Golf Backswing Tips – How to Store Power in Your Swing
There is no part of the golf swing that is more or less important than the other. All of them play an important role in the flow and execution. The backswing has the role to store power which you will release when you hit the golf ball. Besides the power aspect, these golf backswing tips will help you to make a smoother transition into the downswing.
Many mistakes that happen in the golf swing are related to the backswing. Anything from slices, hooks, and thin or thick shots have roots in a bad backswing.
Think of your swing as a seamless motion. If any part of that motion doesn’t work, the outcome won’t be the best. Therefore, for a solid downswing, you have to have a solid backswing.
There are several moving parts during your backswing. That includes your legs, hips, upper body, arms, wrists, and your club. If you look at professional golfers, their backswing motions are consistent each time they hit the ball. They might all not do the exact same motions during execution, but overall it is all in place. Let’s see what you could do to improve your backswing.
Upper Body and Arms in Sync for More Rotation
The fact is that more rotation can give you a longer backswing and ultimately more distance. Now, not every golfer can rotate the same amount. There is no problem with that. The goal is to maximize the rotation according to your physical capabilities. That is something you can achieve if you move your upper body and arms in sync.
When your arms move quicker than your upper body during the backswing, you finish your rotation sooner than you could. That happens because your arms reach the highest point of your swing before you fully rotate your body. In other words, that makes your backswing shorter than it could be.
Moving your upper body and arms in sync allows your body to fully rotate which helps you to extend your swing more. It happens the way once your body stops rotating, the shoulders keep rotating which helps your arms to create a longer backswing. As an outcome, you can store more power that will be released with the downswing and impact.
Hinge Your Wrists After the Takeaway
In order to create lag and obtain more power through your swing, you have to hinge your wrists at some point during the backswing. However, it is important to start that process at the right time. If you start hinging too early it can lead to some motions that can hurt your swing. That can result in mis-hits in the form of slices, thin shots, and thick shots.
Ideally, you start hinging your wrists right after the takeaway, around the time when your club reaches parallel to the ground position. From there, your club should naturally get to the position of forming an angle around 90 degrees with your arms at the top of your backswing. That will help you to create lag in the downswing and help you to release more energy through impact.
Try Not To Slide Toward Your Trail Side
I will say try not to slide towards your trail side because even some professional golfers do slide a touch. But they are professionals and know how to work with that. If you do slide, there is a chance your could move your entire upper body as well. That can cause your weight to get stuck on your trail side which can result in all sorts of mis-hits.
It basically makes the whole process of weight transfer and shifting toward the lead side more challenging. A more efficient way would be to keep your body in place and rotate around your axis. One thing that can help you with that is your lower body. Use your legs to help you rotate and clear your hips instead of sliding.
Keep Your Arms Close to Your Body
This part is extremely important if you want to keep your backswing structure and have better results. Moving your arms away from your body can cause several issues. The biggest one is the club path. When your arms get away from your body in the upper arms area they will most likely move faster than your upper body.
By moving faster than your upper body your arms can take the club behind you early in the backswing which will change its path. That will result in the out-to-in club path and lead to slices. Keeping your arms close to your body during the backswing will help to move them in sync with your upper body. Besides that, it will help with getting the club to the inside to out path and to gain more power in your swing.
Shorten Your Backswing If Needed
Believe it or not, you might actually gain more swing speed and distance if you shorten your backswing. The main reason for that is your lead arm. If your backswing is too long, there is a good chance your lead arm bends when you reach the top of your backswing. Now, there are exemptions among professional golfers who can work with that.
Once your lead arm bends it becomes more challenging to straighten it again in the downswing to make solid contact. Ideally, your backswing ends just before your lead arm starts bending. Even if that means shortening your backswing it will help you to load your swing with more power and bring more consistency into your ball striking.
Solid Backswing for More Consistency
As I mentioned above, all golf swing parts are equally important. The golf swing is a sequel of motions that form one seamless flow. It all starts from the first motion leading to the final one. For that reason is very important to master the initial parts of the swing. When you do that it pre-sets the next parts for a solid outcome.
One of the most important things to remember is the basics. Even professional golf players often go back to swing basics. It is the constant reminder of the basics that help them to be so successful. Mastering the backswing basics will help you improve your game and bring more fun into every round of golf you play.
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