If you want to be a good ball striker, you’ve got to have a golf backswing that is repeatable. Here’s a couple of simple tips to improve your consistency, and eliminate several swing faults.
It’s All In The Hands
I have struggled with this for years, and now finally have a better understanding of what the hands should, and shouldn’t do during your takeaway, that will insure a consistent position at the top, enabling you to come down into impact and hit the ball solid and powerfully every time.
When you first take the club away,your hands stay very close to your body (legs). If they get away from your body (like mine use to do), you will then pick the club up, instead of rotate it back and to the top.
A good tip is to make sure your right hand brushes your right leg early in the takeaway. This will let you know you are keeping them in close and to the inside early on. You can definitely overdo this, but for most amateur golfers, I don’t think this will happen, as the common move is away from the body.
Secondly, the hands do NOT roll over in the takeaway. In fact, keep them in the same position, and just rotate your shoulders to start your swing. If you manipulate your hands, you will need a compensation to get them back to impact. This is no good!
Thirdly,your grip pressure should be very light. On a 1-10 most likely a 3 at the most. This is another issue I had, and it caused all kinds of tension through my arms, which slowed down my swing speed, and ruined my sequence of motion.
Your Arms (And Shoulders)
When you take the club away, your left upper arm stays in contact with your chest, as your left shoulder purely rotates away from the target. There is no lateral movement in the shoulders. They just rotate!
The right arm (elbow) cannot bend too early in the takeaway! This is another issue I had. It took me forever to realize I was prematurely bending my right arm, which was causing me to lift the club off the ground too early. The back swing is NOT a lift, it’s a turning of the arms, and a “late” bending of the right elbow. That’s it!
If you can focus on your shoulders rotating to start your swing; your hands staying passive: and your right elbow bending late in back swing, you’ll be golden.
