Correct takeaway for solid, powerful contact

A golf swing consists of a series of linked actions and reactions; for synchronized movement among all parts of the body during the swing you need to take the club away from the ball in the correct way.

A good method for attaining this end is to maintain the distance between your abdomen and club during the early stage of the backswing.

Setting up correctly creates the proper distance between your hands and lower body through which you swing your arms and hands freely. Check the space, then keep it constant during the takeaway.

Most takeaway faults result from the failure to establish the proper distance between your hands and belly at address or altering it at the initial stage of the takeaway.

Too small a space forces your hands to swing back outside, causing the club to go outside the ball-target line on too steep a swing plane; too great a space pushes your hands to go back overly to the inside, causing the club to go excessively inside the ball-target line on too flat a swing plane.

Think of the distance between the cap of the club and your belly at address and focus on maintaining that distance at least to waist-high where the shaft becomes parallel to the ball-target line and horizontal to the ground.

That ensures proper takeaway, which enables you to reach the correct position at the top, which, in turn, allows you to swing down correctly and hit the ball solidly.

One of the common faults frequently committed by amateur golfers is to widen the distance by picking up the club abruptly at the start of the backswing. They tend to jerk their hands and arms out and away from the body.

Allowing the space between your hands and lower body to increase means that your arms move out of your sockets or from the sides of the chest, also meaning that your arms get disconnected from the body. That prevents your arms and hands from working in harmony with other parts of your body.

A good way to maintain the distance between the butt of the handle and your stomach during the takeaway is to take back the handle of the club by shifting your lower body slightly to the right away from the target, not with your arms and hands only. Swinging the club back with your arms and hands only tends to result in jerking the club upward, breaking the distance between the butt of the handle and your lower body.

Another way to keep your arms staying linked to your torso or maintaining the distance between your club and stomach is to keep your left arm firmly pressed against the side of your chest from address until impact and during the early stage of the follow-through. That promotes correct takeaway, encouraging synchronized movements in your arm swing and body turn, Harmonious movements of all parts of the body is the heart of a good golf swing.

By the same token, any takeaway is correct, providing that it encourages everything to work together. Whether you take the club away from the ball with your upper or lower body, it's all right if that doesn't allow one part of your body to dominate. Swinging a golf club is just like conducting an orchestra. There should be harmony. All parts of the body need to move harmoniously.

Here are sundry keys to a good takeaway and solid contact on the sweet spot of the clubface.

Keep the two spine angles created at address constant during the entire swing. Your spine tilts both forward toward the ball and backward away from the target at address; maintaining them at the start of the backswing ensures a proper takeaway and correct downswing, presenting a good chance of producing a powerful shot.

Similarly, turn your belly away from the target at the start of the backswing and toward the target through the ball.

It's also good to slide your hips slightly away from and toward the target at the initial stage of the backswing and downswing respectively. For players who set up in an upright posture, that encourages a proper takeaway and a correct clubhead path through impact zone that is from slightly inside the ball-target line to down the line to inside again.

Likewise, swing the clubhead around your center of gravity, a spot a couple of inches below the navel, which serves as a pivot both going back and coming through. All you have to do is start swinging back by slightly shifting your center of gravity to the right as you would do to start whirling a weight fixed to a cord around. That not only encourages a smooth takeaway but also creates centrifugal force, ensuring harmonious movements among all parts of your body throughout the swing.

At a good address your elbows are pointing to their respective hip joints; for a proper takeaway and solid shot it's imperative to maintain the relationship between the elbows and hipjoints from the start of the backswing to the early part of the follow-through. Move your elbows and hip joints together away from the ball at the same time so the relationship between them is kept constant. That encourages a synchronized movement of your upper and lower body, bringing about a proper takeaway and graceful swing.

No doubt, there are a plethora of other great swing keys, but one thing that has to be invariably emphasized is that only a good takeaway guarantees the proper positioning of the club at the top, resulting in a correct downswing that encourages coordinated movement among all parts of the body, which, in turn, guarantees a solid, powerful contact of the ball on the sweet spot of the clubface.

What has to be done first when your swing turns sour is to check your takeaway, which hinges on pre-swing preparations including grip, posture, alignment, ball position and aiming the clubface.