Not sure where to start? Ask Mulligan
Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Understanding Backswing: Key Differences Between Pros and Amateurs

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify the key elements of a proper takeaway to enhance your swing
  • Recognize how body rotation influences your backswing position
  • Differentiate between the roles of big and small muscle groups in the swing

In this video, we'll analyze the crucial backswing phase of the golf swing, comparing the techniques of professional golfers to amateur players. Understanding these differences can help you improve your own swing mechanics.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.800
In this analysis video, we're going to look at the backswing.

2
00:00:05.800 --> 00:00:09.970
So this is the first movement of the golf swing, and it basically goes from set

3
00:00:09.970 --> 00:00:11.320
-up position,

4
00:00:11.320 --> 00:00:15.040
which we've talked about over here on the left, all the way up to the top of

5
00:00:15.040 --> 00:00:15.320
the swing

6
00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:17.440
which you can look at on the right.

7
00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:19.560
Now we're going to divide it into two sections.

8
00:00:19.560 --> 00:00:22.890
First is going to be the takeaway, which ends roughly when the shaft is about

9
00:00:22.890 --> 00:00:23.400
parallel

10
00:00:23.400 --> 00:00:27.700
to the ground, and following will be setting the club, which you'll see over

11
00:00:27.700 --> 00:00:28.240
here on the

12
00:00:28.240 --> 00:00:36.040
left or from takeaway position until you go into transition.

13
00:00:36.040 --> 00:00:40.700
Now the takeaway position or the takeaway movement is going to be controlled

14
00:00:40.700 --> 00:00:41.680
mostly by the big

15
00:00:41.680 --> 00:00:45.500
muscles of your body, and then between the takeaway and setting the club is

16
00:00:45.500 --> 00:00:46.360
when the smaller

17
00:00:46.360 --> 00:00:49.920
muscles of your arms start to get a little bit more involved.

18
00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:56.180
So first we'll cover the takeaway, and then we'll cover the setting of the club

19
00:00:56.180 --> 00:00:56.560
.

20
00:00:56.560 --> 00:01:00.300
Now in theory, the takeaway is one of the easiest moves that we do in the golf

21
00:01:00.300 --> 00:01:00.760
swing.

22
00:01:00.760 --> 00:01:05.200
It should simply be a rotation of the spine to bring the club into this waist-

23
00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:07.000
height position.

24
00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:11.250
Essentially, you're not going to do very much with your arms and hands at all,

25
00:01:11.250 --> 00:01:11.720
and the way

26
00:01:11.720 --> 00:01:14.970
that we can look at this or the way that we can check this is if we were to

27
00:01:14.970 --> 00:01:16.320
extend a line

28
00:01:16.320 --> 00:01:21.250
out from your shirt buttons, you would see that the hands would roughly be

29
00:01:21.250 --> 00:01:22.080
somewhere

30
00:01:22.080 --> 00:01:23.520
in that space.

31
00:01:23.520 --> 00:01:30.170
So if Ironman had his light shining, they would pretty much be pointing at your

32
00:01:30.170 --> 00:01:31.080
hands.

33
00:01:31.080 --> 00:01:35.080
Here we can watch Justin Rose with both the driver and the iron, and as we go

34
00:01:35.080 --> 00:01:35.600
through

35
00:01:35.600 --> 00:01:40.720
this movement, you will see that there is a slight shift back of the upper and

36
00:01:40.720 --> 00:01:41.240
lower

37
00:01:41.240 --> 00:01:43.960
body.

38
00:01:43.960 --> 00:01:45.760
The lower body is going to be less dramatic.

39
00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:50.420
It happens typically a little bit more during the set of the club, but if you

40
00:01:50.420 --> 00:01:51.480
were to look

41
00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:56.290
at the center of his shirt in the center of the chest, there will be a slight

42
00:01:56.290 --> 00:01:56.920
shift about

43
00:01:56.920 --> 00:02:02.840
a half inch away from the target.

44
00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:09.480
Now we'll take a look at a few amateurs to see where this move can go wrong.

45
00:02:09.480 --> 00:02:13.590
So as we start going back, you'll see the club gets roughly in that same shaft

46
00:02:13.590 --> 00:02:14.200
parallel

47
00:02:14.200 --> 00:02:17.940
and pointed in the target line, but you can see that his chest is still pointed

48
00:02:17.940 --> 00:02:18.480
more out

49
00:02:18.480 --> 00:02:21.400
towards the ball instead of at his hands.

50
00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:26.370
If we look from the face on view, as he goes through that movement, you'll also

51
00:02:26.370 --> 00:02:26.920
see him

52
00:02:26.920 --> 00:02:29.800
get to the outside of the foot.

53
00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:34.520
So watch the angle in the knee or watch this general area as he goes through

54
00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:35.600
that movement.

55
00:02:35.600 --> 00:02:39.990
And you'll see that the knee and the pelvis start shifting a pretty good amount

56
00:02:39.990 --> 00:02:40.760
over onto

57
00:02:40.760 --> 00:02:42.560
that right side.

58
00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:46.360
The majority of the weight shift is going to be accomplished mostly through

59
00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:47.080
rotation and

60
00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:51.400
the way that the pelvis is shaped, not so much through an actual weight shift.

61
00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:55.890
So I focus more in the second half of the backswing, but also here on the early

62
00:02:55.890 --> 00:02:56.440
stages

63
00:02:56.440 --> 00:03:00.180
of keeping the weight and the pressure more on the inside of the foot instead

64
00:03:00.180 --> 00:03:00.760
of letting

65
00:03:00.760 --> 00:03:03.240
it go to the outside of the foot.

66
00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:07.380
But this has already started a cascade based on what he thinks he needs to do

67
00:03:07.380 --> 00:03:08.560
during transition

68
00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:10.120
and during the release.

69
00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:14.280
So we don't look at backswing as a cause of problems of the release.

70
00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:20.080
It's more a sign of what they're going to do on the downswing.

71
00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:25.130
Here's another golfer demonstrating a little bit more of a lateral movement,

72
00:03:25.130 --> 00:03:26.280
where a movement

73
00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:31.480
where the swing is controlled mostly by the knees and hips and the arms, but

74
00:03:31.480 --> 00:03:32.400
not doing

75
00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:36.320
very much in the actual thoracic spine.

76
00:03:36.320 --> 00:03:42.700
Here from down the target line, you'll see a similar movement where his chest

77
00:03:42.700 --> 00:03:43.680
is pointed

78
00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:45.520
more out towards the golf ball.

79
00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:50.450
Even though his hands reach that ideal chef parallel and pointed at the target

80
00:03:50.450 --> 00:03:51.360
position,

81
00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:55.200
because it's getting there in a way where it's not being driven by the spine,

82
00:03:55.200 --> 00:03:55.760
he's already

83
00:03:55.760 --> 00:04:01.910
setting himself up for some trouble during transition and then ultimately the

84
00:04:01.910 --> 00:04:02.920
release.

85
00:04:02.920 --> 00:04:07.600
But again, this is a sign of what his brain thinks it needs to do to load what

86
00:04:07.600 --> 00:04:08.160
he is going

87
00:04:08.160 --> 00:04:09.640
to do on the downswing.

88
00:04:09.640 --> 00:04:14.020
This is not a cause and effect that because he shifted his weight to the

89
00:04:14.020 --> 00:04:14.960
outside of his

90
00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:17.480
foot, he only had one option.

91
00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:22.140
So we look at the takeaway and then we can correct it, but not until you fully

92
00:04:22.140 --> 00:04:22.960
understand

93
00:04:22.960 --> 00:04:26.840
the transition and downswing will it all make sense.

94
00:04:26.840 --> 00:04:29.760
Now let's start looking at the second phase of the backswing and then we can

95
00:04:29.760 --> 00:04:30.240
put it all

96
00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:31.440
together.

97
00:04:31.440 --> 00:04:35.260
So during the second phase of the backswing, if you look over here at Adam

98
00:04:35.260 --> 00:04:36.120
Scott, you will

99
00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:41.020
see that the spine is going to continue rotating as well as extending, which I

100
00:04:41.020 --> 00:04:41.760
've talked about

101
00:04:41.760 --> 00:04:46.610
in the concept video, at the same time that the spine is bringing the hands up

102
00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:47.720
into position,

103
00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:53.430
the right arm is going to begin folding and positioning the hands for what we

104
00:04:53.430 --> 00:04:54.040
want to

105
00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:56.800
do during the transition.

106
00:04:56.800 --> 00:05:00.810
We'll look over here at Jason Duffner and you can see he has a little bit of a

107
00:05:00.810 --> 00:05:01.360
shorter

108
00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:07.160
swing, but he has gotten into a similar position with his spine.

109
00:05:07.160 --> 00:05:11.240
So when we're looking at the spine at the top of the swing, if you were to draw

110
00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:11.680
a line

111
00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:16.110
down from the back of the neck to roughly the beltline, that's going to give

112
00:05:16.110 --> 00:05:16.840
you a pretty

113
00:05:16.840 --> 00:05:23.360
good indication of the amount of flexion or extension in the spine.

114
00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:27.740
What you'll see is that most good golfers will reach this neutral position

115
00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:28.440
where it's

116
00:05:28.440 --> 00:05:30.840
a fairly straight line.

117
00:05:30.840 --> 00:05:35.840
Even if you see this golfer here over on the right, which is Jason Duffner, it

118
00:05:35.840 --> 00:05:36.520
looks like

119
00:05:36.520 --> 00:05:40.660
he has a very short swing in that his chest is stayed pointed down towards the

120
00:05:40.660 --> 00:05:41.440
golf ball,

121
00:05:41.440 --> 00:05:46.480
but he has extended his spine back to neutral and got it ready for what we want

122
00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:47.320
to do during

123
00:05:47.320 --> 00:05:50.680
transition.

124
00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:53.690
And here are a couple more examples so that you can start really visualizing

125
00:05:53.690 --> 00:05:54.440
what's happening

126
00:05:54.440 --> 00:05:55.680
with the spine.

127
00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:59.610
So as we approach the top of the swing with Graham McDowell over here on the

128
00:05:59.610 --> 00:06:00.240
left, you

129
00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:04.900
can see that his spine is still somewhat flexed because there's a little bit of

130
00:06:04.900 --> 00:06:05.560
a curve right

131
00:06:05.560 --> 00:06:07.440
there or an angle or a hinge.

132
00:06:07.440 --> 00:06:12.100
Now as he approaches the top of the swing and starts into that transition, you

133
00:06:12.100 --> 00:06:12.520
will see

134
00:06:12.520 --> 00:06:16.490
that he finishes his spine extension to where the point is roughly that

135
00:06:16.490 --> 00:06:17.640
straight line that

136
00:06:17.640 --> 00:06:19.200
I've mentioned.

137
00:06:19.200 --> 00:06:22.980
There's another golfer on the right with a camera that's moving all over the

138
00:06:22.980 --> 00:06:23.600
place,

139
00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:25.520
but there's Tommy Gainey.

140
00:06:25.520 --> 00:06:30.330
And you can see that even though he is very much flexed forward from the hips,

141
00:06:30.330 --> 00:06:30.880
which we'll

142
00:06:30.880 --> 00:06:37.000
talk about, his spine has very much approached and extended or neutral position

143
00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:37.320
.

144
00:06:37.320 --> 00:06:40.200
He's lost the curve that he started with.

145
00:06:40.200 --> 00:06:43.790
That curve is generally going to be replaced by side bend, which we'll look at

146
00:06:43.790 --> 00:06:44.240
from the

147
00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:45.960
down the line view.

148
00:06:45.960 --> 00:06:50.400
But from this face on view, you can pay attention to how much the spine has

149
00:06:50.400 --> 00:06:51.680
actually extended

150
00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:58.390
and whether or not the person shifts off the ball or onto the outside of the

151
00:06:58.390 --> 00:06:59.240
foot.

152
00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:04.310
During this second phase, you will frequently see different looking positions

153
00:07:04.310 --> 00:07:04.960
at the top

154
00:07:04.960 --> 00:07:06.720
of the swing.

155
00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:11.100
While they're reaching the same rough spine angle or spine position that I'm

156
00:07:11.100 --> 00:07:12.520
talking about,

157
00:07:12.520 --> 00:07:16.670
the reason why Graham over here on the left looks like he's very much vertical

158
00:07:16.670 --> 00:07:17.280
and Tommy

159
00:07:17.280 --> 00:07:21.230
over here on the right looks like he's bent over a lot, is because of the

160
00:07:21.230 --> 00:07:22.400
amount of flexion

161
00:07:22.400 --> 00:07:26.780
in the knees and the hips, and that's a much bigger issue than what's actually

162
00:07:26.780 --> 00:07:27.560
happening

163
00:07:27.560 --> 00:07:28.560
at the spine.

164
00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:33.230
I'll show a couple examples of amateurs so that you can see what I'm talking

165
00:07:33.230 --> 00:07:33.800
about.

166
00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:37.730
Here you can see Jason Duffner as he's approaching the top of his swing, and

167
00:07:37.730 --> 00:07:38.640
you can see that

168
00:07:38.640 --> 00:07:41.240
his spine has reached that straight position.

169
00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:47.060
Now, over here on the left, we're going to see a golfer who reaches a similar

170
00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:47.600
arm and

171
00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:48.600
club look.

172
00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:53.800
In fact, he actually goes a little bit further towards parallel.

173
00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:57.940
But if you were to draw that same line from the base of the neck to the belt

174
00:07:57.940 --> 00:07:58.600
line, you

175
00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:01.600
can see that his spine is still flexed forward.

176
00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:07.310
So the way that he was able to get the club to reach that high of a position

177
00:08:07.310 --> 00:08:07.880
was more

178
00:08:07.880 --> 00:08:13.050
from a lateral movement of the lower body, not so much an extension of the

179
00:08:13.050 --> 00:08:13.840
spine.

180
00:08:13.840 --> 00:08:18.640
Here's another example of an amateur.

181
00:08:18.640 --> 00:08:27.160
Now, this golfer is a single-digit handicap, so he's a pretty skilled golfer.

182
00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:32.870
But you will still see that he reached that actual longer arm position than

183
00:08:32.870 --> 00:08:33.640
Jason Duffner

184
00:08:33.640 --> 00:08:36.480
while maintaining flexion in his spine.

185
00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:40.470
Now, he has a fairly rigid ribcage, so that's going to be something that's a

186
00:08:40.470 --> 00:08:41.360
little tricky

187
00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:42.640
for him to work on.

188
00:08:42.640 --> 00:08:46.380
Instead, what we would typically work on is getting the arms to be a little bit

189
00:08:46.380 --> 00:08:46.720
more

190
00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:51.530
in position and minimizing the shift of the weight into the outside of the foot

191
00:08:51.530 --> 00:08:51.760
.

192
00:08:51.760 --> 00:08:55.180
But I just wanted to provide a few examples so that you can see that not

193
00:08:55.180 --> 00:08:55.840
everyone who

194
00:08:55.840 --> 00:09:01.780
gets into the 3/4 position or everyone who gets in the full swing does it the

195
00:09:01.780 --> 00:09:02.760
same way.

196
00:09:02.760 --> 00:09:06.970
And so, as a Golf Smart Academy member, I want you to start paying attention as

197
00:09:06.970 --> 00:09:07.120
you

198
00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:11.930
watch golf swings for looking for how they're getting into these positions, not

199
00:09:11.930 --> 00:09:12.200
just what

200
00:09:12.200 --> 00:09:15.280
positions they're getting into.

201
00:09:15.280 --> 00:09:19.400
As we look from the down-the-line view, we can focus on a couple other things.

202
00:09:19.400 --> 00:09:29.390
So let me take both Jason and Brent Snedeker into their takeaway position, just

203
00:09:29.390 --> 00:09:30.320
like so.

204
00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:33.360
And now, you'll see very different lower body actions.

205
00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:37.100
If you look at Brent Snedeker, you can see that his lower body is barely moved

206
00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:37.560
at all.

207
00:09:37.560 --> 00:09:41.940
If you look at Jason Duffner, you can see that his legs have rotated quite a

208
00:09:41.940 --> 00:09:42.760
good bit.

209
00:09:42.760 --> 00:09:49.040
But they both maintain the alignment of the club pointed in front of the chest.

210
00:09:49.040 --> 00:09:52.060
Brent Snedeker just tends to have a little bit more upright swing, Jason Duff

211
00:09:52.060 --> 00:09:52.640
ner a little

212
00:09:52.640 --> 00:09:53.840
bit flatter.

213
00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:57.760
Neither is better or worse, they're just a little bit different.

214
00:09:57.760 --> 00:10:02.140
So now, as we go up towards the top of the swing, you'll see that as he

215
00:10:02.140 --> 00:10:03.200
completes his

216
00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:09.020
shoulder rotation, the alignment of his spine appears to maintain a pretty

217
00:10:09.020 --> 00:10:10.640
consistent angle.

218
00:10:10.640 --> 00:10:15.310
Now, we know that this is a combination of side bend, whoops, let's bring it

219
00:10:15.310 --> 00:10:16.040
blind.

220
00:10:16.040 --> 00:10:20.890
We know that this is a combination of side bend and that loss of flexion that

221
00:10:20.890 --> 00:10:21.680
gives this

222
00:10:21.680 --> 00:10:22.920
appearance.

223
00:10:22.920 --> 00:10:26.320
And you'll see that his shoulders have turned on an angle there, or his spine

224
00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:26.920
is rotated

225
00:10:26.920 --> 00:10:32.630
on an angle that's roughly perpendicular to that initial spine angle that he

226
00:10:32.630 --> 00:10:33.040
created.

227
00:10:33.040 --> 00:10:38.750
We take Jason Duffner up towards the top of the swing, and remember, he didn't

228
00:10:38.750 --> 00:10:39.160
have quite

229
00:10:39.160 --> 00:10:45.840
as much hip extension, but his shoulder plane is kind of in that same similar

230
00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:46.600
area, his

231
00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:47.600
is a little flat.

232
00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:51.200
He uses the flatness of the shoulder plane to help flatten out his swing.

233
00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:56.000
Now you'll also notice a very different looking right arm.

234
00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:02.210
So, I don't speak of whether you keep your right elbow up against your chest or

235
00:11:02.210 --> 00:11:02.920
whether

236
00:11:02.920 --> 00:11:07.080
you let it come off away as one of the key fundamentals.

237
00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:13.680
But I do talk about the rotation of the arms between the takeaway and setting

238
00:11:13.680 --> 00:11:14.640
the club as

239
00:11:14.640 --> 00:11:16.680
one of the fundamentals.

240
00:11:16.680 --> 00:11:22.390
So you'll see that as he goes up, that right elbow is staying more or less in

241
00:11:22.390 --> 00:11:22.800
front of

242
00:11:22.800 --> 00:11:28.460
his chest, even though it's come up off of it.

243
00:11:28.460 --> 00:11:32.200
As in, if you were to look at his shirt seam or you were to look at his

244
00:11:32.200 --> 00:11:33.080
shoulder blade,

245
00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:37.280
he hasn't let his right elbow drift too far behind his back.

246
00:11:37.280 --> 00:11:41.160
Same thing you'll see even in an exaggerated position or an exaggerated fashion

247
00:11:41.160 --> 00:11:41.720
over here

248
00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:44.080
with Jason Duffner.

249
00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:48.340
Now here we have a couple of amateurs that are demonstrating the loss of

250
00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:49.360
posture during

251
00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:51.920
the second phase of the takeaway.

252
00:11:51.920 --> 00:11:55.360
So you'll see that as we get to here, he's pretty close.

253
00:11:55.360 --> 00:12:00.920
His chest is pointing a little bit more towards the golf ball than at his hand.

254
00:12:00.920 --> 00:12:06.400
So he's done a little bit more arm movement than I would like to see.

255
00:12:06.400 --> 00:12:10.360
But so as a result, the shoulder has pretty much reached the end range of

256
00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:11.160
movement and

257
00:12:11.160 --> 00:12:15.000
the only way he can get elevation is to then stand up.

258
00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:19.980
So you'll see his ear come back into a second spine angle at the top of the

259
00:12:19.980 --> 00:12:21.320
swing as opposed

260
00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:23.300
to what he started in.

261
00:12:23.300 --> 00:12:28.500
Now over on the left, we have a higher handicap golfer and we'll see, okay, his

262
00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:29.960
ear is relatively

263
00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:34.630
close, but you can see his chest pointing pretty much straight out at the golf

264
00:12:34.630 --> 00:12:35.280
ball while his

265
00:12:35.280 --> 00:12:37.520
hands have gotten into that takeaway position.

266
00:12:37.520 --> 00:12:40.480
So we know that he's done that mostly by the arms.

267
00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:47.580
And then as he goes to finish his backswing, you'll see very much, he's using

268
00:12:47.580 --> 00:12:48.960
the extension

269
00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:54.440
of his hips, he's using the extension of his legs in order to create this top

270
00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:55.340
of the backswing

271
00:12:55.340 --> 00:12:56.340
position.

272
00:12:56.340 --> 00:13:02.720
If you were to have his hips more tilted and his spine a little bit more left

273
00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:03.880
side bent,

274
00:13:03.880 --> 00:13:08.540
instead of this pointing out at the ocean, it would be pointing roughly down at

275
00:13:08.540 --> 00:13:08.960
the golf

276
00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:12.410
ball and you wouldn't have to make as big an adjustment during transition in

277
00:13:12.410 --> 00:13:14.640
the down.

278
00:13:14.640 --> 00:13:19.310
The real key takeaway to understanding the takeaway in setting the club is that

279
00:13:19.310 --> 00:13:19.700
what

280
00:13:19.700 --> 00:13:24.970
you do on the backswing gives us insight into what your brain wants to do on

281
00:13:24.970 --> 00:13:26.360
the downswing.

282
00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:30.740
So working on the top of the backswing position or working on how you set the

283
00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:31.520
club and how

284
00:13:31.520 --> 00:13:36.190
you take the club away can help you understand even better what we're then

285
00:13:36.190 --> 00:13:37.200
going to do during

286
00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:42.100
transition, which is going to be the next analysis video that I'll watch you to

287
00:13:42.100 --> 00:13:42.760
watch.

288
00:13:42.760 --> 00:13:47.720
But for right now, it's pretty much a simple spine load during the backswing

289
00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:48.480
and an arm

290
00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:52.320
movement that helps set the club at the top of the backswing.

291
00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:57.420
I don't want you to be focused on trying to hit an ideal looking position

292
00:13:57.420 --> 00:13:58.280
because the

293
00:13:58.280 --> 00:14:02.950
movements are much more important than having a picture perfect look to the top

294
00:14:02.950 --> 00:14:03.440
of your

295
00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:03.840
backswing.

Have questions?

Ask Mulligan for help

Unlock everything. Start improving today.

Subscribe to get full access to all videos, courses, and progress tracking.

Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Understanding Backswing: Key Differences Between Pros and Amateurs

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify the key elements of a proper takeaway to enhance your swing
  • Recognize how body rotation influences your backswing position
  • Differentiate between the roles of big and small muscle groups in the swing

In this video, we'll analyze the crucial backswing phase of the golf swing, comparing the techniques of professional golfers to amateur players. Understanding these differences can help you improve your own swing mechanics.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.800
In this analysis video, we're going to look at the backswing.

2
00:00:05.800 --> 00:00:09.970
So this is the first movement of the golf swing, and it basically goes from set

3
00:00:09.970 --> 00:00:11.320
-up position,

4
00:00:11.320 --> 00:00:15.040
which we've talked about over here on the left, all the way up to the top of

5
00:00:15.040 --> 00:00:15.320
the swing

6
00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:17.440
which you can look at on the right.

7
00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:19.560
Now we're going to divide it into two sections.

8
00:00:19.560 --> 00:00:22.890
First is going to be the takeaway, which ends roughly when the shaft is about

9
00:00:22.890 --> 00:00:23.400
parallel

10
00:00:23.400 --> 00:00:27.700
to the ground, and following will be setting the club, which you'll see over

11
00:00:27.700 --> 00:00:28.240
here on the

12
00:00:28.240 --> 00:00:36.040
left or from takeaway position until you go into transition.

13
00:00:36.040 --> 00:00:40.700
Now the takeaway position or the takeaway movement is going to be controlled

14
00:00:40.700 --> 00:00:41.680
mostly by the big

15
00:00:41.680 --> 00:00:45.500
muscles of your body, and then between the takeaway and setting the club is

16
00:00:45.500 --> 00:00:46.360
when the smaller

17
00:00:46.360 --> 00:00:49.920
muscles of your arms start to get a little bit more involved.

18
00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:56.180
So first we'll cover the takeaway, and then we'll cover the setting of the club

19
00:00:56.180 --> 00:00:56.560
.

20
00:00:56.560 --> 00:01:00.300
Now in theory, the takeaway is one of the easiest moves that we do in the golf

21
00:01:00.300 --> 00:01:00.760
swing.

22
00:01:00.760 --> 00:01:05.200
It should simply be a rotation of the spine to bring the club into this waist-

23
00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:07.000
height position.

24
00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:11.250
Essentially, you're not going to do very much with your arms and hands at all,

25
00:01:11.250 --> 00:01:11.720
and the way

26
00:01:11.720 --> 00:01:14.970
that we can look at this or the way that we can check this is if we were to

27
00:01:14.970 --> 00:01:16.320
extend a line

28
00:01:16.320 --> 00:01:21.250
out from your shirt buttons, you would see that the hands would roughly be

29
00:01:21.250 --> 00:01:22.080
somewhere

30
00:01:22.080 --> 00:01:23.520
in that space.

31
00:01:23.520 --> 00:01:30.170
So if Ironman had his light shining, they would pretty much be pointing at your

32
00:01:30.170 --> 00:01:31.080
hands.

33
00:01:31.080 --> 00:01:35.080
Here we can watch Justin Rose with both the driver and the iron, and as we go

34
00:01:35.080 --> 00:01:35.600
through

35
00:01:35.600 --> 00:01:40.720
this movement, you will see that there is a slight shift back of the upper and

36
00:01:40.720 --> 00:01:41.240
lower

37
00:01:41.240 --> 00:01:43.960
body.

38
00:01:43.960 --> 00:01:45.760
The lower body is going to be less dramatic.

39
00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:50.420
It happens typically a little bit more during the set of the club, but if you

40
00:01:50.420 --> 00:01:51.480
were to look

41
00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:56.290
at the center of his shirt in the center of the chest, there will be a slight

42
00:01:56.290 --> 00:01:56.920
shift about

43
00:01:56.920 --> 00:02:02.840
a half inch away from the target.

44
00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:09.480
Now we'll take a look at a few amateurs to see where this move can go wrong.

45
00:02:09.480 --> 00:02:13.590
So as we start going back, you'll see the club gets roughly in that same shaft

46
00:02:13.590 --> 00:02:14.200
parallel

47
00:02:14.200 --> 00:02:17.940
and pointed in the target line, but you can see that his chest is still pointed

48
00:02:17.940 --> 00:02:18.480
more out

49
00:02:18.480 --> 00:02:21.400
towards the ball instead of at his hands.

50
00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:26.370
If we look from the face on view, as he goes through that movement, you'll also

51
00:02:26.370 --> 00:02:26.920
see him

52
00:02:26.920 --> 00:02:29.800
get to the outside of the foot.

53
00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:34.520
So watch the angle in the knee or watch this general area as he goes through

54
00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:35.600
that movement.

55
00:02:35.600 --> 00:02:39.990
And you'll see that the knee and the pelvis start shifting a pretty good amount

56
00:02:39.990 --> 00:02:40.760
over onto

57
00:02:40.760 --> 00:02:42.560
that right side.

58
00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:46.360
The majority of the weight shift is going to be accomplished mostly through

59
00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:47.080
rotation and

60
00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:51.400
the way that the pelvis is shaped, not so much through an actual weight shift.

61
00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:55.890
So I focus more in the second half of the backswing, but also here on the early

62
00:02:55.890 --> 00:02:56.440
stages

63
00:02:56.440 --> 00:03:00.180
of keeping the weight and the pressure more on the inside of the foot instead

64
00:03:00.180 --> 00:03:00.760
of letting

65
00:03:00.760 --> 00:03:03.240
it go to the outside of the foot.

66
00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:07.380
But this has already started a cascade based on what he thinks he needs to do

67
00:03:07.380 --> 00:03:08.560
during transition

68
00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:10.120
and during the release.

69
00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:14.280
So we don't look at backswing as a cause of problems of the release.

70
00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:20.080
It's more a sign of what they're going to do on the downswing.

71
00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:25.130
Here's another golfer demonstrating a little bit more of a lateral movement,

72
00:03:25.130 --> 00:03:26.280
where a movement

73
00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:31.480
where the swing is controlled mostly by the knees and hips and the arms, but

74
00:03:31.480 --> 00:03:32.400
not doing

75
00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:36.320
very much in the actual thoracic spine.

76
00:03:36.320 --> 00:03:42.700
Here from down the target line, you'll see a similar movement where his chest

77
00:03:42.700 --> 00:03:43.680
is pointed

78
00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:45.520
more out towards the golf ball.

79
00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:50.450
Even though his hands reach that ideal chef parallel and pointed at the target

80
00:03:50.450 --> 00:03:51.360
position,

81
00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:55.200
because it's getting there in a way where it's not being driven by the spine,

82
00:03:55.200 --> 00:03:55.760
he's already

83
00:03:55.760 --> 00:04:01.910
setting himself up for some trouble during transition and then ultimately the

84
00:04:01.910 --> 00:04:02.920
release.

85
00:04:02.920 --> 00:04:07.600
But again, this is a sign of what his brain thinks it needs to do to load what

86
00:04:07.600 --> 00:04:08.160
he is going

87
00:04:08.160 --> 00:04:09.640
to do on the downswing.

88
00:04:09.640 --> 00:04:14.020
This is not a cause and effect that because he shifted his weight to the

89
00:04:14.020 --> 00:04:14.960
outside of his

90
00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:17.480
foot, he only had one option.

91
00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:22.140
So we look at the takeaway and then we can correct it, but not until you fully

92
00:04:22.140 --> 00:04:22.960
understand

93
00:04:22.960 --> 00:04:26.840
the transition and downswing will it all make sense.

94
00:04:26.840 --> 00:04:29.760
Now let's start looking at the second phase of the backswing and then we can

95
00:04:29.760 --> 00:04:30.240
put it all

96
00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:31.440
together.

97
00:04:31.440 --> 00:04:35.260
So during the second phase of the backswing, if you look over here at Adam

98
00:04:35.260 --> 00:04:36.120
Scott, you will

99
00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:41.020
see that the spine is going to continue rotating as well as extending, which I

100
00:04:41.020 --> 00:04:41.760
've talked about

101
00:04:41.760 --> 00:04:46.610
in the concept video, at the same time that the spine is bringing the hands up

102
00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:47.720
into position,

103
00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:53.430
the right arm is going to begin folding and positioning the hands for what we

104
00:04:53.430 --> 00:04:54.040
want to

105
00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:56.800
do during the transition.

106
00:04:56.800 --> 00:05:00.810
We'll look over here at Jason Duffner and you can see he has a little bit of a

107
00:05:00.810 --> 00:05:01.360
shorter

108
00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:07.160
swing, but he has gotten into a similar position with his spine.

109
00:05:07.160 --> 00:05:11.240
So when we're looking at the spine at the top of the swing, if you were to draw

110
00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:11.680
a line

111
00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:16.110
down from the back of the neck to roughly the beltline, that's going to give

112
00:05:16.110 --> 00:05:16.840
you a pretty

113
00:05:16.840 --> 00:05:23.360
good indication of the amount of flexion or extension in the spine.

114
00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:27.740
What you'll see is that most good golfers will reach this neutral position

115
00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:28.440
where it's

116
00:05:28.440 --> 00:05:30.840
a fairly straight line.

117
00:05:30.840 --> 00:05:35.840
Even if you see this golfer here over on the right, which is Jason Duffner, it

118
00:05:35.840 --> 00:05:36.520
looks like

119
00:05:36.520 --> 00:05:40.660
he has a very short swing in that his chest is stayed pointed down towards the

120
00:05:40.660 --> 00:05:41.440
golf ball,

121
00:05:41.440 --> 00:05:46.480
but he has extended his spine back to neutral and got it ready for what we want

122
00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:47.320
to do during

123
00:05:47.320 --> 00:05:50.680
transition.

124
00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:53.690
And here are a couple more examples so that you can start really visualizing

125
00:05:53.690 --> 00:05:54.440
what's happening

126
00:05:54.440 --> 00:05:55.680
with the spine.

127
00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:59.610
So as we approach the top of the swing with Graham McDowell over here on the

128
00:05:59.610 --> 00:06:00.240
left, you

129
00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:04.900
can see that his spine is still somewhat flexed because there's a little bit of

130
00:06:04.900 --> 00:06:05.560
a curve right

131
00:06:05.560 --> 00:06:07.440
there or an angle or a hinge.

132
00:06:07.440 --> 00:06:12.100
Now as he approaches the top of the swing and starts into that transition, you

133
00:06:12.100 --> 00:06:12.520
will see

134
00:06:12.520 --> 00:06:16.490
that he finishes his spine extension to where the point is roughly that

135
00:06:16.490 --> 00:06:17.640
straight line that

136
00:06:17.640 --> 00:06:19.200
I've mentioned.

137
00:06:19.200 --> 00:06:22.980
There's another golfer on the right with a camera that's moving all over the

138
00:06:22.980 --> 00:06:23.600
place,

139
00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:25.520
but there's Tommy Gainey.

140
00:06:25.520 --> 00:06:30.330
And you can see that even though he is very much flexed forward from the hips,

141
00:06:30.330 --> 00:06:30.880
which we'll

142
00:06:30.880 --> 00:06:37.000
talk about, his spine has very much approached and extended or neutral position

143
00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:37.320
.

144
00:06:37.320 --> 00:06:40.200
He's lost the curve that he started with.

145
00:06:40.200 --> 00:06:43.790
That curve is generally going to be replaced by side bend, which we'll look at

146
00:06:43.790 --> 00:06:44.240
from the

147
00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:45.960
down the line view.

148
00:06:45.960 --> 00:06:50.400
But from this face on view, you can pay attention to how much the spine has

149
00:06:50.400 --> 00:06:51.680
actually extended

150
00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:58.390
and whether or not the person shifts off the ball or onto the outside of the

151
00:06:58.390 --> 00:06:59.240
foot.

152
00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:04.310
During this second phase, you will frequently see different looking positions

153
00:07:04.310 --> 00:07:04.960
at the top

154
00:07:04.960 --> 00:07:06.720
of the swing.

155
00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:11.100
While they're reaching the same rough spine angle or spine position that I'm

156
00:07:11.100 --> 00:07:12.520
talking about,

157
00:07:12.520 --> 00:07:16.670
the reason why Graham over here on the left looks like he's very much vertical

158
00:07:16.670 --> 00:07:17.280
and Tommy

159
00:07:17.280 --> 00:07:21.230
over here on the right looks like he's bent over a lot, is because of the

160
00:07:21.230 --> 00:07:22.400
amount of flexion

161
00:07:22.400 --> 00:07:26.780
in the knees and the hips, and that's a much bigger issue than what's actually

162
00:07:26.780 --> 00:07:27.560
happening

163
00:07:27.560 --> 00:07:28.560
at the spine.

164
00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:33.230
I'll show a couple examples of amateurs so that you can see what I'm talking

165
00:07:33.230 --> 00:07:33.800
about.

166
00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:37.730
Here you can see Jason Duffner as he's approaching the top of his swing, and

167
00:07:37.730 --> 00:07:38.640
you can see that

168
00:07:38.640 --> 00:07:41.240
his spine has reached that straight position.

169
00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:47.060
Now, over here on the left, we're going to see a golfer who reaches a similar

170
00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:47.600
arm and

171
00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:48.600
club look.

172
00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:53.800
In fact, he actually goes a little bit further towards parallel.

173
00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:57.940
But if you were to draw that same line from the base of the neck to the belt

174
00:07:57.940 --> 00:07:58.600
line, you

175
00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:01.600
can see that his spine is still flexed forward.

176
00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:07.310
So the way that he was able to get the club to reach that high of a position

177
00:08:07.310 --> 00:08:07.880
was more

178
00:08:07.880 --> 00:08:13.050
from a lateral movement of the lower body, not so much an extension of the

179
00:08:13.050 --> 00:08:13.840
spine.

180
00:08:13.840 --> 00:08:18.640
Here's another example of an amateur.

181
00:08:18.640 --> 00:08:27.160
Now, this golfer is a single-digit handicap, so he's a pretty skilled golfer.

182
00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:32.870
But you will still see that he reached that actual longer arm position than

183
00:08:32.870 --> 00:08:33.640
Jason Duffner

184
00:08:33.640 --> 00:08:36.480
while maintaining flexion in his spine.

185
00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:40.470
Now, he has a fairly rigid ribcage, so that's going to be something that's a

186
00:08:40.470 --> 00:08:41.360
little tricky

187
00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:42.640
for him to work on.

188
00:08:42.640 --> 00:08:46.380
Instead, what we would typically work on is getting the arms to be a little bit

189
00:08:46.380 --> 00:08:46.720
more

190
00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:51.530
in position and minimizing the shift of the weight into the outside of the foot

191
00:08:51.530 --> 00:08:51.760
.

192
00:08:51.760 --> 00:08:55.180
But I just wanted to provide a few examples so that you can see that not

193
00:08:55.180 --> 00:08:55.840
everyone who

194
00:08:55.840 --> 00:09:01.780
gets into the 3/4 position or everyone who gets in the full swing does it the

195
00:09:01.780 --> 00:09:02.760
same way.

196
00:09:02.760 --> 00:09:06.970
And so, as a Golf Smart Academy member, I want you to start paying attention as

197
00:09:06.970 --> 00:09:07.120
you

198
00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:11.930
watch golf swings for looking for how they're getting into these positions, not

199
00:09:11.930 --> 00:09:12.200
just what

200
00:09:12.200 --> 00:09:15.280
positions they're getting into.

201
00:09:15.280 --> 00:09:19.400
As we look from the down-the-line view, we can focus on a couple other things.

202
00:09:19.400 --> 00:09:29.390
So let me take both Jason and Brent Snedeker into their takeaway position, just

203
00:09:29.390 --> 00:09:30.320
like so.

204
00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:33.360
And now, you'll see very different lower body actions.

205
00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:37.100
If you look at Brent Snedeker, you can see that his lower body is barely moved

206
00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:37.560
at all.

207
00:09:37.560 --> 00:09:41.940
If you look at Jason Duffner, you can see that his legs have rotated quite a

208
00:09:41.940 --> 00:09:42.760
good bit.

209
00:09:42.760 --> 00:09:49.040
But they both maintain the alignment of the club pointed in front of the chest.

210
00:09:49.040 --> 00:09:52.060
Brent Snedeker just tends to have a little bit more upright swing, Jason Duff

211
00:09:52.060 --> 00:09:52.640
ner a little

212
00:09:52.640 --> 00:09:53.840
bit flatter.

213
00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:57.760
Neither is better or worse, they're just a little bit different.

214
00:09:57.760 --> 00:10:02.140
So now, as we go up towards the top of the swing, you'll see that as he

215
00:10:02.140 --> 00:10:03.200
completes his

216
00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:09.020
shoulder rotation, the alignment of his spine appears to maintain a pretty

217
00:10:09.020 --> 00:10:10.640
consistent angle.

218
00:10:10.640 --> 00:10:15.310
Now, we know that this is a combination of side bend, whoops, let's bring it

219
00:10:15.310 --> 00:10:16.040
blind.

220
00:10:16.040 --> 00:10:20.890
We know that this is a combination of side bend and that loss of flexion that

221
00:10:20.890 --> 00:10:21.680
gives this

222
00:10:21.680 --> 00:10:22.920
appearance.

223
00:10:22.920 --> 00:10:26.320
And you'll see that his shoulders have turned on an angle there, or his spine

224
00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:26.920
is rotated

225
00:10:26.920 --> 00:10:32.630
on an angle that's roughly perpendicular to that initial spine angle that he

226
00:10:32.630 --> 00:10:33.040
created.

227
00:10:33.040 --> 00:10:38.750
We take Jason Duffner up towards the top of the swing, and remember, he didn't

228
00:10:38.750 --> 00:10:39.160
have quite

229
00:10:39.160 --> 00:10:45.840
as much hip extension, but his shoulder plane is kind of in that same similar

230
00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:46.600
area, his

231
00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:47.600
is a little flat.

232
00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:51.200
He uses the flatness of the shoulder plane to help flatten out his swing.

233
00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:56.000
Now you'll also notice a very different looking right arm.

234
00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:02.210
So, I don't speak of whether you keep your right elbow up against your chest or

235
00:11:02.210 --> 00:11:02.920
whether

236
00:11:02.920 --> 00:11:07.080
you let it come off away as one of the key fundamentals.

237
00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:13.680
But I do talk about the rotation of the arms between the takeaway and setting

238
00:11:13.680 --> 00:11:14.640
the club as

239
00:11:14.640 --> 00:11:16.680
one of the fundamentals.

240
00:11:16.680 --> 00:11:22.390
So you'll see that as he goes up, that right elbow is staying more or less in

241
00:11:22.390 --> 00:11:22.800
front of

242
00:11:22.800 --> 00:11:28.460
his chest, even though it's come up off of it.

243
00:11:28.460 --> 00:11:32.200
As in, if you were to look at his shirt seam or you were to look at his

244
00:11:32.200 --> 00:11:33.080
shoulder blade,

245
00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:37.280
he hasn't let his right elbow drift too far behind his back.

246
00:11:37.280 --> 00:11:41.160
Same thing you'll see even in an exaggerated position or an exaggerated fashion

247
00:11:41.160 --> 00:11:41.720
over here

248
00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:44.080
with Jason Duffner.

249
00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:48.340
Now here we have a couple of amateurs that are demonstrating the loss of

250
00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:49.360
posture during

251
00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:51.920
the second phase of the takeaway.

252
00:11:51.920 --> 00:11:55.360
So you'll see that as we get to here, he's pretty close.

253
00:11:55.360 --> 00:12:00.920
His chest is pointing a little bit more towards the golf ball than at his hand.

254
00:12:00.920 --> 00:12:06.400
So he's done a little bit more arm movement than I would like to see.

255
00:12:06.400 --> 00:12:10.360
But so as a result, the shoulder has pretty much reached the end range of

256
00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:11.160
movement and

257
00:12:11.160 --> 00:12:15.000
the only way he can get elevation is to then stand up.

258
00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:19.980
So you'll see his ear come back into a second spine angle at the top of the

259
00:12:19.980 --> 00:12:21.320
swing as opposed

260
00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:23.300
to what he started in.

261
00:12:23.300 --> 00:12:28.500
Now over on the left, we have a higher handicap golfer and we'll see, okay, his

262
00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:29.960
ear is relatively

263
00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:34.630
close, but you can see his chest pointing pretty much straight out at the golf

264
00:12:34.630 --> 00:12:35.280
ball while his

265
00:12:35.280 --> 00:12:37.520
hands have gotten into that takeaway position.

266
00:12:37.520 --> 00:12:40.480
So we know that he's done that mostly by the arms.

267
00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:47.580
And then as he goes to finish his backswing, you'll see very much, he's using

268
00:12:47.580 --> 00:12:48.960
the extension

269
00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:54.440
of his hips, he's using the extension of his legs in order to create this top

270
00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:55.340
of the backswing

271
00:12:55.340 --> 00:12:56.340
position.

272
00:12:56.340 --> 00:13:02.720
If you were to have his hips more tilted and his spine a little bit more left

273
00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:03.880
side bent,

274
00:13:03.880 --> 00:13:08.540
instead of this pointing out at the ocean, it would be pointing roughly down at

275
00:13:08.540 --> 00:13:08.960
the golf

276
00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:12.410
ball and you wouldn't have to make as big an adjustment during transition in

277
00:13:12.410 --> 00:13:14.640
the down.

278
00:13:14.640 --> 00:13:19.310
The real key takeaway to understanding the takeaway in setting the club is that

279
00:13:19.310 --> 00:13:19.700
what

280
00:13:19.700 --> 00:13:24.970
you do on the backswing gives us insight into what your brain wants to do on

281
00:13:24.970 --> 00:13:26.360
the downswing.

282
00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:30.740
So working on the top of the backswing position or working on how you set the

283
00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:31.520
club and how

284
00:13:31.520 --> 00:13:36.190
you take the club away can help you understand even better what we're then

285
00:13:36.190 --> 00:13:37.200
going to do during

286
00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:42.100
transition, which is going to be the next analysis video that I'll watch you to

287
00:13:42.100 --> 00:13:42.760
watch.

288
00:13:42.760 --> 00:13:47.720
But for right now, it's pretty much a simple spine load during the backswing

289
00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:48.480
and an arm

290
00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:52.320
movement that helps set the club at the top of the backswing.

291
00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:57.420
I don't want you to be focused on trying to hit an ideal looking position

292
00:13:57.420 --> 00:13:58.280
because the

293
00:13:58.280 --> 00:14:02.950
movements are much more important than having a picture perfect look to the top

294
00:14:02.950 --> 00:14:03.440
of your

295
00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:03.840
backswing.

Have questions about this video?

Ask Mulligan for personalized guidance on technique, drills, or how to apply what you've learned.

Ask Mulligan
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
Subscribe now for full access to our video library. Subscribe now