the club strikes the turf, you’ll hit a better shot.

“Keep that elbow tucked”

Keeping the elbow tucked can work for some players who are struggling with issues in their trail arm positioning. However, trying to lock the trail elbow to your side in the backswing can restrict your turn and take away some power.

What you should do instead:

Many golfers lack the shoulder mobility to keep the elbow tucked without sacrificing their turn. What matters more is what happens in transition. Tuck the elbow back in as you shallow the club. Some professionals refer to this as feeling like you’re pulling a lawn mower starter cord on the backswing and then slot the elbow as you start down.

“You have to eliminate one side of the course”

This myth suggests you should completely remove one miss (like a hook or slice) and only miss to one side. In theory, it sounds smart. In practice, even the best players miss both directions. Missing just a few yards left or a few yards right is better than slicing the ball 30 yards right each time.

What you should do instead:
Instead of trying to eliminate a side, aim to manage your dispersion. Plan your tee shots so that both misses, left and right, won’t lead to disaster. If you look at the professionals, you’ll see they still miss fairways both left and right.

Additionally, calibrate your equipment to minimize dispersion. Great forgiveness in a club is from the ability to hit consistent shots and that’s a perfect way to dial in your dispersion.

Final thoughts

Myths become myths for a reason. They’re oversimplified versions of something that worked for someone, somewhere. The problem is when golfers take these phrases literally and build bad habits around them.

If your game feels stuck, it might not be your effort; it might be the advice.