How a Long Backswing Creates Shorter Golf Shots
By Paul Wilson
Is your backswing too long? The majority of in-experienced
players I see have too long of a backswing. So why would so many
people have such long swings? It all boils down to Human Nature.
Human Nature says that the longer you swing the farther you will
hit the ball. If this were true, why is it that I can hit a ball
300 yards with a 3/4 swing but I can’t hit it 400 yards with a
long swing?
When you watch the Pros on TV, you do see varying golf backswing
techniques. On one hand, you have a player like Jeff Sluman who
has a shortened backswing and then you have a player like John
Daly who has a longer swing. Even though they look different are
there any similarities between their backswings.
1. Pros hinge their wrists to their maximum. This means that the
angle between the left arm and the golf club at the top of the
golf backswing extension is 90 degrees or less. The average
player tends to be locked up in their wrists because they try to
hit the ball too hard. If you try to hit the ball too hard, your
wrists will lock up and your left elbow will break causing the
club to go back too far. You have to allow the wrists to stay
loose throughout the swing. The looser wrists will give you more
power without having to take the club back too far.
2. The backswing coil in a Pros’ swing determines the amount the
left arm goes back. The shorter top backswing position and the
longer ones are both relative to the amount of shoulder rotation
each one creates.
John Daly can turn his shoulders back more than 90 degrees.
Because of this superhuman shoulder rotation, his swing appears
longer than others. You should have a backswing coil of 90
degrees.
Some people feel tight and they are not capable of turning their
shoulders back this far. If you feel tight when you turn back,
it’s not a bad thing. This tightness is a good thing because it
tells you that you have created torque in your swing. Think of
your body like a giant spring. If you were to wind up a giant
spring it would get tight. Then, if you let go, it would want to
snap back the other way.
Most people avoid this tight feeling by over-rotating the hips
on the way back. What they don’t realize it that when they
rotate the hips more than 45 degrees they lose this torque that
is necessary for creating consistency in the swing. So don't
avoid this tight feeling. Only turn back as much as your body
will allow.
The next time you go to the range keep your lower body stable
and turn your shoulders back as much as you can, until you feel
tight. This tightness tells you that you have created the
necessary torque or tight feel in your backswing. Also, make
sure your wrists are loose enough to allow the club to hinge to
at least 90 degrees in your wrists. This will give you maximum
power without having to swing back too far.
I hope you've enjoyed this golf backswing tip.
Paul Wilson
Creator - Swing Machine Golf
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