Want to cut strokes from your golf handicap quickly? Eliminate your backswing. That's right. I said, eliminate your backswing. Golfers serious about chopping strokes from their golf handicaps are reducing swing errors with the latest rage in golf: the no-backswing swing. It not only eliminates many of the most common swing errors in golf, it also lets you hit the ball just as far and straight.

The no-backswing swing is used in golf lessons to help students master the game. If you haven't read about it in golf tips yet, you probably will. That's because it works. It requires only moves you already know and eliminates many of your most common swing errors. Best of all, it's easy to learn. In fact, it's so easy to learn, you don't hardly have to practice it. All you have to do is make a slight adjustment to your address position and swing away.

Eliminate The Backswing

Here's how the no-backswing swing works: Address the ball as you normally do. Now place the club in the correct position at the top of your backswing. Then, pump the club and swing down. To guarantee that you're in the right position at the top of your swing, make sure:

* The shaft and left arm are at a 90-degree angle
* The left arm is parallel to and directly above the toe line
* Your weight slightly favors your right hip
* Your spine is centered over the ball
* The shaft's butt points toward the target line
* Your shoulders are turned 75 degrees

Once your set, turn your torso to the right and pump your arms. As you do so, turn your shoulders about 90 degrees, pull the majority of your weight over your right side, and move your left shoulder across your shoulders, not up in the air. You want to coil, not lift. Altogether, your arms should move about a foot in the pump.

After pumping, swing back down to the ball. Turn your body in the process and transfer your weight to your front side. Make sure you keep your spine centered over the ball like it was in the top position. In your follow-through, your hands are in front of your chest, your torso faces the target, and all your weight is on your front side-just like they teach in golf instruction sessions.

Try It In Slow Motion

You may want to run through the no-backswing swing in slow motion before actually hitting the ball. Practicing in slow motion has proven to be an effective technique when it comes to learning a new swing change. Also, develop a mental checklist of the key points, and then go through them several times until they're ingrained. Once you've mastered the checkpoints, address the ball and swing away.

The key move with the no-backswing swing is the pump. This move stretches key downswing muscles. Like a traditional backswing, the pump stores just as much potential energy to hit the ball as in your normal swing and eliminates many of the errors that cause mis-hits.

Weekend Golfers Benefit

How effective is this swing? Golf Magazine recently conducted at test with 29 players using their own backswings. Test data was computed and analyzed by the Center for Sports Innovation at MIT. The results: The no-backswing swing eliminates key swing errors found in 90 percent of the swings of all amateur players. These errors make up almost 70 percent of all swing errors. In other words, the data indicates that weekend golfers benefit from using the no-backswing swing.

The no-backswing swing won't compensate for the lack of a short game. Nor will it compensate for poor bunker play. You'll still need to take golf lessons, read golf tips, and hit balls to hone these skills. You'll also need to play smart golf. But the no-backswing approach will eliminate many of the weak shots weekend golfers often hit. This in turn will help shave strokes from your scores and your golf handicap. Who knows, it may even eliminate your slice.