IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR GAME
Two turns
with swish in
the middle
Too many golfers are frozen to the ball in their backswings and fail to turn their backs to the target, but not Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, pictured below. Notice that her belt buckle is pointing well behind the ball in her backswing, which means she not only turned her chest correctly, but her hips as well.
The backswing is the first turn in the golf swing, then there's a swish through impact
followed by the second turn up into the finish. Here's a closer look at the process.
Inkster’s lower body has turned away from the target in response to the pull of her long, one-piece takeaway, but she hasn't allowed this action to cause her hips to sway, a problem for many amateurs. Juli’s lower body has finished its backswing motion and will remain in this position while her upper body continues to turn against it, cranking up her coil until, at the top of her swing, the majority of her weight has shifted to her right side. Her left knee has been pulled slightly behind the ball with her left foot still on the ground for maximum stability. Not all golfers are flexible enough to be able to keep the target foot planted while making such a complete coil, so you may have to lift your heel a bit. In any case, make sure you point your target knee behind the ball at the top of your swing, just as Juli does.
Right: Once her front leg has accepted her weight and her arms have dropped into position, Juli begins a powerful hip turn through the ball. The important point here is that she lets her back heel be pulled off the ground in response to the momentum of her forward turn. If she were to push off her back foot, as many amateurs do, she'd hit a lot of thin shots. Notice that Juli's left hip is turning behind her even though her right knee is driving toward the ball. Also, her right foot is off the ground very early, which is characteristic of players like Inkster who swing the club in a high arc and approach the ball from a steeper angle than most.