Thursday, April 12, 2007

Swing Low on Backswing

A big problem average golfers face is lifting the arms too early on the backswing. Instead of a low and smooth takeaway, they will lift their arms abruptly, which leads to many problems.

A few of these problems are lack of width, arc, and extension on the backswing. Other problems include too steep a swing, which causes mostly fat, sometimes-thin shots; and a reverse pivot, where you hang back on your left side to start the swing.
To prevent these problems, you simply need to take the club back lower to the ground. It seems almost too simple, but a great thought is to "swing the club back low for the first three feet of the backswing."

By doing so, many good things will happen:
-You will increase your arc 
-Your weight will automatically shift to your right side going back. (You never want to think of shifting your weight. It should happen naturally.)
-Your swing will have more width. (From this point, you’ll automatically develop a shallower angle of attack on your downswing.)So yes, swinging the club back lower to the ground kills many birds with one stone.

A couple of drills that will help you accomplish this are:
1. "Push the ball back" drill
- Set up to the ball and place another ball directly behind your clubface. Swing back while trying to push that ball back. Try to roll it along the ground.
2. "Under the board" drill
- Set up and imagine there is a five-foot-long board lying on top of your hands. About 2.5 feet of the board would be to the right of your hands. Try to swing the club back while keeping your hands underneath this imaginary board. This will keep your club lower to the ground.

If you can keep the club low during the initial stages of the backswing, your swing will improve dramatically.