There are Five Main Swing Positions in the Golf Swing by Bob Cisco, PGA Tour Instructor, these key positions in the motion of the golf swing in the interplay of held positions and alternating swing motion.
 
  1. The athletic plant or set up position with weight on the balls of the feet.
 
  2. Waist-high with the shoulder-arm triangle intact and the weight and head centered in   line behind the ball. Also known as the “catchers-mitt position”.
 
  3. The arms, hands and wrists hinged at the top of the swing with the weight loaded on the back leg.
 
  4. At impact with the left arm and club squared to the target.
 
  5. At swing’s end, with the weight fully on the left side now and the arms and hands in a relaxed unhinged position over the left shoulder, which marks the completion of the golf swing.
 
It is good to know these key positions and that the golf swing must pass through these key points smoothly in its back and through motion in the golf swing.
 
Excerpted from Bob Cisco’s “Ultimate Game of Golf ” book.

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THE TEEING GROUND
Evaluating the tee box is a very important aspect of your first shot of the hole. Setting up your tee shot in the correct spot will give you an advantage over your competition (friends). According to the rules of the USGA you are allowed to place your tee anywhere between the markers and up to 2 club lengths behind the markers. This piece of knowledge comes in handy when:

1. the tee box is damaged.

2. you're in between clubs and placing the tee 5 yards back will help you make a better club decision.

3. gives you a better angle at the hole

4. getting over a tree.

Always try and find the most level spot for you to stand and the most level and clean spot to place your tee.

If you usually hit right to left, the best strategy is to place your tee on the left side of the markers and aim a little right. If you usually hit left to right, the best strategy is to place your tee on the right side of the markers and aim a little left.

On dogleg holes, one side of the tee box usually will provide a better angle to cut the corner.
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ALIGNMENT

One of the biggest problems for all golfers is poor aim. How many times have you said to yourself, "great distance, but horrible aim"?

Here's the best tip you're going to get in helping you with your aim. It's hard to look 180 yards down the fairway at the pin and hit a perfect shot without some assistance. Stand 10-15 feet behind your ball a make a straight line between your ball and the spot you want to hit your ball to. Now look about 5
feet in front of your ball (on the same line) and pick out an object (anything, a twig, a brown spot, a divot) and use that as your aiming spot. Line up as if you're hitting the ball to that target, take your full swing and watch your ball go in the direction you have lined up.
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BAD FRINGE LIE

When your ball is on the fringe and sitting in front of a piece of crabgrass or a clump of bigger grass it makes for a difficult shot. Using your putter is very difficult because when you start your swing the putter will hit the grass behind the ball and shift your putter or not get a clean shot. Your best bet is to use your sand or pitching wedge and aim at the center of the ball.
Hitting under the ball, as a normal shot, would give you the same results as the putter. By hitting the center of the ball it will eliminate the possibility of the club shifting or not getting a clean shot. This is a very difficult shot, but with a lot of practice you can turn it into a spectacular shot.
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BURIED BUNKER

You're obviously not always going to be left with your ball sitting nicely in a greenside bunker. Sometimes you will come in and be buried with only a piece of your ball showing.

Position the ball in the center of your stance. There's a few differences between hitting this shot compared to hitting a perfectly sitting bunker shot. Hold your a club with a more firm grip, your backswing and downswing should be at a more steep angle, and have a slightly more closed clubface.

1. The firm grip-keeping your grip firm will make sure that you hold the clubface correctly throughout your swing.

2. Steep angle-Because the ball is buried you do not want to hit too far behind the ball. You will catch too much sand and flub your shot (usually causing another bunker shot). A steep angle will cut down the distance you hit behind the ball.

3. Closed clubface-A closed clubface will shift when the club hits the sand and straighten out before you hit the ball. If you swing with the clubface straight it will shift, when hitting the sand, and cause the ball to go right (if
   you're righty ) or left (if you're lefty).

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CHIPPING

Chipping is very similar to putting, you must only use your arms and shoulders. When you're chipping your backswing should be short with a little acceleration through the ball. Put your weight on your uphill leg. Keep your handle ahead of the clubface, this will help in keeping your clubface aim at your target. Do not break your wrists. Breaking your wrists will cause the ball to
go left(for righties) and right(for lefties).
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CHIPPING WITH A WOOD

Sounds a little odd, but this club selection will give you more power through the fringe. When a sand wedge, pitching wedge or iron won't do, a 3 wood is a good selection. It is a good selection because the clubhead will get through the grass better than a different club.

Choke down(this gives you more control of the club), more narrow stance(a little wider than putting), open your stance a bit, and put your weight on your uphill leg. Swing as you would chip, hands in front of the clubface, arms and shoulders only, and don't break your wrists.
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FIRM SAND

When the sand is firm or wet a sand wedge will not do. Using a sand wedge in such a situation will cause poor results. You need to use a club that will cut through the firm/wet sand and not bounce like a sand wedge would. A sand wedge does not have a sharp enough edge to get through the firm/wet sand. Clubbing up to a pitching wedge will give you the shot you need.
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FADE

The fade is all in the set up. Place the ball more foward in your stance, align your feet and body to the left of your target(for righties), pull your uphill foot back(towards your heel) a few inches(your uphill toes should be aligned with your downhill instep), and take a normal swing. Make sure your swing is along your body.
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PITCHING DISTANCE

Pitching should be the easiest shot of the hole(besides putting). The club is short, has a larger clubhead, and gives you plenty of loft(which decreases the chance of hooks and slices). The biggest problem occurs with distances.

Perfecting this shot will take some practice on the range. Using the clock system is the best way to perfect the distance of your pitches. The clock system is exactly what it sounds like:
 

1. For righties-measure the distance of your shots when your left hand is pointing at 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 o'clock.
    

2. For lefties-measure the distance of your shots when your right hand is
   pointing at 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 o'clock.

You must accelerate through your downswing or you will hit your shot short
causing another pitch.
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COURSE MANAGEMENT

Everyone thinks that better tee shots will improve their scores. Management of the course will improve your score. Everyone has a favorite club, one that is the best in the bag. You want to manage the course to use that club as often as possible. If you're better with your 5 wood than your driver, why would use your driver off the tee. The object of the game is to keep your score as low as possible, it's not to use what your competition uses. If you are best at100 yards out, try and get yourself to that spot as often as possible.

EX. Par 5, 500 yards. Your tee shot is 250 yards, leaving you 250 out. You can use your 3 wood and try and get as close as possible (this will leave you in your 'bad' area and have a possibility of a slice or hook), or you can use
a 7 iron (an easier club to hit) and hit it 150-160 yards to put you in your favorite spot. Your third shot is your favorite, you land on the green and have a birdie putt.

Every hole is designed for you to get there in regulation (having a birdie putt). Don't try and kill the ball and get there for an eagle putt. This will cause more harm than good. Take your time and manage the course.

If there is a bunker in front of the green on the right and you can't make the green, you have to manage the shot. Do not hit it short of the bunker, then you have to hit over the bunker and have a possibility of landing in the bunker. Hit the ball to the left side of the fairway which will give you an open look at the hole for a chip shot.
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FLEXIBILITY

Being flexible allows you to have a more comfortable and controlled coil. When the flexibility is gone the coil is gone which leads to your hands, arms, and shoulders to do all the work. Once that happens you begin to slice the ball.

Flexibility will give you club head speed. Keep your grip soft, stay light on your feet, feel the weight shift from the coil, and hit your shot.
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SAND

Everyone gets a little nervous once your ball lands in the sand. First thing is to relax, it's just another shot. Line up your shot as you would a chip, and dig your feet into the sand. Remember, if you take a practice swing you can not touch the sand or it will cost you a stroke.

If you try and hit the ball to the green you will probably end up hitting your ball back into the sand. Trying this will not give you enough power to get your ball out of the trap. You have to try and hit the sand to the hole. Aim a couple of inches behind your ball and hit through the sand, this will lift your ball out of the sand in a pillow of sand and land on the green.
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SHORT GAME

Practicing the short game will not get you as tired as if you spent the exact amount of time on the driving range. You know the saying, "Drive for show, putt for dough." The short game is where you will make up all of your strokes. When you go to the driving range, don't forget to put your time in on chipping, sand shots, and putting. One hour of practice is plenty, 15 minutes each for chipping, sand shots, putting, and driving range.
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FAIRWAY BUNKERS

The fairway bunker is not as difficult as many golfers make it to be. Depending on your lie, you must club up at least one club length. Check the front lip of the bunker and make sure you have enough loft from the club to clear the lip, if not your ball will land right back where you started. If the club you need is a 3 iron and the loft isn't big enough to clear the lip you should
club down to a 5 iron. This will not give you the distance you originally wanted but you will at least have your next shot from the fairway and not from the same bunker.

Now that you've made your club selection you must deal with the fact that you do not want to hit any sand. If you do hit some sand, it must be as minimal as possible. One thing you must change is where you focus on the ball. On a normal shot your focus is on the back of the ball. With a fairway bunker shot
your focus should be on the front of the ball, this will minimize your contact with the sand.
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SIDEHILL LIES

You will have to side hill lies, a downhill lie and an uphill lie. a. Downhill lie-A downhill lie will have a natural slice so remember to take this into account when setting up your target. A downhill lie will be farther away from you so you must hold the club at the end of the shaft. Keep your knees flexed, if you're stiff you will fall forward after you swing causing the ball to slice.

Uphill lie-An uphill lie will have a natural hook so remember to take this into account when setting up your target. An uphill lie will be closer to you so you must choke down on the club.

On both lies the ball will not travel as far as it would from a flat lie, you should club up on club for the proper distance.
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DIVOT

You've just crushed your drive and you're excited the entire walk to your ball. Once you get there you notice that you've landed in someone else's divot.
Relax.

Hopefully the person before you hit the ball at the target and the divot is pointing where you want to hit. In this case, play the ball slightly back in your stance and follow through with your shot. Never try and hit against a divot, you will either hit the grass first (which will redirect the clubhead) or hit the ball will hit the grass on it's way out.

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MUD ON THE BALL

If you're a weekend warrior, hopefully your partners will let you Lift, Clean, and Place. If they will not let you do this then you have to start thinking about a few things. Where the mud is, what club do I need, and where's my target.

1. Let's start with the club, the mud makes the ball heavier and you must club up one club.
    

2. Where is the mud? A foreign object on the ball will cause the ball to spin in the opposite direction. If the mud is on the left side of the ball, the ball will spin to the right.
    

3. Target-Aim according to the location of the mud. If the mud is on the left side of the ball, aim to the left. If the mud is on the right side of the ball, aim to the right.

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WIND

Sometime wind is great (when it's at your back) and sometimes it's horrible (crosswind and against the wind)

1. Back-This can only help your shot. You want to get the ball up in the air as quickly as possible and let the wind carry your ball. You can mostly use the wind during your tee shot. Tee it up a little bit higher than normal and put it slightly forward in your stance.
    

2. In your face-This shot messes with your mind, you think you have to swing as hard you can to get through the wind. Usually when that happens the ball will slice. The number one priority here is to keep the ball under the wind. Keep it down. A 2, 3, or 4 iron is a great selection during strong winds, it will keep the ball down and give you a couple of hundreds yards on the ball. On the tee you should tee it down a little bit and put it slightly back in your stance.

3. Crosswind-A crosswind will make your ball slice or hook, club up on club and choke down on the club. This will give your ball less spin and will not be affected as much as normal.
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   PRACTICE
   
   There's too much to say about practice, but the number one thing is to.....practice. Practice means driving range, chipping, sand shots, and putting. We've already discussed chipping, sand shots, and putting in SHORT GAME TIP. Now we'll discuss the driving range. Too much emphasis is placed on the driver. There's too much emphasis on this club because it's the one that everyone applauds, and you think it puts you in good position for the hole. "Drive for show, putt for dough."
   
   When you're at the driving range make sure you bring all of your clubs. Start off with a few minutes of stretching and soft practice swings. Bring the wedge out for your first swings. Swing easy, about 50-75%, and just make contact with the ball. Some people practice all the clubs in one day, some practice half one day and half the other. I prefer swinging half today and half tomorrow. When you try and get all of the clubs in the same day you will hurry through them. Try all odd clubs today, and all even clubs tomorrow. Switch the woods on these days also. Give an equal amount of time to each club, they are
   all important.
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   PRE SHOT ROUTINE
   
   Do not just grab your club, stand over the ball for a minute, let the tension grow, and hit the ball. You need to get some sort of pre shot routine that you will have for every shot. Look at Sergio Garcia, he takes a lot of hell for his gripping and regripping routine that seems to take forever. But, that's
   his routine.
   
   1-evaluate the hole, 2-pick your club, 3-look for your target, 4-approach the ball, 5-grip the club, 6- get in your stance, 7-check you target again, 8-swing.
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   PUTTING PRACTICE
   
   "Drive for show, putt for dough." This can not be said enough. This is where you will pick up all of your strokes, keep the putts to a minimum. Putting is a shoulder and arms movement only. Do not break your wrists. If you have a problem with breaking your wrists you may want to change your grip to a cross-handed grip. Simply switch the position of your hands(top hand is now on the bottom). This will stop you from breaking your wrists. The number one priority for putting is speed, keep it close to the hole.
   
   The pendulum motion is one that is most commonly used. Swing the putter using only your shoulders. As far as you bring the putter back is as far as you let it swing forward. Do not lunge at the ball.
   
   Everyone putts different, find your comfortable stroke and practice it all the time. There is no correct way to putt, but don't break your wrists.
   
   Putting practice on the practice green is very nonchalant and people do not give it enough attention. Golfers will normally drop a few balls down before teeing off and hit a few to get the feel of the putter. This will not help at all. The practice green is for PRACTICE. How many 40 foot putts have you made on the practice green and how many have you made on the actual course. I'm sure you've made a lot more on the practice green. This is because there is no stress on the practice green. The best way to practice is to try an put a little stress on you before the shot. Here's a few examples: 1-Place balls in a cross with the hole as the center. Place 3 balls on each line (equalling 12 balls). Each line the balls will be placed at 2, 3, and 4 feet. Start with one row, finish, go to the next, and so on. But, if you miss once, you must start over. After about 6 or 7 putts made you will start to feel the stree.2-Same thing but just make a circle, all of the balls 2 feet out. A 2 foot putt is simple, but throw in a little stress and it becomes a bit more difficult. You'll feel a little stress once you've made 10 in a row and only have 2 left. If you miss you have to start over.This drill can be used in any way or design you want, but you must stick to the rule of starting over.
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   SLICING
   
   This is the number one problem among golfers. The slice. A slice is created from using a longer club with less loft, usually the driver. There are a few things that we have to do to eliminate too much spin on the ball, causing the slice. a. Tee the ball up a little bit-this will force you to keep the driver on a less steep angle.

4. 
   Place the ball in the middle of your stance-this will have you hitting the ball in the middle of your swing, not the end.

5. Knuckles-you should only be able to see the knuckles of your index and middle finger on your top hand.

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