The Early Fundamentals of the Golf Swing
Ever wonder how the pros create the positions in their golf swing that you see on TV? They make it look so easy don’t they? I am going to explain one of the first core fundamentals in the golf swing to help you improve solid contact and consistency.
Figure 1:
This first image shows the amount of Arm Extension that is desirable in the takeaway, or backswing. It’s important to learn what it feels like to extend in the backswing because it keeps the arm swing connected to the body swing. Imagine throwing a baseball but you’re not allowed to extend your arm. You would be forced to only use your wrists and elbows which doesn’t allow for much leverage or speed to be generated.
Imagine how much extension and rotation a dinosaur could create lol. That’s what many players are stuck doing.
Most golfers only have an arm swing, which will give you about 75% of your potential distance and accuracy. Wouldn’t it be nice to gain that extra 25%?
You will also notice the yellow circle around the players head. This is to illustrate whether or not there is swaying to his right side, originally there was. This player had to counterbalance his arm extension in the backswing by keeping his left side leaning into the target, instead of swaying to his right with his arms. These opposing movements keep his head centered.
Figure 2:
This image shows the left arm, or lead arm, maintaining extension. This is only possible if the prior counterbalance moves prevent the arms from collapsing. (Please don’t try to force your left arm to stay straight). Most players would see a bent left arm here if they record their swing during practice. The next time you hold a golf club, just hold it in your left hand or lead hand, and take a half length swing, back and through. You should notice that if your hips rotate in your downswing, or open to the target, while you swing, the club face should stay square and your arm should stay extended. If the club face closes in the downswing or through impact and you feel your forearm roll over, that means your hips aren’t turning in the downswing enough to keep the club face square through impact.
Imagine how much more consistent the ball flight would be if your arm swing moved in sequence with your body swing. This isn’t to say that all shots require keeping the arms extended. If you wanted to play a high and short golf shot, having a narrow swing with a lot of wrist bend, or vertical hinging, will create that shot. The swing you use, should depend on the situation. However, most players struggle with controlling longer clubs and controlling distance with in-between yardages, such as 60 yards. Most players are only comfortable with full swing shots. Learning how to connect your arm swing and body swing gives you a higher margin for error while playing.
Figure 3:
A consistent impact position is essential for solid contact. The blue lines illustrate hip rotation and forward shaft lean at impact. The average professional is 36 degrees open at impact. The average Low Point is 4 inches after contact. The average amateur is around 10 degrees open, with a low point 1 inch before contact. The most common reasons I’ve seen players struggle with contact is because, number 1, the sway off the golf ball in their backswing, or shifting their center behind the golf ball. Number 2, lack of hip rotation in their downswing prior to impact. The first two pictures help avoid the swaying issue, Extending and Tilting. The only way the club face can stay square to your target for a longer period of time is if the hips are turning enough in the downswing. You might ask what is enough? Let’s look at a couple more pictures.
Left Arm Parallel 2. Club Parallel 3. Impact
This is Dustin Johnson. You can see how his hips are already open to the target in the downswing. Most amateurs and beginners will have very little, if any, hip rotation by Club Parallel. The issue then becomes timing through impact. If the body swing isn’t doing enough through impact, the arm swing has to compensate. The more the arms and hands have to compensate, the more variable contact will occur because the club face will have to rotate more, which changes all aspects of contact.
Figure 4:
This picture illustrates how much hip rotation after contact is necessary for the arms to maintain their width, or extension. The white line shows where the right hip started vs where it’s moving to, which is towards the target. The less the hips turn, the more you will see and feel the arms pull back, or retract, into your body as a reaction. This makes your swing narrow through impact which can lead to Thin shots or Topping the ball. Striking the ground prior to impact or hitting low on the club face are the same technical issues, but sometimes timing of the release with the hands and other tempo factors create one miss or another.
Common advice I give players is to not sacrifice balance in order to force or steer the club through impact in hopes of a good shot. Even if you’re successful with many compensations, in the long term those compensations will catch up.
Figure 5:
Prioritize sequencing the arm swing and the body swing with balance. Pose at the end of swings during practice to see if you’re balanced or falling forward or backward.
Summary Tips:
Extend arms in backswing while keeping weight towards the target.
Hips need to rotate more in downswing, and initiate downswing instead of the arms.
Practice stopping at impact with a slow swing to feel hips open to target.
Drill an abbreviated swing with your arms still extended and your belt buckle facing the target.
Hold your finish for balance.
Thank you for reading! Schedule a lesson if you want to work through these fundamentals and see your swing on video for objective feedback.
You’re welcome! Keep up the good work.
Awesome 👍🏿 thank you.