Making A Good Golf Backswing
In order to make a good golf backswing, you need to keep a few things in mind:
How to Initiate the Golf Backswing
The golf backswing is the first movement of your club away from the ball. Try to focus on keeping the club low to the ground and straight back for the first 18 inches or so. This helps to keep the golf club on plane.
Do not pick the club up with your hands. Your wrists and hands should be relatively passive during the beginning phase of the golf backswing (usually called the takeaway). Let the big muscles of your core (back, shoulders, and torso) initiate the golf backswing.
I like to feel my backswing start from the ground up. To make sure this happens I like to just drag the golf club away from the ball. Do not pull the club to the inside (this will most likely create an over the top swing on the way back to the ball) simply drag the club straight back for the first 18 inches of your golf backswing.
The primary purpose of the golf backswing is to load up your swing with potential power, which then will hopefully be delivered into the golf ball.
Remember, use the big muscles of your pivot to take the club back, your hands should just act like clamps on the club. Your hands should never actively move the golf club back.
Starting your golf swing out with a proper backswing really allows you to set your body up to generate power during the downswing.
Part of this process is taking the club back with a nice even tempo. Do not race back or jerk the club away too quick.
Instead you want to stay in balance and turn around your spines axis.
Keep your left arm straight moving back across your chest, allow your right arm to bend at the elbow, and let your wrist to cock creating more potential power to deliver to the golf ball.
The One-Piece Takeaway (Secret to a proper golf backswing)
The traditional method of executing the takeaway is called the one-piece takeaway. Think of taking the entire club away as a single unit, so that the butt end of the club and the clubhead move away at around the same speed.
A golfer should avoid having the clubhead end of the club moving much faster than the grip end. So don’t roll your back or bend your wrists initiating the takeaway.
Note: A good takeaway motion is not with the arms alone, or the shoulders alone. The two should move together.
Some beginning golfers have a tendency to start the takeaway with an independent wrist/hand movement, this will cause a number of bad things to occur later in the golf swing.
It’s also important to not take the club back to quickly in the backswing or jerk the club down from the top of the golf backswing. Click the link to hear what 3 time world long drive champion Sean Fister has to say about the golf backswing.