Swing triggers

Too many amateurs are scared of starting their swing for fear of making poor moves and hitting a bad shot. Much of this fear stems from too stiff and static an address that's full of tension.

Starting the swing from a totally motionless position makes it hard to take the club away smoothly and find good rhythm. Standing too still can lead you to freeze over the ball. There should always be some part of your body moving slightly to avoid freezing - even if it's just a tiny shift of weight from foot to foot. This relieves tension.

Habit forming

To help start the swing in a confident and repeatable fashion every time, you can develop a habit of moving the same part of your body just before you take the club away. If this trigger is harnessed to a good takeaway your whole swing becomes more consistent. It's encouraging to know that when you make this trigger move your backswing should start properly.

Many of the world's top players have some little manoeuvre that starts their swing, but there is no hard and fast rule of what it should be - it's personal taste. It can be with your hands, legs or head, and may be a tiny or quite noticeable movement. But it must be natural.

Jack Nicklaus gives the club a quick squeeze, while others push their hands forward just before they start. Both Gary Player and Rodger Davis kick the right knee in towards the left but in different ways. Player's knee action is fast and looks almost involuntary, while Davis' is slower and even appears calculated. It shows that there's no proper or correct way of performing it - both players do what works for them.

Nick Faldo flexes his knees immediately before his takeaway, triggering the most consistent swing in golf. Because his swing is based on such a solid stance the movement is slight.

But a word of caution. Whatever you try, be sure not to become too reliant on it. Having a helping hand to start your swing with rhythm doesn't mean you can neglect your full swing. Go on working on perfecting our swing, using a starting trigger as an effective grooving aid.