The basic thing many golfers forget while hitting shots that Sir Nick Faldo thinks is so important

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Sir Nick Faldo is a six-time major champion so when it comes to mastering the art of the golf swing, he has a pretty good idea.

Faldo grabbed himself three Masters titles and three Open Championships during his illustrious career and as time has ticked by, he’s taken to being quite the advice giver as well.

For the amateur golfer, getting the backswing right is as crucial as anything.

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The backswing can effectively make or break the full swing for any golfer, so if there are tips and tricks out there from professionals to help, then us amateurs should lap them up.

Thankfully, looking back at some old clips of advice from Sir Nick Faldo, he has the perfect tip to get yourself in the right position.

Sir Nick Faldo’s tip for getting the perfect backswing

Faldo has given out some brilliant instruction videos in the past and this one is another corker.

The Englishman has done it all and when it comes to the art of the golf swing, he’s picked up more than his fair share of knowledge over the years.

Indeed, speaking to amateurs on what to do in the backswing, Faldo has explained a key drill and technique to get it right.

“Using our shaft line, put your left toe to the shaft and then put your right heel on the other side and then, put ALL your weight on your right leg,” Faldo explained.

“Then hold your right knee there and now do it [take the club away]. Now you’re going to feel it, holding the right knee in position you see, it’s hardly moving, hip moves a little bit but try and turn it with your belly. So then you get your first position, then somewhere in the area – we’re all different – we want to get the set going, the setting of the wrists. Now I used to go as hard as I could, especially with my iron shots but there’s no fixed position. You want to have your wrists fully cranked as you’ve turned.

“So by the time your arms are level, you want a fully cranked position. Something like that will get it happening and you know what else? Breathe! It’s a hugely important part of this game. Golfers concentrate so hard on hitting the ball. But while you’re doing this, just breathe out, let it go, Henry Cotton told me that, it’s far better to be breathing out on the golf swing than breathing in. Breathing in creates tension, so breathe out, get that moving.”

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What Sir Nick Faldo said amateurs can do to conquer first tee nerves

There can be so much to think about when it comes to hitting the golf ball and a lot of it can be mental.

While having all the swing tips in the world is good, sometimes it can come down to what’s between the ears as well.

Indeed, those ‘first tee nerves’ can be a problem for any golfer at any level. But for the amateur who struggles with those thoughts, Faldo has given out some advice on that too.

“I know amateur golfers who have driven to my clinics, they’ve driven all the way there thinking, ‘I hope Bob’s not on the first tee because every time Bob is on the first tee I top it’. Another person will be saying, ‘oh I hate the first because there are trees on the right and I always hit it in the trees’, and another person will say, ‘oh there’s a pond down the left’,” Faldo explained.

“So what do you keep picturing? Let me give you a crash course 101 on sports psychology or visualizing. Ask yourself, ‘what do I want’? ‘Want’ is the key.

“Having a comfort shot is very important. Don’t go on the first tee and say, ‘well this hole needs a big hook and I can’t hit a hook’. Go with what you can do.

“If I say, ‘don’t slice it’, where does the ball go. You say to yourself, ‘I want this’. In golf, we have the luxury of a practice swing, so I would really recommend you make a practice swing that matches your picture. Picture your golf ball flying. Jack Nicklaus did it, he called it going to the movies, Tiger calls it ‘hitting the shot into the pictures’, you’ve got to see it. See it finish, that’s the important thing.

“The other thing to help you, if you look down a hole and see a bunker or see out of bounds, say thank you! If you walk out on the edge of a road and see a bus, you don’t keep walking, you say, ‘thank you, I’ll wait for him’. It’s the same thing. If you don’t like a bunker or the out of bounds, well fine. Say, ‘I’m not going to go there because I want to hit it there, on the fairway’.

“You’ve got to have a clear picture and a clear intention with your practice swing and then commit to it. The hardest thing is the little bit of trust but that comes from hitting enough balls on the range.“

Clearly, Faldo has plenty to offer the amateur golfer and it very much seems like there’s plenty to take on board from the six-time major champ.