Backswing connection

Golfers often hear commentators and professionals waxing on about being connected.

They’re not talking about social circles. Instead, they are describing a swing where the arms, shoulders and torso are synchronized and coordinated during the golf swing. When the arms and club move in harmony with the torso, the result is a stable and controlled swing path that delivers better accuracy and more distance.

In this issue of Finding the Tips, we’ll review several videos that introduce the connected concept.

In this issue

• Hogan’s secret? A connected backswing

• The pause drill

• Above the belt connection

Hogan’s secret? A connected backswing

Golf legend Gary Player considers Ben Hogan to be the best golfer of all time. He says Hogan gave him a clue in 1957 as to the secret in his golf swing. At the time, Player didn’t understand the message. He finally figured it out when he was 70 years old.

Hogan’s secret was staying connected during the backswing. Instead of pulling the club straight back from the ball at address, he recommends a backswing move that allows the biceps of your lead arm (the left arm for the right-handed player) to lay over your chest muscles.

“If you go back with your left arm across your chest,” Player says, “… you’re then (in the same position) every single time.” That consistency, he says, is key to success at golf.

Check out this link and see Player demonstrate and explain how we can be connected on the backswing.

If you’d like to see the entire clinic, click here. 

You’ll discover that Gary Player is very fervent about golf and the importance of a connected swing.

The pause drill

Peter Finch of Swing Quest Golf says that virtually every successful professional golfer has a connected backswing. He brings you a drill that might well be the best swing tip ever.

As you address the ball, he suggests you use your chest to move the club away from the ball until it’s parallel to the ground. At that point, the clubface should roughly mirror your spine angle.

Finch says your hands should stay low as the chest causes the club to move. When it’s parallel to the ground, you can finish the backswing by cocking your wrists and completing the turn.

Using the pause drill, take the club back with your chest, keeping your hands low. Pause when the club is parallel to the ground. Look to make sure the clubface roughly mirrors your spine angle. Then cock your wrists, complete the turn and swing down to hit the ball.

The pause drill will teach you to make the same connected backswing move every time. You’ll see immediate improvements in quality of contact. Accuracy and more distance will soon follow.

Above the belt connection

Mike Pitt of the Golf Pitt gives us three ways to feel and ensure connection in the backswing. You don’t have to concentrate on all three ways. Instead, try each and then pick the one that best suits you and your swing.

The first swing thought has to do with your lead arm. Just put an alignment stick or a golf club down the line of your feet. When you swing, try to keep your lead arm over that line until your wrists cock and you start to complete the turn.

The second thought you can use deals with your trail arm. Turn your trail arm so that you look like you’re giving blood. The pit of your elbow should point across the target line. As you grip the club and swing back, your trail arm should stay in front of your chest with the elbow pointing down at the top of the swing.

The third thought you can try is concentrating on keeping your elbows close together at setup and throughout the swing.

Try these swing thoughts several times each. Use the one that helps you hit the ball more crisply, more accurately and with more distance. And visit the Golf Pitt for more great instruction.