Have you ever thought about the importance of your backswing?
It’s one of the principal motions in golf, but it’s not always front of mind. Typically people think of the backswing as the start of the golf swing. It moves the club away from the ball. Then the downswing brings the club to the ball. A golfer’s backswing is the motion that starts when the club moves away from the target and ends just as it begins returning toward the ball. This essential part of the golf swing forms a key component of the setup stage, alongside the contact and follow-through. The length of the backswing directly influences the power a golfer can generate, making it a critical factor in achieving an effective swing.
There are many ways to describe the backswing:
• The shoulders take the club away from the ball
• Arms and club are carried away from the ball by the shoulders
• The shoulders move the body, arms and club away from the ball
All three are true and the common denominator is the arms (and by extension, the hands).
The arms are passive and follow the motion of the shoulders to create the motion of a successful backswing.
Shoulders are slow twitch muscles, meaning when the golfer is anxious or the adrenaline is high the shoulders still move slowly. They use momentum and the weight of the club for increased strength and clubhead speed. Hands are fast twitch muscles, they respond to anxiousness or adrenaline by moving faster and quicker. If your hands (and your adrenaline-fueled muscles) are in control the swing is out of sequence, inconsistent and not fluid with slower clubhead speed.
The point is, use your shoulders not your hands to move the club in the backswing. The goal is optimum clubhead speed giving your ball extra distance and accuracy. .
By Doug Weaver, Director of Instruction, Palmetto Dunes Golf Academy.
