Proper ways to start backswing to ensure correct takeaway

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

If you grip your club correctly and set up properly, you will take the club back decently. But to ensure the correct takeaway, you need to know the proper way to start your backswing.

Abruptly lifting your club outside the target line, you will mistakenly come down from outside the target line. This produces slices and pulls and can even cause shanks when you hit a short iron.

Similarly, avoid whipping the club inside the target line. You will suffer slices if you snatch the club back too much to the inside. You will lift your arms too high as you complete the backswing because you have no space to swing the club. This forces you to cut across the ball, causing ugly slices. You will also struggle with slices if you take your club straight back too far along the target line. That can cause you to swing your arms and hands too high, leading you to come over the top.

For a proper takeaway, think of swinging the club back straight along the target line roughly a foot. That way you will swing the club on the proper plane and path without exerting extra effort. Make sure you swing your club back on a wide arc. Or simply take your club back as if you’re making a really long putt. That will ensure you swing the club back properly, no matter what club you hit.

Leave your arms and hands passive during the backswing. But you can take your club back chiefly with your left arm, right arm or both if you want.

Trying to take the club back with your left arm only, you will feel uncomfortable or awkward. Solely using your left hand will prevent you from swinging the club on the correct path and plane. You don’t open the door or throw your ball with your left hand.

To take your club back comfortably and effectively, use your right arm and hand. Your left arm just goes for the ride. Let your right arm do most of the work. You will feel as if you’re swinging the club with your right arm only. Your right-arm takeaway is a simple motion that is easy to repeat. Just picture that you are skipping a stone or throwing a ball underhand.

The one-piece takeaway features feeling an equal force in both hands as you take the club back. To start your swing, move your club, hands, arms and shoulders simultaneously as one unit. You will feel that you are taking your club back by turning your shoulders.

Your takeaway ends when your left hand comes in front of your right thigh. At the end of your takeaway, you need to keep the clubhead outside your hands. This ensures you swing the club back on the proper plane and path.

When your hands reach roughly waist high, you need to keep the toe of your club pointing to the sky. That says you’ve turned your forearms properly as you turn your body. This holds especially true if you set up in an upright posture.

If you take a bent posture, however, you need to keep your clubface square to your swing arc. Or you need to keep your clubface closed to your swing path. The leading edge of your club will match your spine angle. You need to complete your backswing by rotating your left forearm and right wrist, simultaneously hinging your wrists fully.

You also need to swing your club back smoothly and leisurely. Tugging the club back abruptly, you cannot have control of it. Failing to control the club, you will rarely swing it on the proper plane and path. Allowing the club to work outside, you will invariably incur nasty slices and pulls.

To trigger your swing, gently kick your right foot and knee toward your target an instant before you start your backswing. You need to use the reflex of your gentle knee kick to trigger your backswing. This will allow you to begin the backswing smoothly by turning your body, leaving your hands quiet. Granted, you need to complete your backswing by turning your body rather than raising your hands high.

Carrying out your backswing by turning your body, you will swing your club leisurely and rhythmically without losing balance. You will immediately stop yanking the club back in a hurry. Critically, your hands will properly respond to your body motion, allowing you to swing the club back on the proper plane.

Your downswing is a mere automatic reflex of your backswing. Use the unwinding force or reaction of your body to start the downswing. Don’t force yourself to make any particular move as you start the downswing. Just let your instinct take over the ball-striking business. Then, all good moves needed to hit the ball far and accurately will look after themselves. More important, you will be free from using brute strength, keeping slices at bay.

After all, your golf swing comprises two turns _ turning your body away from your target going back and turning your body toward the target through the shot. Let your arms and hands do what they want to do. They will work properly of themselves, hitting the ball full tilt at a timely moment.

Remember, if you cannot hit your ball successfully, chances are you’ve failed to swing the club back properly.

To keep slices at bay, swing the club halfway back and open your right hand on the club handle. If you swing the club back correctly, your right-hand palm will be at a 45-degree angle to the ground. If your palm is facing the ground, you’ve failed to rotate your right hand enough. If your palm is facing the sky, you’ve rotated your hand too much.

This will leave the back of your left hand facing the sky at roughly 45 degrees when your hands reach chest height. Similarly, this will let your thumbs point toward the sky at roughly 45 degrees.

You have great feel in your right hand. If you are a right-handed player, letting the right hand work correctly is a key to hitting longer, straighter shots. After all, the 45-degree palm angle says you are keeping your clubface square to your swing path. This helps you hit the ball longer without worrying about slices.

To promote a wide swing arc and natural swing pace, start your backswing by moving the butt end of your club inward. Doing this, you need to leave your right wrist still and your clubhead outside your hands. When you reach roughly hip high, your club shaft will get horizontal. Then, hinge your wrists so the butt end of your grip points down.

To hinge your wrists properly, you need to apply downward pressure on the club handle with your left-hand heel. To this end, you need to grip the club properly. Make sure you place the heel pad of your left hand on top of the club handle. Hinging your wrists will help you lag your clubhead behind your hands on the downswing, increasing your leverage to the maximum.