Whether you are just starting out in golf, trying to improve your swing or trying to correct a problem that has developed, the first thing to do is to get back to basics.

There are a lot of factors and techniques to master in order to be a better golfer but if you do not get the fundamental basics right, you are going to have great difficulty.

The three foundations that are critical to perfect are your grip, your stance and your posture. Get one or more of these even slightly wrong and you can practice until you are blue in the face, you will have issues with your swing.

Beginners need good advice and instruction on these fundamentals but it is surprising how even an experienced golfer will make errors with these basics at times.

Grip

I think many golfers take the grip for granted and fail to see the importance of a correct grip. Sure, there are some very successful golfers that manage to play with an unusual grip but they are the exception. The rest of us mere mortals need to take good care that we have a correct and proper grip. It is probably the single most important aspect to get right if you intend to develop a good swing. Again, it is surprising how many experienced golfers get the grip wrong, to the detriment of their game.

A good solid grip will give you power and control, the two most important elements of a swing.

The best way to describe the ideal grip is as follows:

We will be referring to right-handed golfers so lefties will have to reverse the instructions.

Place the club in your left hand and check the line. You want the grip to go along the base of the little finger, across the other fingers and rest at the middle of the index finger. Wrap the fingers around the grip and create a V between the thumb and index finger that points to your right shoulder.

You can then choose an interlocking or overlapping grip with the right hand. A baseball grip can even be used, especially for younger or aging players.

When you place the right hand over the left, allow the little finger to overlap the index and second finger. This will create a V on the right hand that points to the right of your chest.

Stance

Your golf stance consists of the width of your stance, the angle of your feet when addressing the ball, the amount of flex in your knees and your overall posture. We will look at posture in more detail later.

You want to be comfortable and stable when you are swinging so a good stance is essential. Balance is paramount to getting a good swing and keeping control. The most common mistake is a stance that is too narrow which will give you poor balance, little control, and minimal power.

By the same token, a stance that is too wide will also not help your swing. You will not be able to effectively shift your body weight which is critical in timing your shot and generating sufficient power.

So what is the correct width for your stance?

When playing your longer clubs such as your driver or fairway woods, adopt a stance that is wider. Ideally, you want the insides of your feet to be about 2 to 3 inches wider than your shoulder width.

With the shorter irons and your wedge, reduce your stance by a couple of inches.

Chipping and pitching require a narrower stance.

Your back foot should be at a right angle to the target while the front foot can angle slightly outwards.

Your knees should have a slight flex but you do not want them bent.

For most swings, you will want an even distribution of weight between both feet as well as between toe and heel on each foot.

Posture

Another important basic to get right is posture. The main point to bear in mind is to bend at the hips, not the waist.

Lean toward the ball from the hips to allow your body move around the ball on a constant axis to create a natural, fluid swing. Again, it sounds basic but it is vital to avoid the waist bend. Practice the hip flex and you will see your swing naturally improve and feel more natural.

You will find that once you get the basics right, the more technical aspects are that much easier to get right. It is vital to your game to get these fundamentals right before you can work on anything more challenging. Getting the first things spot on will set you to play a good round of golf and progressively improve your game.