Chapter 6 - More About The Backswing

Exercises which can help

Here are two exercises which will help you to master the main essentials of the backswing.

The whole art of swinging the club back from the ball to a position in which you are poised to deliver a solid and powerful blow is largely governed by a system of control running diagonally down the body from the left shoulder to the right foot.

First, the shoulder, and with it that priceless knack which may seem elusive at first but which you must work to acquire  upper-left-arm-leverage.

Unless you keep that left shoulder UP you cannot hope to achieve upper-arm-leverage, which comes as near to being a secret formula for success as anything in the golf technique. More than any other factor it made Hogan a phenomenal player of all the shots in the bag. Among the lesser men it can make a good player into a very, very good one.

This simple exercise should give you the feeling more readily than any other I know. You do not need a club for this exercise. Just take up the address position and with the left shoulder up grasp the extended left arm with the right hand at the point where the left hand joins the wrist (Fig.

Now perform the backswing by turning the shoulders and chest over the stomach and carrying the hands to the top (Figs. 16a and b). Do this a number of times daily and keep doing it until you develop the feeling of how the upper left arm is operating.

The second exercise (it could more properly be termed an expedient) is an aid to those who have trouble in keeping the weight on the inside of the right foot as the backswing develops, and the body turn takes place under the control of the right knee and right hip (Fig. 17)

Many fine golfers have to fight against a sway creeping into the movement. One such is Guy Wolstenholme, British Walker Cup player and now a professional.

Figure 15

The left arm exercise.

To counter the tendency to sway and to maintain the weight on the inside of the right foot he practiced with a golf ball wedged between the outside edge of the right foot and the ground. This not only acted as a buttress but helped to train the muscles as he required them to be set. In this way the right hip was prevented from riding too high and the right knee was held in the same position as at address.
Figure 16a

Figure 16b

How to carry out the left arm exercise which helps to promote the feeling of upper-arm-leverage. Be sure not to pull the left arm back with the right hand. The left arm must dominate this exercise.

Go out on to the practice ground and try it yourself.

Figure 17

The left arm exercise. A further stage in this exercise  the finish, after the whole of the swing has been mapped out in this way.

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...

Youre About To Learn Secrets Most Golfers Will Never Know About Golf... Sign up to my golf tips & tricks newsletter. Just enter your name & email - then click the Free Sign Up! button. (All information kept 100% confidential). Name Email I respect your privacy and will never share your email address with anyone and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.