I’m not going to give you much swing advice on this site, because there are so many things to mention, and so many ways to describe those things, and so many ways those descriptions can be interpreted, it’s almost futile. And even so, I might reach only the few of you who are looking for just the thought that gets presented and the rest of you are left out.

When I write a tip I try to make sure everyone can understand it, put it into their game right away, and that it will be good for very golfer who tries it. Universal means everyone can benefit, everyone will benefit. If one person’s game is harmed, it’s not a universal tip. Here are three universal tips.

1. Get a good grip, and pay special attention to grip pressure. Every golf instruction book has a section on the grip, and I wonder how many people actually read it and go through the steps. Or how many people have asked their pro to check their grip. A good grip is the first step in pre-programming a good swing. Get one, and practice it forever. Watch TV gripping a golf club, even. Get to enjoy the feeling of gripping a golf club and do it frequently.

Hold the club lightly. Do not squeeze it, especially in your dominant hand. Feel as if the club were molding into the soft pads of your fingers and palms, not pressing into them. Both hands will naturally tighten up when you get into the impact zone as a natural reaction to the tremendous speed of the club moving through that point. Let that tightening happen by itself.

2. Get a good setup. Every golf instruction book has a section on this, too, and it is the second step in pre-programming a good swing. Building a proper setup can be tricky, so get a mirror if you want to do it by yourself, and be honest about comparing your image in the mirror with the pictures in the book. Better yet, get a lesson.

The setup includes your stance, posture, and ball position. That last point is more important than you can imagine. Just placing the ball an inch forward or back can make the difference between poor contact and a flush hit. Monitor ball position intently as you play. There is a tendency to sneak the ball forward as you go along, and that could be the only reason your ball striking starts to suffer.

3. Aim. The ball will go where you aim it. Not a very profound statement, is it? Yet your perfect shot that went straight right was not a push. That’s where you were aimed.

Here’s how to aim yourself: Stand behind the ball and sight over it to your target. Pick a spot on the ground on this ball-target line about a foot in front of the ball. Step around to the ball and sole your club behind the ball so the grooves on the clubface are square to that line. Now step into your stance so your feet are square to the grooves. Done.

I called this a universal one-half hour swing fix, because (a) every golfer will play better by doing these three things, and (b) they can all be learned correctly in a half hour. There’s also (c), which is, I’ll bet you could stand improvement in each area. So what are you waiting for?

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