One time Ryder Cup player, now master of the one-liner, TV commentator, David Feherty once described Jim Furyk's swing as resembling an octopus falling out of a tree.
A bit harsh, maybe, but anyone who has seen the 2003 US Open champion in action, will get Feherty's drift.
However what isn't in dispute is that for all his unusual looking swing Furyk has got the basics nailed down to a tee, as taught by his pro father.
As a nation the Brits love a bit of DIY but when applied to golf it can be destructive which is why from the outset beginners, and even golfers who have been playing for years, can make things a lot easier by developing a basic technique with a little help from a PGA pro.
Spending a few weeks or even months at a range in harness with a pro before heading out onto a course will, in the long run, pay dividends in both the quality of play and enjoyment sustained.
If I had one tip, and one tip only, for anyone taking up golf or who is keen to improve it would be to seriously consider booking some lessons with your local PGA professional even if it's just one or two to get the basics right.
Paying attention to these at the start of a golfing career can save a lot of problems in the long run.
Getting A Grip
Much is made about the grip and there's a very simple reason for this - a correct grip greatly improves the chances of returning the clubface squarely at impact, and hence hitting a straight shot.
A good grip enables the wrists to function correctly during the swing, acting as a hinge or link to transmit energy and power to the club and ball, also allowing consistent control of the clubface at impact.
The two must popular grips are known as the 'interlocking' or 'overlapping' grips but I often suggest to beginners that they adopt a third style of grip - the two handed 'baseball' style grip.
It's important to take some time with your PGA pro to develop a good grip because it's the very foundation for everything else you do with the club.
One aspect of the grip which is also important to think about is how tightly you grip the club.
To put this into perspective, Open and US Open champion Johnny Miller believes 'only one golfer in a thousand grips the club lightly enough'. Thus ideally on a scale of one to 10, 10 being the hardest, the grip pressure should be around four to five.
With a relaxed grip, the tension is limited and it enables the wrists to operate freely.
Taking Aim
Golf is a target related game with a premium on accuracy. It's therefore crucial to aim the clubface and align the body relative to the intended target - sounds obvious but many golfers trip up right from the start because they never learn to align themselves properly to the flag.
While mats on the driving range provide readymade alignment, out on the course there are no man-made aids for lining up to the target so it's important to ensure as part of a pre-shot routine you line up to where you want to hit the shot.
The Set Up
We hear a lot about the set-up but just why is it so important? Firstly it pre-determines the alignment of your body and ensures the stroke produced goes in the right direction.
Secondly the set-up helps the body stay balanced while managing the forces that a swing exerts. The set-up helps control those forces whipped up in the process of swinging a club at full tilt.
The right set up also establishes the angles of the body, paving the way for you to maximise your capacity to hit the ball consistently.
Maintaining a good and consistent set-up also ensures that the ball is struck at the right part of the arc, not too far back or forward, thereby generating maximum power.
The set-up, once you've taken aim, includes stance width, alignment, ball position relative to your feet, posture and balance of your body.
Final Preparation - Pre-Shot Routine
Once you've mastered the set-up and established a pre-shot routine it's time to swing and strike the ball but not before a little waggle as it's called.
This movement prior to hitting the ball is a subtle fine tuning of all the parts that make a correct 'set up' and acts as a final check to ensure everything is aimed correctly.
Remember, establishing pre swing 'disciplines' are a vital part of achieving consistent and solid ball striking.
The Swing
Many beginners, after a few good shots, often become frustrated because they cannot reproduce those good shots.
I'm often asked 'why can't I hit that good one every time?' but the honest answer is because 'they haven't done it a million times yet!'
It takes many thousands of swings with a clear picture in your mind's eye of the desired arc to 'em-bed' the required feel of the swing and produce a consistently good outcome.
Building a good swing requires developing an awareness and feel of how the torso, hips and legs are moving during the swing - then understanding how the shoulders, arms, wrists and club swing in sync with this motion.
What Is The Swing Exactly?
In simple terms view it as a swing of the arms and a turn of the body around the posture or angles created in the set up.
From the set up the swing is initiated with the arms and shoulders predominantly moving the club back and away from the ball in a gently rounded arc recruiting in sync more help from the rest of the body as the turn increases.
During the swing try to view the legs during the backward movement as something to stand on, a platform, supporting the movement rather than making them too busy or active in a search for extra power.
Among experts and teaching professionals there are preferences about just how far a beginner should swing the club back - hip height, shoulder height, way above the shoulder and parallel to the ground - there's arguments for all but much of the ability to position the club correctly will depend on flexibility and strength.
The Backswing
The backswing is basically a way of positioning the club and building up some 'coil' and momentum to be delivered back down through the ball but how many golfers make a respectable backswing and then ruin things by making a poor downswing! Don't forget we hit the ball with the downswing, so, this has to be correct to produce good shots.
The aim in the downswing is to synchronise the 'unwinding' of your body turn back through towards the target with the club, wrists and arms swinging down re-tracing the ideal arc shape delivering the clubhead through impact square to the target.
The Downswing
The downswing motion is a little more dynamic than most people initially think and requires a lot of practice before the motion produces an accurate arc or 'swingpath' with good clubface control.
Rather than hitting at the ball it would be more fruitful to visualise swinging through the ball to a balanced stylish finish or 'follow through' as it's known.
The finish position will result in hips and shoulders facing the target, arms and club swung towards and above the left shoulder and right knee nearly touching the left with right shoe up on its toe.
Hey Good Looking
You don't have to be a golfer or expert to be able to spot players who seem to posses a smooth stylish swing rather than the player who looks like they are 'killing a snake!'
The best looking swings usual function the best so try to imagine when developing your swing you are not being judged by what the ball does but rather more for 'artistic content'.
There have been tests done with pupils learning initially with and without a ball, with no ball producing very effective swings slightly quicker - and indeed if you ask many weekend golfers they'll tell you the ball ruins a bloody good game!
There is an old teaching slogan 'make the camera happy and you'll make the ball happy' and there is a lot of truth in that, if it looks good it will work better.
It's All In The Physics
One key factor many beginners and club golfers fail to grasp is how the design of the club has evolved to be best suited for the purpose of striking a ball.
It is important to understand that we are not trying to 'scoop' or lift the ball in the air with the clubhead, quite the contrary in fact.
The clubhead actually hits down on the ball 'squeezing' or trapping it against the floor and its own weight at impact.
The 'loft' and clubhead design and physics then do the rest as it springs up off the face. Attempts to try and lift the ball will be plagued by hitting the ground first (fat or heavy shots) or clipping the top of the ball (topping) instead of taking the ball and maybe a 'divot'.
Beware Well-Meaning Advice!
First pieces of well meaning advice from friends are just that - well meaning but really a poor substitute of how it really should be done.
'Keep your left arm straight' and 'head down' is the usual kind of stuff but while these cure alls are based on some truth they are very often over done. Your head should stay fairly still as the swing basically operates around your spine and posture established at 'set up' and it's not good having your spine with your head sat on top of it moving around.
However, your head will rotate a little as you turn and ultimately be pulled up just after impact. If you keep your head totally still it will restrict the free turn of your body back and through, try to think 'heady steady' not still and 'eyes on the ball till you hit it'.
Keeping your left or leading arm straight through the swing is relevant too as it maintains the size or radius of your arc so it has a chance of returning back to the ball at the same length.
Again, beware of taking this too literally. It does not mean a 'stiff' arm or stiff wrists, think of keeping a 'stretched' arm with 'free' wrists on the end, this way you still keep the radius but be able to rotate the clubface back and achieve some 'whip' creating distance on your shots.
Teeing Up
In the early stages I suggest using a six or seven iron but I would also recommend teeing the ball up on the grass or the golf range. Many beginners try to hit directly off the floor because they believe 'I'll have to play off the grass once I go on the course' but while this is true you need to build a sound technique first.
Would you drive on the M25 in your first driving lesson because you are going to have to drive on one anyway? Course not - you learn to drive then change the environment gradually and the same should happen with golf - learn to hit consistently then make the transition to hitting off the floor without a tee.
Final thoughts
PGA professionals are experts in helping beginners take those first few steps and establishing a solid foundation. Don't worry about being nervous or embarrassed that you will show yourself up - there is nothing a PGA pro hasn't seen before and indeed many would prefer to take pupils straight from scratch because there are no bad habits in-grained.
Written by Adrian Fryer, PGA Advanced Fellow professional at Drive Time Golf Centre & Driving Range, Warrington. Contact him on 01925 234 800.