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On the backswing, the order of movement is as follows: hands, arms, shoulders, hips. (On the downswing, the order is reversed: hips, shoulders, arms, hands.) The hands, arms and shoulders move almost simultaneously. Actually, the hands start the clubhead back a split second before the arms start back. The arms begin their movement a fraction before the shoulders start to turn. To the beginner the hands, arms and shoulders start back so closely together that their action is unified.
Ben Hogan's first book Power Golf insisted that the backswing was initiated by the hip turn and the hands, arms and shoulders automatically followed. For most golfers the hips can only be turned half as much as the shoulders. Few golfers really complete their shoulder turn. They stop turning when the shoulders are only half-way around : then, in order to get the clubhead all the way back, they break the left arm.
On all full shots, turn the shoulders as far around as they will go, (without moving the head) until your back is facing the target. Some people with supple frames can turn further than others, the more you turn the shoulders the better.
The plane depends on the build of each individual golfer. The person with long arms and short legs will naturally swing on a shallow or flat plane. Long legs and short arms will force a very steep angle of swing. You should obtain properly fitted clubs from the experts in order to perform correctly. These clubs are necessary in building a good swing - they force the player to stand the correct distance from the ball - by carrying out the grip, the stance, the address and the other fundamentals of a backswing they will also force the player into the correct swing plane for his build.
Periodically, the angle of your swing should be checked by taking a full swing - when the clubhead is nearing the top the grip should be sufficiently relaxed to let the shaft hit the player's body. If the shaft strikes the point of the left shoulder the angle is correct. If it hits the upper arm, the plane is too flat and if it strikes the neck or any point between the point of the shoulder and the neck, it is too upright.
There is no absolute top of the backswing, in the sense that everything that has been moving up reaches its limit at the same time and starts forward and down together. The club, hands, arms, body and legs do not reach their backward limits at the same time. They reach them in a steady progression, from the ground up. Like a spring fixed at the base and wound up from the top. The knees get there first, followed by the hips, then the shoulders, the arms, the hands and finally the clubhead. The knees and hips are actually uncoiling into the downswing before the clubhead has gone all the way back.
"Don't move the head" is sound advice, the head is the centre of the swing and the body rotates around this hub. The steady head is proof of good balance which allows the body to move properly. Some experts have slight head sways due to their foot or body action, these movements are dangerous to the average player. Just as important, on the follow-through the head does not turn until the club is 75 percent through the swing.
This motion is described as "turning in a barrel". As the golfer swings his club back, the hips "turn in the barrel", the right hip gets out of the way and allows the player to get a full shoulder turn and an uninterrupted back swing. When this pivot is done correctly the left knee will break in and point to a position just behind the ball. The left heel should lift slightly off the ground to a maximum of two inches for a full swing (any further will cause overswing and loss of balance). A number of professionals advocate that the left heel should be kept on the ground for as long as possible and to roll, not lift, the left heel in playing short irons. The reason for the anchored left heel is that it must return to the ground in exactly the same spot as when the stance was taken, any variation and the swing will be thrown off, since the golfer will be using a different foundation than the one he started with. The shorter the lift, the easier it is to replace.
At the so called top of the swing the important points are the position of the wrists and the right elbow. The left wrist should be underneath the shaft of the club with the left hand hinged back towards the inside of the left elbow so that three wrinkles of skin form at the wrist. Unless these wrinkles form in the manner illustrated the swing is too flat and should be checked. The right elbow's position is into the right side with the right forearm vertical and in the position best described as a 'waiter carrying a tray of drinks'.
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Wrists at the Top of The Swing |
If you have followed each step and are now correct in your grip, stance, address and have arrived at the top of the swing in the right position, you have accomplished or built 70% of the golf house. Each step has been carried out smoothly and without hurrying so don't pull the framework down by jumping into the downswing. This is the stage when all good golfers stop thinking and concentrate only on turning the hips. If this turn is carried out naturally the left heel will go back on to the ground, the shoulders, arms, hands and clubhead will follow in its natural arc and the momentum of the swing will carry the body into a complete follow through. The head must not move until after the ball has been hit and the right shoulder will then turn it to follow the flight of the ball.
