Golf’s Missing Setup Tip–Set Up so that your upper body can rotate along hip joint

If you setup incorrectly, none of the golf fundamentals will make any sense. For example, the one piece takeaway – or ‘maintaining the Y’ as you start your backswing – is key to attaining the right swing plane. However, this is impossible to do if your upper body is not set up to rotate about a stable lower body. Keeping your spine angle – another fundamental, is hopelessly lost if your upper body is not allowed to turn freely. This post summarizes an important setup key to ensure that you can easily and smoothly execute a turn away from the ball. It also points out common misleading instructions about the backswing (such as the ‘COIL’ and the ‘straight left arm’). 

The missing fundamental – The Hip Bend

Most instructors talk about bending from the WAIST. This will instantly curve your spine (bad) and prevent a rotation of your upper body (really bad).

Some will instruct you to bend from the hips (which is the ONLY way to enable your upper body to rotate). However, they do not offer a check to ensure that your hip bend is correct.

The idea behind bending from the hips is to allow your upper body to rotate.  You absolutely CANNOT do anything right unless you bend your upper body from the hip joints (see appendix A below on how to accomplish this bend) – JUST ENOUGH so that it is primed to start rotating with the help of the hip sockets. Most amateurs today DO NOT bend correctly from the hips. They are either too upright or all their bend is in their knees (due to another poorly taught ‘flex your knees’ fundamental).

The Knee Flex

You do not NEED  to separately flex your knees (after bending from the hips).   As you bend from your hips, your knees will automatically flex. See ‘Appendix A’ below for ‘how much’ bend is a good bend.

A Soft Turn (away from the ball)

  Now that you understand the ‘why’ behind bending from the hips, all you need to do is check whether your upper body can turn freely and GENTLY. As you visualize turning your upper body, remember that it has to be a gentle, soft turning motion. None of the stiff, hard, aggressive turns. An aggressive turn is the result of an incorrect hip bend – and an upper body that is anything but soft. The thought to have in mind is – Even without a club in my hand, all I want to do is gently turn my body. See Faldo demonstrate this gentle turning motion in the right image below.

NOT a soft turn (notice how tight his back and shoulder appears).	Soft, gentle turn (Notice how little effort Faldo seems to be making. This IS a FULL turn. You do not need to turn beyond this.)

The Misleading ‘Coil’ on the backswing

All this talk about correctly ‘coiling your body’ on the backswing. The word ‘coil’ is raft with tension. It denotes a tense body. This coiling attempt, in my opinion, is responsible for most of the incorrect, aggressive turns away from the ball. All that is needed is a soft, gentle turn.  And you need to do NOTHING at all during this turn – except one small thing. Maintain the Y at the start of the turn!

Maintaining the Y

As you start gently turning your body along the hip joint, you need to ensure that the club goes back along the right plane. I am guessing, by now, you are familiar with the concept of the plane on which the club has to be swing. Know this, that this plane is real. And that, if you video taped every scratch golfer and pro out there, 99% of them swing the club back and down on this swing plane (there are two competing ‘plane’ theories – single plane and double plane – but that is not of concern).There IS a plane on which the club shaft needs to travel back. 

Notice the Y in the image below. All you have to do is keep this Y for the first couple of feet as you take your club back.

At Setup – The ‘Y’	The first two feet back – Leadbetter demonstrating ‘maintaining the Y’. This is all you need to start the club on plane – it will stay on plane from here on – do not overthink the rest of the ‘checkpoints’ on your backswing.

How do you find the correct backswing ‘plane’?

There is a lot of talk about swinging back on plane. What the plane denotes is a set of checkpoints where the club should be at all times during your backswing. Volumes have been written about where the club should be at this height (say waist level) and that height (say shoulder level). These checkpoints, though useful, are too much to keep track of for the amateur golfer. What I discovered was that, one could automatically HIT all the checkpoints, if one just started the club back right.

Instead of worrying about where the club is at each and every point in your backswing – just focus on getting the first couple of feet right.

Once you have the first couple of feet right on your backswing, the rest of the ‘checkpoints’ will be attained automatically. You won’t have to think about the waist high point or the top-of-the-backswing point. If you videotaped your backswing, it would resemble a pro’s backswing. As simple as that.

Get the first two feet right – and you are effectively swinging on plane – same as all the pros out there. Hogan’s plane of glass (a visual aid for finding the correct swing plane) is nothing more than the ‘maintaining the Y’. If you get your first couple of feet right, you will automatically have found Hogan’s plane – and will stay on it , even after the first couple of feet.

Hogan’s plane of glass can be found by ‘Maintaining the Y’ for the first couple of feet during your backswing (and just continuing the turn from there on)

 

Backswing Start – A Tip for maintaining the ‘Y’

Some people get this ‘maintain the Y’ right away. Others have a little difficulty with it. The difficulty arises mainly due to an overpowering right hand grip – which essentially ‘breaks your Y’.

A simple workaround for this is to ensure that it is the left arm that needs to grip the club – with the right hand merely resting on the grip. I like to feel a FLAT ‘back of my left wrist’. The flatness makes it a little taut – and in control of the grip. The right hand, I leave completely loose. In effect, you should feel like you are holding a tennis racket in your left hand – and left hand only – as if you are about to hit a left-handed backhand shot. No right hand involvement. At some point during your backswing, without you even realizing it, the right hand grip will automatically tighten to the appropriate amount. All you worry about is keeping the left arm in control – do not think or care about what is happening with the right.

This ‘dominant left’ wrist seems to make it easier to maintain the Y  when starting back. The slightly stronger left grip keeps the Y from collapsing.

Backswing  – The Straight Left Arm (is actually just a FLAT left wrist)

When you try to maintain a FLAT left wrist, that feels and looks just like a straight left arm. So people talk about the ‘straight left arm on the backswing’. In reality, all they are saying is ‘maintain the Y’. Keeping a flat left wrist simply helps maintain the Y. The ‘straight’ left arm is just a side effect of ‘maintaining the ‘Y’ ‘.

Backswing – The ‘One-Piece Takeaway’

Start your backswing with a ‘One Piece Takeaway’. I heard this time and time again – no matter which coach I spoke to – or which book I read. This was a very confusing item for me  – although Julius Boros does as good as job of describing this (see reading list, Appendix C) as anyone could.

Finally, one coach (in the U.S.) said – ‘It just means , keep your arms in front of your body at all times, when you start your backswing’. And then it clicked –  It was just like ‘maintaining the Y’!  The ‘Y’ requires you to keep your arms in front of the body at the start of the swing. I prefer ‘maintaining the Y’ to ‘One Piece Takeaway’ – although they both accomplish the same thing. No longer do I have a confused look when someone talks about a one piece takeaway.   

Backswing – An Additional Checkpoint

If ‘maintaining the Y’ for the first couple of feet is not enough of a visual for you, here is another visual that helped me.  Just remember that your shaft has to reach PARALLEL to the ground – towards the end of your backswing. The closer it is to parallel, the straighter your shots will go (as explained by Jack Nicklaus in his classic My Golden Lessons). To see a good visual of what this looks like, see the image below. I promise you, if you ‘maintain the Y’ for the first couple of feet – and just keep turning (aka DON’T turn over-aggressively), you will reach the exact same position at the top as Rory in the image below.

Rory McIlroy – Club Shaft exactly parallel at top of backswing

‘’

Downswing

The downswing, if you have taken the club back on plane, should be automatic. You really do not have to think about it. While hundreds of things have been written about what to do on the start of the downswing – and what to do on impact, there is only ONE thing you really need to know – and that is what NOT TO DO. And that one thing is –

    Do not start your downswing with your right side!

Not your right hand, not your right shoulder, not your right knee (as Hogan was thought to have done), not your right anything. This RIGHT side tendency is ingrained for most (right handed) athletes. When you play tennis (or any racquet sport), you unleash your right side, when you throw a ball (or even a stone), you unleash your right shoulder. It is no wonder that starting from the right side is the first instinct of an athlete.

How then, do you suppress this instinct?

A slight digression into golf coaches today : (I used to be a bit of a golf freak – and got waaay too many lessons). Two things I learnt about getting golf lessons :

1) Golf cannot be learned in 45 or 60 minute lessons. You need to immerse yourself in the training – get a 3 week training camp or something analogous – and you might walk out with a couple of elements retained. Anything less is a waste of time. You WILL, most likely, revert to your old habits a few days after the lesson wears off. After spending a lot on lessons, I decided to try coaching in my native country, India. Being relatively inexpensive, I could afford to get a (good) coach for the entire day (4 to 6 hours) for the same price that I would pay for an hour here in the U.S. I lucked out – and got an even better coach than I was hoping for – he was an ex-‘India open’ champion from the 60 and 70s, now retired, but coaching the next generation. He knew his golf. He emphasized the importance of a soft, gentle turn to me. He looked at my swing and remarked, you are waaay too strong on your backswing – so strong that you almost lose your balance going back. All you need is a slight turn and that’s it. That’s the complete backswing. No need to swing out of your shoes.

So anyway, 45 – 60 minute lessons, in my opinion, are ineffective.  If you can – consider joining longer golf camps.

2) Your coach’s built – This may sound trivial – but try and find a coach who has a build similar to yours. There  are too many little nuances in the golf setup (the amount of hip bend (which dictates the Spine Angle), the angle the left wrist makes with the grip, the amount of flex in your knees etc. What I learnt was that these all depended on the build of my instructor. To avoid any confusion, go with a coach who has a build similar to yours. Often, the coaches themselves are not aware of these little nuances.

Back to the downswing – and how do you suppress the ‘start from the right side’ instinct

One of the tips that I got from a coach (here in the US) was about how to start the downswing.  The idea is to start it with your left side (eliminating any right side action). If you can actually start with your left shoulder uncoiling (just like a backhand tennis shot), you are golden. You will be on plane – and have all the glorious power of the shoulder behind your downswing. If, however, you have trouble accomplishing this consistently, here is a tip that will make it happen time after time, without any thinking on your part.

Start down by pulling your grip towards the ball.

That’s it. The beauty of this tip is :

1. As you pull your grip (hands) towards the ball, this motion automatically enlists your left shoulder. So – you get the shoulder power without even attempting it.
2. It is EASY to visualize this downswing thought – much easier than thoughts like ‘drop the right elbow’ (a popular coaching tip), transfer your weight back to the left  etc.  This simple thought will start your club down on plane – all the while enlisting the power of the shoulders. You’re welcome. That’ll be $85, please .

Appendix A : The right amount of hip bend

First, I’ll mention what the WRONG amount of hip-bend looks like.

Too much bend – If you bend too much, you will find yourself leaning forward and swinging your arms without really turning your body. Remember, the upper body – all the way down to the hip joint – needs to turn.  Its no use if just the upper chest is turning and your torso isn’t. If you’ve been told your swing is too ‘handsy’ or too much ‘arms and hands’  – you are most likely bending too much. This moves your arms out of their shoulder sockets and all the way out – to where they have to operate on their own (with little help from the big muscles of the upper body). This stance will not enable you to ‘turn’ away from the ball – merely make you take your arms up and away – which is a powerless swing.

Too Little bend – This leads to a more upright stance – and almost no knee flex (the knee flex is a result of your hip bend – so if you do not bend your hips , you do not really have a natural knee flex). This is the most commonly seen incorrect stance.

The right amount of bend – From an erect stance, imagine someone poking you in your hip joint (one finger on each side). You will naturally bend from the hip. This is how you bend your hips. Now, simply try and turn gently while keeping your lower body facing forward. That is – do not move your lower body to the right or to the left – just keep it where it is – while your upper body executes its turn. If you can turn fully (back facing target) – without losing your balance, this is the correct amount of hip bend. You can try this drill  with our without a club (first try it without a club).

Appendix B: Common  backswing faults

Swaying – Your lower body sways either to the left or to the right during your backswing. This can be avoided by sticking to the ‘gentle turn’ described in this post. It is most commonly brought about by ‘aggressive’ backswings.

Appendix C: Reading List (see this post for a full reading list of golf books – instructional)

To get some great images of the setup and backswing, try this book – Perfecting your golf swing – by Oliver Heuler . Do not confuse with ‘How to perfect your golf swing’ – by Jimmy Ballard (another great book ).

Perfecting Your Golf Swing: New Ways to Lower Your Score

This next book may not teach you about ‘maintaining the Y’, but it will teach you the intricacies of the golf swing – from the mind of someone who thought more about it than perhaps anyone else in the world. And has the record to prove it. The only grand slam winner in the history of golf (not counting career grand slams or out of year grand slams). He remains the only man to have won all 4 titles in the same year (and in as competitive an environment as ever). He also remains one of the most analytical dissectors of the golf swing (tied with perhaps Hogan, I find Bobby Jones much easier to understand than Hogan – even without any images in Jones’s book).

Bobby Jones on Golf

Julius Boros – the ‘Big Easy’ of his time (we have Ernie Els) – describes the one-piece takeaway as perfectly as anyone ever could. Great pictures in this book as well.

Swing Easy, Hit Hard

‘’Swing within your feet’, ‘Let your shirt buttons guide your shoulder alignment’ – are part of the 120 gems of instruction in this book. All from arguably, THE greatest, player of the game.

Summary

One of my early-on coaches remarked – “Anuj, you’ve almost got it. You just need to work on two little things.’ He waited for me to ask ‘What are those two things?’ To which he replied – ‘The Backswing and the Downswing’. And he smiled.

It seemed that I was doing everything wrong! But in reality, I was doing just ONE thing wrong – my backswing. And it was wrong because my setup was wrong. Wrong because, while I was taught to bend from the hips, nobody taught me the importance of the bend – or how the upper body relies solely on this bend to execute its turn. With an incorrect bend, there isn’t a hope of taking the club back on plane. And of course, if you don’t turn away correctly from the ball, there isn’t any hope of bringing it back down on plane.  

Backswing Summary

We complicate the backswing more than we need to. We do not need to know where the club is at every single degree of the arc that it traces on the way back. We just need to direct its path for the first couple of feet – and if we turn gently, it will stay on plane for the rest of the backswing.

Downswing Summary

We also tend to overthink the downswing – something that is meant to be an automatic reflex motion.  The most important thing is what NOT TO DO on the downswing. And the easiest way to accomplish this is to try and pull your hands down towards the ball.

Full Swing Summary

If we just try and do ONE thing right on the backswing (maintain the Y) and ONE thing right on the downswing (pull your grip towards the ball), we have all we need to execute the perfect swing. And remember to avoid ‘aggressively’ turning away from the ball – watch Ernie Els  – he barely seems to be exerting any effort on his backswing – yet, he hits it 300 yards – dead straight. Aggression is overrated, smoothness is the key to golf success.

About the Author

Anuj Varma is a technical architect residing in Austin, TX. He used to be a weekend golfer – his only claim to golf fame being a couple of club championship trophies (in the 18-20 handicap bracket). He is NOT a pro – nor is he ever going to turn pro .  He is however, a golf hacker, has read over 100 golf classics and received coaching from over a dozen instructors. In other words, he is, dear reader,  just like you.