Question:
A lot is made of ‘keeping ones arms and shoulders in sync on the backswing. This confuses me. As I understand it, when you address the ball the shoulders and arms form a ‘V’ which should be maintained throughout the backswing. While I understand this concept, I find it hard to know whether I am achieving this or not, as apart from turning the shoulders, the arms have to also swing upwards, making it hard to see if the ‘V’ is the same as it was at address. Apart from buying some gadget, is there a simpler, more scientific way of checking this, and what checkpoints should I look for in my backswing to ensure that it is happening correctly. Many thanks.
Response:
A lot is made of ‘keeping ones arms and shoulders in sync on the backswing. This confuses me. As I understand it, when you address the ball the shoulders and arms form a ‘V’ which should be maintained throughout the backswing. While I understand this concept, I find it hard to know whether I am achieving this or not, as apart from turning the shoulders, the arms have to also swing upwards, making it hard to see if the ‘V’ is the same as it was at address. Apart from buying some gadget, is there a simpler, more scientific way of checking this, and what checkpoints should I look for in my backswing to ensure that it is happening correctly.
Personally, I don’t think that’s important to check. I think there are more important things. You arms should stay "in front of your chest" throughout the swing. This is a little confusing, but basically it means you shouldn’t swing your arms all the way around you on the backswing so they go past your right shoulder (to the right and behind you). One lesson that I had a hard time learning was that the arms and shoulders move on 2 different planes. Your arms swing upright, and your shoulders turn flat. Basically your arms move straight up, and they only come inside the target line because your shoulders and body are rotating inward. One good checkpoint is to go to the top of your backswing. Allow your head to turn right so you can look down and see your right foot. Your chest should look on top of your right knee and right foot. Your weight is "stacked" on your right side. If your right foot is perpendicular to the target line, your chest (shoulder line) should be parallel to your right foot. It might be difficult to turn this far, and if so you might want to loosen your hips a little, and flare your right foot out about 10 degrees. Turning your shoulders/upper body this much helps keep your arms "in front of" your chest. If you accomplish those things, you probably have a pretty good backswing. At this point you can still wreck it by starting your downswing with your shoulders, or by throwing your arms out, casting, and coming over the top, but it’s still a good place to start from.
Response:
A lot is made of ‘keeping ones arms and shoulders in sync on the backswing. This confuses me. As I understand it, when you address the ball the shoulders and arms form a ‘V’ which should be maintained throughout the backswing. While I understand this concept, I find it hard to know whether I am achieving this or not, as apart from turning the shoulders, the arms have to also swing upwards, making it hard to see if the ‘V’ is the same as it was at address. Apart from buying some gadget, is there a simpler, more scientific way of checking this, and what checkpoints should I look for in my backswing to ensure that it is happening correctly. Many thanks.
Your hands are in front of your chest in the triangle at address. If they more or less stay in front of your chest on the way back, you have probably maintained your triangle… and kept your arms connected to your body.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – A lot is made of ‘keeping ones arms and shoulders in sync on the backswing. This confuses me. As I understand it, when you address the ball the shoulders and arms form a ‘V’ which should be maintained throughout the backswing. While I understand this concept, I find it hard to know whether I am achieving this or not, as apart from turning the shoulders, the arms have to also swing upwards, making it hard to see if the ‘V’ is the same as it was at address. Apart from buying some gadget, is there a simpler, more scientific way of checking this, and what checkpoints should I look for in my backswing to ensure that it is happening correctly. Many thanks. Your hands are in front of your chest in the triangle at address. If they more or less stay in front of your chest on the way back, you have probably maintained your triangle… and kept your arms connected to your body.
See the July Golf Digest– in the Breaking 100,90,80 article. Leadbetter and Charles Howell go into this in detail. Several drills and suggestions for using your clubs and a towel as swing aids to ensure that the takeway is connected and the triangle is maintained. VJ Singh practices and warms up with a golf glove under his left armpit. Keep something there and your swing is automatically "connected." You must turn your torso in order to generate power–not just arms. This is worth practicing until you groove it. They emphasize that the downswing emulates the takeaway– thus if we get right the portion of the swing that we can control in slow motion, the other that happens too fast will be correct. Larry
Response:
See the July Golf Digest– in the Breaking 100,90,80 article. Leadbetter and Charles Howell go into this in detail. Several drills and suggestions for using your clubs and a towel as swing aids to ensure that the takeway is connected and the triangle is maintained. VJ Singh practices and warms up with a golf glove under his left armpit. Keep something there and your swing is automatically "connected." You must turn your torso in order to generate power–not just arms.
For those of you who still don’t think LLLarry is a troll it is now time for another troll 101 class. LLLarry has always advocated lessons from PGA certified instructors only and labeled all the others as "brand -X". Now he is endorsing an article from David Leadbetter, a NON-PGA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. Please stop feeding the troll folks. David Laville, G.S.E.M. The Golfing Machine Authorized Instructor Contributor Of Consistent & Spam Free Golf Advice
Response:
A lot is made of ‘keeping ones arms and shoulders in sync on the backswing. This confuses me. As I understand it, when you address the ball the shoulders and arms form a ‘V’ which should be maintained throughout the backswing. While I understand this concept, I find it hard to know whether I am achieving this or not, as apart from turning the shoulders, the arms have to also swing upwards, making it hard to see if the ‘V’ is the same as it was at address. Apart from buying some gadget, is there a simpler, more scientific way of checking this, and what checkpoints should I look for in my backswing to ensure that it is happening correctly. Many thanks.
Where did you get that advice: it is terrible. Your arms fold naturally and are SOMEwhere. to worry about them is like worrying about your right earlobe. Just direct the club correctly on plane and let the clubhead follow. the hands will know what to do. Do you obsess over where your knees are when you walk? Same thing. George Hibbard www.perfectimpact.com
Response:
George, I seem to vaguely remember when I was a very young child, whilst I was being taught to walk, that my mother held me under my armpits and swung my body around until my legs were in the right place. By repeating this proceedure alot of times I eventually learnt where to place my knees, and now I don’t have to think where to place my knees because the process has become ingrained and now I don’t have to think about it. I would imagine that many millions of mere mortals like myself around the world have gone through a similar process, even you may have done something similar. In a similar way we have to learn the correct ways to swing a golf club until it too becomes second nature. Matt Latty
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Where did you get that advice: it is terrible. Your arms fold naturally and are SOMEwhere. to worry about them is like worrying about your right earlobe. Just direct the club correctly on plane and let the clubhead follow. the hands will know what to do. Do you obsess over where your knees are when you walk? Same thing. George Hibbard www.perfectimpact.com
Response:
Paul: I found a useful drill on golfspan by Steve Bann. When I watched it, it was available free, but now you have subscibe. If you are interested it is at: http://www.golfspan.com/videoscreen/videoscreen.asp?vidID=550 The video is called ‘Backswing: Arm Movement’. My backswing was far too inside, and try as I might I just couldn’t get it right. I went to a good PGA teacher and he analysed that my hands and arms were too low at the top of the backswing which were caused by my path being too inside. He held my arms and took them back, but I still couldn’t get it. Then I saw the Steve Bann video and I thought no this can’t possibly be right, but I tried it and it worked, but I still had doubts. Then as I was looking through Tiger Woods’ book, ‘How I play Golf’, see his backswing position on p.196 his right arm is bent 90 degrees but right in front of his body. And I concluded from the Steve Bann video and the Woods pictures that the golf swing has three elements: 1. The Body turn – I’m sure you know the drill with arms crossed in front of your chest and turning your body. 2. The arm swing – as described by Bann 3. The wrist cock/uncock – partially Bann and my conclusion that if Bann is right on Backswing, then the downswing is reverse of these. And the through swing is approximately mirror image of backswing. Then after I came to these conclusions I read similar in ‘The Golfing Machine’. So the golf swing is combining these three elements correctly. Then last couple of days I found that Chuck Cook teaches something similar on Golfspan in video called ‘Increase your distance’ at: http://www.golfspan.com/videoscreen/videoscreen.asp?VidID=312 I think that this is free at the moment, so hurry up if you want to see it. Matt Latty And the video is
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – A lot is made of ‘keeping ones arms and shoulders in sync on the backswing. This confuses me. As I understand it, when you address the ball the shoulders and arms form a ‘V’ which should be maintained throughout the backswing. While I understand this concept, I find it hard to know whether I am achieving this or not, as apart from turning the shoulders, the arms have to also swing upwards, making it hard to see if the ‘V’ is the same as it was at address. Apart from buying some gadget, is there a simpler, more scientific way of checking this, and what checkpoints should I look for in my backswing to ensure that it is happening correctly. Many thanks.