How To Create The Perfect Golf Swing! (Part 4: The Backswing)

This is part 4 in my 6 part series on creating the perfect golf swing for you! In the first three parts we discussed how to properly grip the club, how to take the perfect stance, how to align correctly, the perfect ball position, and the proper hand position. 

Those parts can be seen here:

https://steemit.com/how-to/@jrcornel/how-to-create-the-perfect-golf-swing-part-1

https://steemit.com/life/@jrcornel/how-to-create-the-perfect-golf-swing-part-2-the-stance

https://steemit.com/life/@jrcornel/how-to-create-the-perfect-golf-swing-part-3-alignment

In this section, we will be discussing how to build the perfect backswing. We will take a look at the takeaway, the half way back point, and the top of the backswing.

Everything we have mentioned before now is helping set us up in the correct positions in order to make the least amount of compensations during our golf swing. The backswing will be the same. We want to build the most efficient and powerful backswing that ensures minimal compensations on the way back down and through impact.

The Takeaway

The golf swing literally begins with the takeaway and it can set the stage for how the rest of your golf swing is performed. So, we want to make sure we get this part right! If we can get the club traveling back on the right path, with the clubface at the right angle, and out in front of our body, there is a much better chance of the club being in good positions during the rest of the swing as well.

The Perfect Takeaway

The perfect takeaway starts with the right shoulder (for a right handed golfer). Most people will say that it starts with the left shoulder, however, in order to get the biggest shoulder turn possible while also getting the club on the right plane right from the start, it begins and ends with the right shoulder.

• Take your right shoulder and turn it back as far as you can while keeping the hips and lower body very quiet. Keep your left arm straight and your hands passive (no wrist hinge at this point). In doing this, the left shoulder will naturally get pulled under your chin and your back will face the target as you turn. There should be no rotation of the club face at this point beyond what naturally occurs as your upper body turns away from the target.
• When the club reaches a horizontal position (about hip high), make sure that the club head is not behind your body. It is very important that it stay out in front of your chest. The butt of the club should be pointing somewhat close to your intended target.
• At this point, when looking down the line, the club face should cover the view of your hands. We don't want the club inside or outside of our hands at this point.
• Make sure the toe of the club is facing up to slightly closed. That means the clubface has had minimal rotation up until now and is neither "open" nor "closed" as shown in the image below. 

Just like was mentioned in previous parts, in this instance, it is cool to be square!

Up until now there wasn't much practicing to be done. You just needed to be aware of how to do things correctly and then just go do them. Now, we will have to start practicing if we are going to be able to do this consistently every time we swing a golf club.

The good news about practicing the takeaway is that it can be done at home, in the office, basically anywhere you have enough room. It needs to be practiced enough so that you don't have to think about it when you are performing the golf swing. A good rule of thumb is to spend 10-15 minutes every day, for 2 weeks, (or until it becomes second nature) practicing this before we move on to the next step.

The Half Way Point

Once we've ingrained the perfect takeaway and gotten the club in the proper position at hip height, completing the full swing is pretty straight forward.  

• As the club sits at hip height, from there we will start to let the lower body engage slightly... allow the hips to start to turn away from the target and allow the wrists to start to hinge naturally. You shouldn't have to think too much with either of these because they should happen fairly naturally from the good positions we set ourselves up in before.
• Make sure the club is on plane by checking that the butt of the club points directly at the ball or slightly inside of it. (see the photo below for a visual)
• When looking down the line, your hand should appear in the middle of your chest. This ensures that the club is out in front of our body.
• Again, make sure there is very little wrist rotation or rolling at this point. The wrist action should be very minimal and occur only in a hinging motion as opposed to rotating at this point.

As you can see, the butt of the club should be pointing pretty close to directly at the ball in order to ensure that the club is on plane. Like was mentioned above, we need to rehearse this move for 10-15 minutes every day, checking that we are in the correct positions every time, for 2 weeks before we can move on to the next step. Everything needs to become instinctual and second nature before we can move on.

Top Of The Backswing

Now that our golf swing starts with the proper takeaway and has a good halfway back position already, it will be fairly simple to continue into a good position at the top. Like was mentioned in the takeaway section before, the top of the backswing will largely setup how we start the downswing and also the path that the club will travel back into the ball. Basically the sole purpose of the backswing is to set us up to properly impact the ball with as much power and consistency that we can muster.

• Continue turning away from the ball with your upper body until you have at least a 90 degree shoulder turn. There should be minimal hip and lower body movement during this time. It may feel more powerful to get them involved, but we will sacrifice much in terms of consistency.
•  The head should remain close to the same height it was at address. Do not dip your head...
• The left arm should continue to stay straight and not flexed in order to maintain maximum width in our swing.
• Your body weight should feel like it is mostly on the instep of your right foot. That is called a weight transfer and you will transfer most of it back to the left foot as you swing through impact.
• Make sure your left foot does not come off the ground as you are turning away from the ball. That is a sign of too much hip rotation.
• Make sure the club does not go too far past a parallel position at the top of the backswing as shown below.

As you can see the hands are in roughly the same position in both examples, but the wrist hinge and arm flex are significantly more in the one of the right, causing the club to travel well past parallel. Keep that left arm straight and the wrists firm. The picture on the left is the ideal top of the backswing position.

Thank you for following along, and feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below. Join me tomorrow for  Part 5 of this 6 part series!

Live well my friends!

How To Create The Perfect Golf Swing Series:

1. https://steemit.com/how-to/@jrcornel/how-to-create-the-perfect-golf-swing-part-1

2. https://steemit.com/life/@jrcornel/how-to-create-the-perfect-golf-swing-part-2-the-stance

3. https://steemit.com/life/@jrcornel/how-to-create-the-perfect-golf-swing-part-3-alignment

Image Sources:

http://free-online-golf-tips.com/fundamental-golf-tips/golf-swing-tips/top-of-golf-swing-position/

and Pixabay.com

Sources:

Myself, through 7 years of teaching golf, 25 years of playing including at the collegiate level, and from all the great teachers I've had along the way. 

Follow: @jrcornel