There are all sorts of things that are important to a good golf game including fitness, good equipment, the right grip and a sound swing to mention just a few. One other very important thing is your balance and posture and this is something which seems to elude many golfers. So here are a few tips to get you started on the right road.

The first, and most important, thing to remember is to relax. There is nothing that will hinder your game more than having a tense body and so you should always start any game by taking a couple of deep breaths and simply loosening up your neck and shoulder muscles. Incidentally, if you've been told that, whatever else you, do you should keep your head still then this is one piece of advice you should ignore. Some movement of the head is fine and there is nothing that will tense you up faster than trying to concentrate on keeping your head still.

Okay, let's start by taking a good grip on the club and addressing the ball with your heels at about shoulder width apart. If you're using a wood or low numbered iron club then you might want to spread your heels slightly further apart and, if you're looking at a chip shot, you may want to bring them in slightly closer together. Now, keeping your back straight, bend slightly at the hips and don't worry if your bottom sticks out a little bit.

With your weight slightly forward on the balls of your feet, let your arms swing freely, but avoid the temptation to tuck your chin into your chest.

At this point you should feel relaxed and be balanced. Try a little test. If you can lift one foot off the ground without falling over then you haven't got your weight balanced properly. Similarly, if your playing partner can push you off balance with just a slight nudge from either the right or the left hand side, then your stance is not firm enough and again you out of balance. Finally, if a gentle push on your chest will have you toppling over backwards then again you're out of balance and your weight is too far back on your heels.

Standing with too much weight on your heels is a common problem for many golfers and leads to a tendency to swing too much from the inside to the outside, resulting in your hooking the ball. One way to check that you don't have too much weight towards your heels is to ensure that your knee caps directly above the balls of your feet.

Take a moment to examine your stance. Your shoulders should be level and parallel with the line to the target. Your left foot should also be slightly open. In a good position, even though your weight remains equally balanced, your spine should angle slightly away from the target.

Having got yourself into a balanced position it is important that you remain balanced throughout your swing. Practice a few swings and as you do so pay particular attention to keeping the club head swinging in a single plane which runs parallel to the line to your target. If you're in balance this should seem quite natural but, if you're out of balance, you'll probably find this quite difficult.

As you move into your backswing you will feel your weight transferring and you should end up with about seventy-five percent of your weight on the back foot and twenty-five percent on the front foot. Throughout your down-swing this percentage should reverse so that you end up with the majority of your weight on the front foot at the end of your swing.

Practicing your golf swing is of course important but, if you don't start out with the right posture and balance, all the practice in the world is never going to produce a really good swing.