(CNN) — So you want to become a pro golfer. The top players rake in millions of dollars each year, and you want a piece of the action.
Whether you’re a promising five-year-old, an amateur trying to make the next step or a professional seeking to kickstart your career, the best way forward is generally to work with the people who’ve been there and done that.
They might not always be cheap, but golf academies offer training techniques that have taken the likes of Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood and Ernie Els to the top of the tree. But fear not, CNN has some tips from one of the sport’s leading instructors, David Leadbetter.
There are three areas where beginner golfers struggle, he says.
First off, you need to hold the club right.
“Most people grip the club too much in the palm of the hand, which creates tremendous tension and doesn’t allow the wrist to work correctly,” says Leadbetter, who helped Nick Faldo go from a nearly man to the winner of six major titles between 1987-1996.
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“People who do this wear a hole in their glove. It’s important to hold the club out towards the fingers, not the palm. It helps more golfers than you can believe.”
Next, learn how to bow.
“So much of golf is based around how you set your foundations. It’s really important that when golfers set up for the ball that instead of having slouchy round shoulders, pull your shoulders down, then your arms can actually get to your chest,” the 59-year-old says.
“Almost like how the Japanese how bow: rear end out, slightly bend your knees, pull your shoulder blades down and arms resting in your chest, and you’re in perfect position.”
From there, it’s all about the arms.
