A restricted backswing–the key to consistency

How many times have you had a spectacular round of golf followed by a ‘not so spectacular’ one? Or a birdie hole followed by a double bogey? Most beginners share this common symptom– inconsistency from day to day or even from one hole to the next. Here is a simple tip that may help you become more consistent:

Do you know where your hands are?

If you are unable to visualize your hands at the TOP of your backswing, chances are you are unaware of how far back you swing each time. Almost every good golfer has an intuitive grasp of where his or her hands are at any moment in the backswing. This AWARENESS of the hands is especially important as you start approaching the END of your backswing.

Swinging back the SAME amount every time

As a drill, only swing your arms back till hip height. As they reach hip height, your wrists will start breaking (hinging). Let  the wrists break as far as they can – but do not swing your arms back any more. I like to call this a RESTRICTED backswing. It is, however, far from restricted. For most people, the hands in this RESTRICTED backswing WILL reach all the way up to shoulders. Not just that, your upper body will be COILED and PRIMED for the downswing.  HIP height serves as a convenient visualization – try and swing your arms back only as far as your hips. Your arms will continue to be pulled (by your hinging wrists) all the way up till your shoulders (see image below).

The RESTRICTED backswing IS the FULL backswing

 

 

Now, I will let you in on a secret my golf coach shared with me. After having me hit balls with this HIP height backswing for over 2 weeks, he informed me that I no longer needed to work on my full swing. I already had the full swing…..By the time my wrists had fully hinged, my hands were at shoulder height, my upper body was strongly coiled behind the ball – and that is all I needed to begin my downswing. A lot of us over-swing without even realizing it. Sometimes, it works – in that, we are able to compensate by moving our lower body out of the way in the impact zone. However, this over swinging is at the root of an inconsistent golf swing. The key to developing a consistent full swing is to develop a consistent backswing. The key to a consistent backswing is starting with a RESTRICTED backswing.

DRIVING The ball forward

With a restricted backswing, it becomes possible to ‘drive’ the ball forward. This swing thought is one of the very best that I have ever learnt from any golf coach. The underlying idea is simple – and if you are a tennis player, you will get it right away:

Finish your follow through!

You will be amazed at how many times we consider our swing ‘finished’ once contact has been made with the ball. As any tennis coach will tell you, that is not when you are done. You have to continue swinging your racquet past that impact zone – all the way to the finish. This is called ‘finishing your follow through’. This leads to STRAIGHTER and more POWERFUL shots. In golf, the same idea holds.  In fact, it is even more central to the golf shot – since ‘accelerating through impact’ is the only way to hit a STRAIGHT shot.  This is important not just for the full swing – but for every stroke – including chips and putts. In fact, chipping is the one area where even the best players forget to accelerate through the  ball – leading to inconsistent shots.

When you shorten your backswing, you  ALLOCATE more TIME to  your follow through. If you spend too much time (and energy) on your backswing, you will have little left for your downswing – and will most likely, stop right after you make contact with the ball.

Summary

Several famous golfers (PGA tour players) have benefited from shortening their backswing – and it still remains one of the best golf tips ever. Combine that with the golden idea of ‘driving the ball forward’ – and you have the makings of a professional golf swing!