Why you should finish high into the reverse C position

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

Though you don’t hit your ball with your finish, you can raise your ball-striking ability by focusing on your finish position. Thinking of a good finish allows you to move your body properly. It promotes proper weight shift and good balance, plus rhythm and tempo.

Recent theory dictates that you should avoid the reverse C position and finish with your body level. The reverse C finish position can bring about lower back problems. Still, you should finish your swing with your back arched into the reverse C-shape. This holds true if your body shape is average.

To purge your swing of the reverse C finish position, you need an aggressive hip turn on the downswing. You need to avoid shifting your hips to the left. An aggressive hip turn, however, deprives you of the time your club moves along the target line.

To hit your ball solidly, you need to change the direction from your backswing to your downswing properly. Beginning your downswing is as important as starting your backswing.

As you change the direction from backswing to downswing, you need to change your body position. Still, you must preserve the side tilt of your spine to get your club following the correct path.

To this end, picture a C-shaped body angle on your right side as you begin your downswing. More importantly, preserve the C-shape until you finish your swing. That way you will finish your swing into the reverse C position automatically.

That means you’ve held the side tilt of your spine during your entire swing. That shows you’ve correctly shifted your left hip to the left toward the target. That also tells you you’ve kept your head and upper body steady. After all, swinging your club down correctly, you’ll create the C-shape on the right side of your body.

Your most frequent swing fault is likely swinging your club on an outside-to-in path through your shot. If your left shoulder spins open to the target, you’ll incur this fault. Your right shoulder spinning out forces your hands to move out and away from your body. That also causes your head to wobble ahead of your ball. This in turn pushes your club to approach your ball from outside your target line. If your head moves past your ball toward the target, you’ll have a sharp descending blow thrust on you. You’ll incur chunked iron shots and popped-up drives.

To cure this outside-to-in path, you must move your left shoulder correctly. To this end, you need to think of finishing your swing into the reverse C position. That allows you to begin your downswing with a slight bump of your left hip toward the target. This prevents your right shoulder from jutting out toward the target line, keeping your left shoulder from opening.

Critically, thinking of the reverse C finish position lets your arms and hands drop down hip-high and close to your body. Put differently, your arms won’t move away from your body to the outside, and you will stop throwing your club outside the target line from the top. You’ll always slot your club into the downswing path, hitting your ball from inside the target line.

Thinking of the C finish also helps you keep your back pointed at your target longer during the downswing. That also allows your head and upper body to remain steady. This helps you hit your ball at a shallow angle of attack. You’ll correctly make thinner divots with your irons, hitting your driver with a level or slightly upward swing.

Importantly, this helps you preserve the side tilt of the spine to your right side. You’ll swing your club down to the inside, keeping pulls and slices at bay.

To enjoy solid, powerful strikes, your upper body needs to be in nearly the same place during your swing. You can do this easily by focusing on the reverse C finish position, your hands resting high above your head.

A high finish results from swinging your club from inside your target line. To hit a straight shot or draw, you need to swing your club from inside to outside your target line.

Typically, a low finish results from starting your downswing with your arms and hands instead of your lower body. You come over the top on a steep angle, causing your clubhead to cut across your ball. That makes it impossible to finish high, inflicting pulls, pull-hooks or pull-slices on you.

In the correct finish, your belly button faces your target, with your weight shifted onto your left foot. Your right heel rests off the ground, with your weight balanced on your right big toe. You’ve shifted your weight correctly if you can lift your right foot without falling over. Importantly, you need to arch your back into the reverse C-shape, your hands high above your head. Don’t keep your spine straight, with your hands low.

To capture this feeling on the practice range, finish your swing in the reverse C position. Then, hold your finish posture for a few seconds as if you were posing for a picture. Do this five times without hitting your ball. Then, hit your ball and see if you can finish your swing into the reverse C position.

On the course, rehearse the C position on your practice swing. You need to feel a perfect, balanced finish vividly before you start to swing. Then, on your real swing, hold your finish position until your ball lands.