Next up in this sequence of backswing posts is us taking a closer look at specific elements of the backswing that should be universal and need to happen in order to help ensure solid contact at impact. In this post we look closer at a common swing “thought” that involves your hands being “connected” to your upper body during the swing. I specifically remember being taught that your shoulders must always face your hands during the swing, and while this is true, the swing thought tends to force people to be too stiff and rigid in attempts to remain connected. The truth is actually the exact opposite.
Although your arms initiate the swing as a unit, they should move independently from the rest of your body. As you swing back, your shoulders and arms initiate the move, but your body stays relatively still. Your weight slowly starts to move laterally with the backswing, but once the club reaches hip height your body begins to turn. Your right hip and right shoulder begin moving away from the ball as youThis is the disconnect. As your body is rotating you’re still extending the club outward away from your body creating what is common referred to as “width” in your swing.
This may feel like reaching, but it is an essential part of the golf swing that helps create power, and is instrumental in creating a consistent swing to improve your accuracy.
To be clear, this post is simply to showcase that the swing thought of remaining “connected” in your backswing is incorrect. While it is important to maintain your one-piece takeaway or “triangle” as you initiate your swing, however once your body begins to turn, things get disconnected and begin to move independently. If they don’t you begin to pull the club well inside the target line as you turn, which makes getting the club back square to impact incredibly difficult.
Staying connected for too long is a common fault that slicers suffer from, and this can be fixed quite quickly by disconnected the body from the arms as you begin to rotate.
Next Up: The Strong Grip