Question:
Hi Gunnie: I used to have that problem too and I thought that I was not taking the club inside on the backswing but I was. The thing was I was just concentrating on the arms swinging the club rather than seeing that it is the body turn that takes the club inside, the arms predominately move up and down. My instructor analysed the problem and even tried guiding my arms and hands into the correct position, but I just couldn’t get it. The result of this fault was that I had this wicked over the top downswing where I was hitting everything about 30 to 40 yards left, which I guess is what you are doing, or probably a slice if your clubface isn’t square to your swing path. The thing that really helped me was a video I saw on Golfspan, unfortunately you have to subscribe to view it. It helped me to see in my mind what was really happening in the swing. The instructor on Golfspan is a coach named Steven Bann, he coaches Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby. In it he basically says that the swing is made up of three components, the body turn, the arm swing and wrist cock. I come from a college background of physics and I viewed it in my mind as an analogy of Vectors – the golf swing is like the resultant of three vectors, body turn, arm swing and wrist cock. This really helped me. My approach to the swing is analytical, more Nick Faldo than the John Daly ‘Just Grip it and Rip it!’ philosophy. I am now swinging alot better – 10 shots per round better. The video is ‘Steven Bann – Backswing: Arm Movement’ and can be found at: http://www.golfspan.com As I say, unfortunately, you have to subscribe, which costs US$49.95 per year or US$6.99 per month. I am nothing to do with Golfspan, I’m just recommending it because this video really helped me, it was worth my subscription, otherwise I think I would still be struggling with my backswing. Anyway, the following is the text of the video, I hope it helps. Matt Latty Most golfers learn the best visually, by copying the best player at the club or the course where you first start playing or watching the pros on television. Unfortunately there are a lot of illusions when we first start to look at the golf swing. The thing that I think causes the most problems with peoples’ swing plane and arm position in the golf swing is the illusion that the arms swing sideways on the backswing. When a golfer sees someone play they think that guy is swinging his arms sideways. But golfers are not really swinging their arms sideways in the backswing, what they are actually doing is swinging their arms up. It’s the pivot of their bodies that is taking the club sideways. Here is the correct arm action. The club comes up in front of your body and the club shaft hinges in line with your left arm. The right arm bends to an angle of about ninety-degrees and the wrists set. That is what the arms do in the backswing, even though it does not look like it. But if you watch this, I lift my arms in front of my body, and then I add my pivot, you will see that I am in the perfect position at the top of the backswing. Now if you look at it from the side. I am going to lift my club up in line with my left arm, right arm bent to a ninety-degree angle, then I add my pivot around my set up angle, and you can see that I am in the correct position at the top. It can be quite confusing when you see that. So why does the club not appear to go outside on the backswing. Well it does with a couple of Tour Players; Lee Travino and Freddy Couples. They take the club up on the outside and then turn, and that is what gets the club in a good position at the top. But from most people it is the timing of your turn taking your arms back before the arms start to lift that gives the impression that the club is swinging correctly back on the right plane. So it is very important to understand that the arms swing up and down as your body turns around your set up angles. That is the complexity of the golf swing, and that is the most common illusions that causes backswing and swing plane faults.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Folks Am wondering if anyone has any thoughts or experience with a flat backswing plane? By flat, I mean with the hands at the top are below the neck, really even with the shoulders or a little below them. I don’t mean an inside heave during the takeaway. I know that’s bad and have managed to get that flat backswing without the radical inside movement of the club. I really feel as though the butt of the club never gets above my chin at any time during the backswing. Shoulders move almost horizontal. There is very little up and down with the shoulders during the backswing. My results have been so-so after about six months of this. The good shots are spectacular. The poor ones are dismal. That quality gap is wider than when I had a more vertical move. I didn’t hit so many spectacular shots, but neither did I hit so many poor ones. I am a 12 handicap. So, your thoughts are solicited, and corrections and modifications as well. Also, any pro players with an easily identifiable flat backswing plane? Thanks! Gunnie
Response:
Hi Folks Am wondering if anyone has any thoughts or experience with a flat backswing plane? By flat, I mean with the hands at the top are below the neck, really even with the shoulders or a little below them.
Thats really flat, you probabaly roll your wrist very early in the backswing, I had that problem. You can check very easy if thats your problem, grab a club and take your normal backswing, stop your swing early in the backswing, about when your club goes parallel to the ground (your hands will be just slightly above your belt). Now look at your clubface, if its pointing up directly to the sky, or slightly closed your ok. However if the clubface is open (pointing behind you) you rolled your wrists too early in the backswing. I found when I stop the early rolling of the wrist my swing plane automatically became more upright without thinking about it. Eventually your wrists have to roll but that comes later in the backswing and again early in the downswing if you do everything right. steve
Response:
: So, your thoughts are solicited, and corrections and modifications as : well. Also, any pro players with an easily identifiable flat backswing : plane? Sergio comes to mind. cb
Response:
Hi Folks Am wondering if anyone has any thoughts or experience with a flat backswing plane? By flat, I mean with the hands at the top are below the neck, really even with the shoulders or a little below them. I don’t mean an inside heave during the takeaway. I know that’s bad and have managed to get that flat backswing without the radical inside movement of the club. I really feel as though the butt of the club never gets above my chin at any time during the backswing. Shoulders move almost horizontal. There is very little up and down with the shoulders during the backswing. My results have been so-so after about six months of this. The good shots are spectacular. The poor ones are dismal. That quality gap is wider than when I had a more vertical move. I didn’t hit so many spectacular shots, but neither did I hit so many poor ones. I am a 12 handicap. So, your thoughts are solicited, and corrections and modifications as well. Also, any pro players with an easily identifiable flat backswing plane? Thanks! Gunnie