Maintain triangle motion throughout swing

Maintain Triangle Throughout the Swing

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

At address you’re arms and shoulders form a triangle and for solid, powerful contact in the middle of the clubface you need to maintain it during the entire swing, particularly when you take the club away from the ball.

It's essential to be sure that approximately halfway through the backswing your elbows are at the same height from the ground, which means you've maintained the triangle intact during the backswing.

Once the triangle reaches the halfway point of the backswing with the elbows staying at the same height, all you have to do from that position to complete the backswing is lift the triangle as you turn your upper body fully behind the ball so your back faces the target.

That allows you to feel a nice and tight tension on the inside of your right leg, making your downswing a reflex action. Forcing yourself to make a conscious effort to start your downswing means that you haven't coiled fully in the correct way on the backswing. A solid, tight coil on the backswing is geared towards the downswing that happens automatically as a reflex.

Similarly, at the top of the backswing, the elbows need to stay at the same height from the ground. That means the swing is neither too upright nor too flat.

If the right elbow that is higher than the left, it means your swing plane was too upright; if the right elbow is lower than the left, it means you've swung the club on too flat a plane.

As your backswing continues to the top, your right arm folds and a new triangle is created by your forearms at the top of the backswing. Check in the mirror if your forearms create the sides of the triangle. An imaginary line connecting your elbows is its base. When the base is level to the ground, your backswing is correct.

Also, check at the top of the backswing to see if your right forearm stays parallel with your spine. That means both of your elbows are at the same height and you've created a perfect top-of-the-backswing position.

Once you've reached the correct position at the top of the backswing, just allow the triangle to fall down to initiate the forward swing so again at halfway down your elbows remain at the same level from the ground. That allows your right elbow to be tucked tightly against the side of your torso without your having to push yourself into doing so.

Of equal importance is to be sure that the triangle returns to its original address position through the ball. That is an important part of the swing.

At waist height beyond the ball the triangle needs to be maintained with the elbows staying at the same height from the ground as they did at the halfway point of the backswing.

If your right elbow is higher than the left at the halfway point of the finish, it means your right forearm has crossed over the left through impact. That results in a hook or draw with a relatively low trajectory.

Likewise, your right elbow staying lower than the left at the halfway stage of the finish means your right forearm has moved under the left. That causes either a slice or push to the right.

Once you've created a perfect triangle at the top of the backswing, all you have to do to hit the ball firmly is just let it fall down through the unwinding force of your body. You don't have to worry about how to swing the club down. All good things happen naturally as you've reached an ideal position at the top of the backswing.

A sure-fire way to hit the ball firmly or rather to make a perfect swing is to maintain the triangle intact with the elbows positioned at the same height from the ground throughout the swing, particularly halfway back, at the top of the backswing, halfway down, at impact, at the waist height past the ball and at the finish.