By RICK MARTINO, Scripps Howard News Service

When it comes to the golf swing, timing is the proper sequence of body and club movements that produce a desired shot. The sequence of the body's movement in relationship to every other motion made controls both the distance and direction of the shot.

In the golf swing, the combination of the levers connecting the torso to the lead shoulder and the lead arm to the club make up the lever system. The lever system has hinges, which occur during both the backswing and forward swing. The primary influences are on speed and distance.

One piece of the equation that enabled many great golfers to achieve such success is their understanding of how the length of the arc in their swing directly affects the success of each shot.

The noted designer of the Tournament Players Club course in Ponte Vedra, Fla. with its famous "Island Green" on No. 17, Pete Dye will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame later this year.At layouts such as Sawgrass, Dye surely took into consideration how a player's swing arc affects distance both on and off the tee.

Continuing our series on looking at the main principals of the golf swing, we now turn our attention to the swing plane, which is the tilt and direction of travel of the invisible incline plane made by the club shaft.

Beginning golfers are always focused on improving their flawed swings. What many of them don't understand is that their swings may be doomed before they even get started because of an improper set-up.

This week's golf principal is alignment, which is the positioning of the body in relationship to the ball, club and target.

This is the second part of an ongoing series on the Laws, Principles and Practices of the golf swing.With the Masters completed on Sunday, one thing that should have caught your eye is the players' precision in repeating their pre-shot routines and setting aim.

In golf, some things pleasantly surprise you. It may be a chip shot that caroms off the flag stick into the pin or a hole out from 150-yards.The same can be said for this column. Just when we thought the sun had set two weeks ago, it has surprisingly risen once again. So, I am thrilled to report that I will be back each week with new material for you.

Golf is a unique blend of athletic skill, mental management and interaction with nature. These special properties make golf the game of a lifetime. Golf is not about the score you posted today, but the sum total of your experiences in the journey that took you to this position.So, let's take one last look at what is necessary to enjoy the game...