This is part 1 of a 3-part series on building a powerful and consistent golf swing:
Part 1 – [You Are Here] How To Load The Club During The Back Swing
Part 2 – Foot Pressure In The Golf Swing & How To Feel It
Part 3 – Golf Swing Side Tilting & Extending | Weight & Pressure Data
I’ve experimented a lot during my career as a golf pro. And witnessed first hand the little idiosyncrasies that produce good moves and bad as a teacher of the game.
What I’m going to share with you today will help you not only ‘load’ the club going back but also help you stay centered with your body and understand how to use the ground properly to produce power.
Loading
There’s a few things we need to do during the back swing to produce a powerful blow through impact. There’s the full pivot action of the body, an arm swing and a hinging of the wrists. All necessary to apply power to the ball through impact.
The backswing should essentially be a fluid ‘loading’ motion.
Having spent time around many good players it has become apparent to me that whether you have a cupped left (lead) wrist (extension) ala Ben Hogan, or a bowed lead wrist (flexion) like Dustin Johnson, at the top, it’s important you combine this with the maximum amount of wrist cock to benefit from loading properly.
Basically, the more wrist cock (radial deviation) you can create at the top of the backswing, the more stored power you can create coming down. This leads to a forward leaning shaft at impact.
There have been many ways people load during the back swing.
The club can be loaded early, gradually, or late, as long as it is fully loaded at the top of the backswing or no later than the transition move into the downswing.
Tiger, Annika and Norman load and set the club gradually during the back swing.
Jack Nicklaus had a very late back swing load and setting of the wrists.
While guys like Johnny Miller, Jay Haas and Kenny Perry all set and load the club very early on the back swing.
So there’s more than one way of getting it done.
I’m all for getting back to impact properly and producing the desired dynamics. If someone came to me with a late wrist set and load but had an amazing downswing and impact, I wouldn’t change that! that would just be changing something for the sake of it and not a good teaching mentality. The real answers lie in the route cause of things.
As long as we’re loading our lag going back and lagging our load coming down. It’s all good..
So why do I promote an early wrist set?
Simply because I’ve been around so many amateur golfers who sway so much during their back swing. With a late setting and loading of the wrists, it only promotes a sway away from the target with body. Namely the head and hips.
If there’s no priority in setting the wrists early then there’s definitely the chance of allowing the body to sway as the hands drag the club away during the back swing.
I don’t like any movement of the body swaying away from the target during the back swing. Unless you practice hitting balls doing it hundreds of times a day, chances are you’ll have a hard time getting back to impact in the desired position. Which includes having your weight forward, hands forward and shaft leaning forward. The downswing happens too fast.
“Most PGA tour pros average between 80-95% weight over their lead leg at impact.”
How To Use The Legs To “Load and Explode”
The legs play a huge role in the golf swing and learning how and when to push off the ground is essential if you want to introduce some more power into your move.
Studying the Pressure Patterns of the top players in the world you start to realize that most Tour Pros transfer around 80% pressure to the trail foot halfway back, and at least 80% to the lead foot halfway down.
This can be measured with a Boditrak mat or something similar.
Here’s a short analysis of Kevin Kisners pressure trace by Terry Hashimoto of Boditrak.
Sure, everyone’s a little different with their numbers but there’s no disputing the ground must be the first link in the kinetic chain of energy transfer to produce the most amount of power. Once we use our legs to drive into the ground, the ground reacts and pushes back (think of a trampoline) up into our body with an equal amount of force.
This force then gets transferred up the chain though the body. First through the legs, then pelvis, core, shoulders, arms, club and eventually to the ball.
Weight V Pressure
“Pressure is not weight – in fact, the two can oppose one another i.e. Load the pressure under the back foot, but keep the weight forward.”
In a nutshell, weight refers to the COM (Center of Mass).
The central points of the body are the Center of Shoulders & Center of Hips.
If the hips or head move to the right, the weight has moved to the right.
I like to teach a slight forward bias witht he hips in the setup. To do this move the hips a little more over the lead foot at setup – 55% instead of 50/50.
The mass has moved slightly more over the lead foot so the weight has moved a little forward also.
During the backswing, I like to keep the mass (weight) slightly forward. But the pressure exerted into the ground through the feet needs to move from one foot to the other, especially if you want to produce maximum power in your swing. This is called the Pressure Trace or COP (Center of Pressure).
At the top, and during the transition the pressure should start to drastically increase under the lead foot (think of crushing a Coke can under your lead foot..).
For elite players, this ground reaction force is transferred into their lead glute (from their trail glute halfway back), and then they thrust their lead leg into the ground through impact.
So, to produce the most efficient and powerful swing, in my humble opinion we should keep our weight (mass) slightly forward, LOAD the pressure under our trail foot going back – then EXPLODE into our lead foot to start the downswing.
How To Start The Swing
Here’s how I see the golf swing starting, and I’ve got a few thoughts on it.
Firstly, the club head travels the furthest in the swing so therefore it makes perfect sense for that to start moving first.
After all the arc or circle that the club head is traveling on is a lot larger than say the arc of our hands or the rotation of our body.
So to get the club head moving first the hands have to play a very specific role in the takeaway. And it’s simply a feeling of hinging the club head up and setting the club with a cocking of the wrists and simultaneous bending of the right wrist. If you can do this in conjunction with your body’s pivot, you shouldn’t have any problem loading fully during your back swing.
Here’s a great video I found of Steve Elkington working with Paul Kopp in their ‘Secret in The Dirt’ series
The second part of the equation is the direction of the hands.
This is the easy part, and if your arms are connected to your torso they should move back, up and inward.
From a down the line view, your hands and arms should be hanging pretty much straight down from your shoulders. Just draw a line straight down from your shoulders and as your hands move back and up, they should also move inside or eventually inside this line as the backswing progresses.
Please feel free to leave a comment or question below. Want to know more about loading? Ask away..
This article was part 1 of a 3-part series on building a powerful and consistent golf swing:
Part 1 – [You Are Here] How To Load The Club During The Back Swing
Part 2 – Foot Pressure In The Golf Swing & How To Feel It
Part 3 – Golf Swing Side Tilting & Extending | Weight & Pressure Data
Very well done. I have always felt that my weight was more over my left foot on back swing and good contact always left me with about 90% of my weight on my left foot at the finish. U r the first that I have observed who advocates keeping more weight on the left on backswing. This has helped me stop the sway and stop the fat shot. Bravo to u! Thought I was alone on this thought.
Thanks for the comment Sam. This is called ‘counterbalancing’. The momentum of the club, hands, arms are moving to the right, so keeping a little weight left and gradually feeling an increase into the left/front foot during the move helps keep you stay centered and produces a more consistent low point after the ball.
Thanks James for fixing my back swing. After retiring from teaching golf for 25 years I couldn’t fix myself. With your professional expertise you had me fixed in 10 min. and hitting laser shots on the green. That’s what students want, no small talk just fix my swing and that is what you did. Ray Hess
You’re welcome Ray. Glad I can help.
Just found some of your videos and then your site last night. Really impressed with what I have seen so far. Your teachings are similar to that of an old club pro of mine, Nick Underwood, Kidderminster GC. You may have known him judging by your accent (which is similar to mine).
I went down the practice fairway this morning Australian time, and hit the ball better than I ever have. I can now turn my left shoulder under, instead of flat and losing my spine angles. This is because you are the first pro to say that the left hip also turns under and the right leg straightens ‘a bit’. I always thought the hips turned flat and the right leg stays bent in the address position!!! How many times have I been told that?
Love the double take away set of the wrists in this video. Yes I have been keeping it hooded and going back on the inside so far it was laughable.plus trying to get 90% weight on my right foot.
Have been with a competitor of yours for 8 months, have knocked 2 shots off h/cap (8 to 6) but hit a brick wall a month or so ago.
I will be joining up with your site very soon.
thanks. Dave
ps. Can, t remember what Nick taught apart from the early set of the wrists(30 years since)
Good morning David, Thanks for the kind words. It’s always nice when someone goes out their way to comment.
I’m originally from Walsall just north of Birmingham. I’ve been stateside since 2008 originally working for Mitchell Spearman before venturing out, taking the plunge, and starting my own teaching operation.
I don’t know Nick Underwood but used to work for a great guy named Rob Grier who’s also from that neck of the woods.
it’s a common mistake that people think the hips turn flat. This just causes the shoulders to turn flat and causes a move away (to the right) with the body on the backswing. This then makes it very difficult to achieve an effective impact position.
Thanks again for the comment, and I’ll see you on the inside. Just join up and send me your swings.
James
Thanks James!
I really like the alignment rod between the feet to start the swing. I’ve struggled with whipping the club inside on the backswing for a long time. As an extremely avid player, I have managed to makeshift a decent takeaway (clubhead in line with hands from DTL view), but always find myself reverting to my natural, inside swing, as I lose distance and almost always cut/slice the ball when I try to keep it “on plane.”
I manage to get around the courses I play here in Southern California pretty well (+0.2 index), but that is mostly due to playing shorter courses where I almost always have wedges into par 4s. I know that I tend to get “flippy” at impact and don’t really compress the ball with anything but driver (I can swing up on it). If I play longer courses I often shoot in the low 80s.
I’ve read Bobby Clampett’s “Impact Zone” book a few times, and while I like the premise and understand it for the most part, he doesn’t do a great job of explaining exactly how to “load” the club on the backswing. Your method feels natural and definitely “loads” the club.
Thank you and look forward to seeing more!
Good morning Jared, thanks for the comment.
In your takeaway try moving your left shoulder down more, with less forearm roll. If you’re whipping it inside during the takeaway the ‘loop’ will always come back over the top and cut/slice it. Try and develop the opposite loop, where the shaft is a little steeper going back with the club head higher earlier. And the shaft shallower coming down, with the clubhead lower. Also, a real simple change if you’re cutting/slicing too much is move the ball back, lean the shaft forward, establish more weight forward, point the clubface right (open) and hit out more. Meaning, trying to push the ball out right. It will feel different, but to make a change you’ve got to produce the opposite of what your natural pattern is..
Try ‘pushing’ 5 shots in a row out to the right (block practice). Once you’re doing that, that’s your new swing shape. Simply rotate your left hand a little more through impact to close the face slightly. This will produce a nice little draw.
Let me know how you get on!
Great article, while I have many problems in my swing, I think an early hinge will help me load more and stop my upper body sway. I am trying to turn more, and while doing so, I lift my arms without a hinge which may be preventing me from making a proper turn, not sure. I like the idea of the club coming up to almost verticals early, I’ll try that this evening, I have to make changes because what I’m doing now , isn’t working. Thanks for the info, good stuff
Herb
Cheers Herb. Don’t forget the “dragging” sensation int he takeaway also though!
Really good drill would I be right in saying Sean foley like? I’ve struggled with rolling wrists on takeaway and think the early wrist hinge set has helped me but sometimes I get stuck trying to get into the hinge sequence !! do you imagine the heel pad of the left hand pushing down on the right thumb? I’ve heard this somewhere sometimes I nail it sometimes it don’t many thanks fraser
Hi Frazer, thanks for the comment.
I assume you mean the heel pad of the right hand pushing down on the left thumb right? I guess!
But it’s more a feeling of dragging your hands inward and allowing your right arm to fold during the takeaway. This is what actually produces the wrist hinge. It’s definately not a feeling of rolling the hands and arms. This only flips the clubface “open” and you’ll lose your connection with your left arm.
James,
This is an insightful training video. Years ago I learned a “width swing” from Mike Adams, “The Laws of Golf”, which featured an early wrist set. It worked pretty effectively on iron swings but I struggled with it on my fairway woods and driver. I was also taught to keep my rear leg flexed and to “sit” into my right side on the backswing. None of this seems to work for me anymore so I am anxious to try your approach. Any thoughts about how to make the early wrist set work better for my woods?
Hi David, try and feel the build up of pressure in your first pad/joint of your right hand trigger finger. As soon as the clubhead moves behind your hands you should feel it. If you were to ‘float load’ going back you’ll feel a gradual dragging sensation. But with an early wrist set – it feels as though you are throwing the clubhead up and behind your hands. Just hang on and if possible gradually increase this pressure into the downswing. But don’t forget, your driver is the longest club in your bag and you’ll be swinging it the fastest – so it will be the most difficult to it.
As a general rule, try and swing slower with your driver. Everyone always try to hit their driver too hard. Take a read of this blog, it may help https://www.jamesparkergolf.com/float-loading-right-arm-function/
Great article…thank u!! Figured this out through trial and error recently, and was absolutely amazed at the results. Just had to do some research to validate my findings, and u explained exactly what I focus on. My only two swing thoughts on the back swing are 1) hinge early and to the inside, and 2) push left shoulder down, under the chin (keeps me on plane). Then I just swing out…and pure the ball every time. Nothing like that crisp ‘thud’ and ‘zip’ sound as u compress is perfectly. Great tip!!
Thanks for the kind words.
You sound like you’re on the right path.. Also remember to –
– keep your weight forward
– feel as though your arms are straight (structural rigidity)
– move your left shoulder down
There’s some other stuff involved obviously, such as tucking your hips to finish. But you’ve got the hands moving inwards.
Best of luck. Remember to join my blog or online academy for future blogs and videos etc..
Would this be considered a backward wrist break? I have been trying the early wrist break. Have found that my short irons are much better the longer clubs are a bit harder. Have been researching this some and really enjoyed your perspective on this.
Thanks for the comment Tim.
I’m not sure what you mean by a ‘backward wrist break’. Think of it like this – the left wrist should cock/hinge and the right hand should bend. Combine that with your arms ‘feeling’ as though they are straight, and you’re golden!
Hope that helps.
Many thanks for this. This is one of the simplest best drills around for setting the club in the correct position.For years I have been battling with an inside shut takeaway and to overcome it I was fanning the club out.(My pro told me to start with the wrists but I think even he was running out of ideas that clicked for me!) Finally the penny dropped after watching this.I had a lesson last week and all he needed me to work on was more width at the top of the backswing by getting the left arm higher.Excellent tip I can even visualize the drill stick for my takeaway when i’m out on the course.The results have been straighter shots, more distance and better ball striking.
Keep up the good work.
Richard.
Excellent, glad I can help. Thanks for the comment Richard..
Thanks Richard
Hi James. In this article you advocate an early wrist cock on the backswing, yet in another article you show Bubba Watson dragging the club straight parallel to the ground, which method should we adopt for the driver>
Thanks for your help. Your articles are invaluable
Joe
Hi Joe. The Bubba article refers to something called ‘float loading’. Which is simply a later loading (wrist cock) process, and a great exercise for feeling some ‘lag’ coming down. I’d always advocate an earlier wrist hinge with all clubs. This sets the club earlier, and you’re more likely to achieve the correct ‘loop’ with the club head during the transition. So think ‘steeper’ going back – ‘flatter’ coming down. Basically, when bubba take it away he has minimal lead wrist (right hand for him) hinge. This leads to a high trail arm position at the top, which loses connection with the body – which isn’t an efficient enough model to follow. That being said, it produces more power! But that’s not what the game’s all about. It’s about learning how to become a short grass stroller! To quote Mr Foley “never swing at the expense of balance”..
I have always fought swaying – this early set seems to correct that problem. Very helpful and clearly explained (clearly explaining is a flaw of many golf teachers!)
Thanks Steve.
Mr Parker thank you for a very good explanation and drill. I have struggled with a late set for many years which often leads to fat or thin iron shots due to overactive hands at the bottom of the swing. Many thanks!
Jon B – you’re very welcome, thanks for the kind words.
Disagree with club head start. Belly button first. Good description in Daly’s book.
I think it depends on if you’re a swinger or a hitter Don. Definitely hitters will start with the body (i made a video about it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPeN7jphrU4), and swingers will start a little more with the hands and get the club head a little higher earlier. Or some players have a combo of both.
James. Wonderful tips, thanks. I have been playing “right sided golf” for nearly two years now. Love your concepts. My one error is that after setting the hinge, my club head/shaft tend to cross the line on the backswing (facing to the right rather than getting that laid off look I seek. Where on the backswing does the shaft begin to feel “behind” you without getting too far stuck inside. It’s almost as if I can’t stop my left and/or right arm from drifting over my head too far. Any tips for shortening the arm swing to match a simple turn of the torso? I’m a two handicapper…and thank goodness I can chip and putt to make up for the occasional stuck-push or over the top shot I create!! Thanks Scotty
Hi Scotty.
It sounds like you’re lifting your right arm up off your torso. Practice with a glove or tee peg under your right arm. If it falls out, your right arm isn’t attached properly. Practice in front of a camera and move slowly up to the top to get a feel for the correct movement pattern.
But obviously I can’t be sure without seeing it and giving you an accurate diagnosis. Get a mobile lesson and send me your swing.. one from face on and another from down the line.
James
Scotty
Had exactly the same problem, went on a Kvest and my hips were over rotating on the backswing coupled with a cupped left wrist at the top which always put my club across the line. Have now learned to let my shoulders pull my hips around and started to hinge the right wrist early in the takeaway but making sure that the right palm faces down to the ground as you hinge as opposed to the other method of rotating the forearms and cocking the wrist in the so called up and down position which promotes a dragging of the left arm through impact (Shallow attack angle) I prefer to hit through with the right side and extend !!!
Thanks for stopping by.. You described the kinematic sequence perfectly.
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Thank you!
James. A really great video lesson and I have watched a lot. I was a 8 or 9 handicap 30 years ago and I believe my swing was much like you teach. I then tried to self improve with the in fashion one pice takeaway. DISASTER I have struggled with an extremely flat laid off, over the top giration, not a swing. I began to lose all cofidence and tried all the anti flat swing methods recognised, to no avail. The game I loved drove me to distraction so much i ceased playing. I had many lessons with good instuctors but nearly all prescribed a very connected one piece takeaway. Finally I had a eureka moment and realised my wrists just did not activate early enough, causing the club to be too deep, very very heavy, left wrist collapses, voila the flattest swing in West Cumbria, voted by 10000 golfers. I have found Steve Harrison from Carlisle Eden who spotted my fault and is tirelessly helping me to undo 100000 repetitions in the kitchen, bedroom and the golf course. Thanks for the video and renewed enthusiasm for the game. Cheers Tom
PS Can you elaborate on the fingers initiating the swing, i am trying to drop my left wrist. Thanks again
Hi Tom, Thanks for taking the time to comment on my blog.
Here’s my take on it.. I believe in a one-piece takeaway, in the sense that the arms are connected to the torso. The arms should always be connected to the torso (feeling the pinch under your arms). But we don’t want to try and get the hands ‘WIDE’ away from the body in the takeaway. What this tends to do is drag your body along for the ride. This then moves one or both centers (center of shoulders and center of hips) away from the target on the back swing.
By getting the club head higher earlier in the takeaway, it helps keep the body centers fixed so we can simply tilt, turn and extend or spine around those fixed points. This is why it’s absolutely necessary to understand the 3-dimensional movement of the spine and why it’s great practice to keep the weight a little forward in the backswing – not sway from one foot to the other..
Hope that helps
Check out Ben Hogan and Mickey Wright. A slight lag of the club head at start. If I swing a rock on a rope, body moves first. String and then rock react. The lag allows the hands to more easily stay outside the hands.
Or look at a baseball player moving bat from low to above shoulders ready to hit. The bat moves last.
Hi Don, agreed.
meant club head stays outside hands.
Tried this instant wrist cock from the start and it transformed my irons. My sand wedge and lob wedge distances increased dramatically. My swing of old was a sway and a wrist cock that occurred at the top after a bend of the left arm at the top…basically a collapse. I always thought getting your hands and arms extended way back at the start was the way to go for power. Jack nNicklaus was a late setter. Greg Norman was a late setter. But I never could figure out how to set them late. Rather it was a left arm bend. I got a swing extender which keeps right arm from over bending past 90 degrees. It helped. I could not replicate it without the device. Swingers gyde also did not work. It only led to severe oushes or shanks. The light bulb moment for me is to NOT extend my arms at the start but rinstead start with my hands first by simply letting them hinge. Rereading Hogan’s Five lessons, it is exactly what he says….the hands start first . Hogan never really said to start with an early wrist hinge but when you read that he says to start with the hinge first after waggling, the practical effect is an immediate hinge, wherther he perceived it or not. The beauty of this method is that it also helps with half shots. One of the most challenging things for me as a late wrist setter was the half swing. The L to L drill never worked because again I was extending my arms away from the ball while setting my wrists, leading to shanks or pushes. Also sand shots are magical now that I set my wrists early. Of course the same logic for wedges applies even more strongly on those types of shots. As far as driving the ball, this fix is just as effective. Again the key is setting the wrists AT THE OUTSET. Again the tendency is to want to rare back and clobber it. Waggling seems to help get those wrists ready to hinge. I’m just amazed by this swing, which feels so different. So much left less effort. Thanks for posting this James. I’d love to show you my before and after.
Hi Ned, thank you for your comment.
It sounds like you were maybe swaying off the ball as well through your lack of wrist set at the start. This is a common problem. With an earlier wrist set it’s easier to keep the body centered and not sway!
Unfortunately, I don’t send free analysis’ back anymore. But I’ve created a discount code for you to get 75% off a v1 mobile analysis. Just enter code ‘blogthankyou’ at checkout and I’ll gladly send you back on online analysis for $25. Looking forward to seeing your move..
Click here http://www.jamesparkergolf.com/v1-mobile-lesson/
James: Love your ideas on the early wrist set. It’s the only way I can swing the club with my tall, 6’10” Frame. My problem when I try to stay connected with my upper arms to my chest, I get too “Narrow” in the backswing and don’t turn enough. I hit the ball fat frequently and only hit my drives around 200 yds. which I consider very short with my height advantage, Any ideas for improvrment? Thanks!
Greg Hill
Hi Greg, thanks for commenting.
Try and feel as though you’re pushing away from your chest with your arms and hands. This will help keep your left arm straight and not over-bend your right arm going back. Your arms should feel like steel rods..
Thanks! Do you have any instruction books out?
No books out. But I see you’ve just joined up, thank you.. I’d make ‘The Role of The Spine’ course the first you go through.
Very good! I sent you an e-mail a little bit ago,feel free to e-mail me any time!!
Thanks John. I appreciate you commenting.
Just sent you an email back..
No accident I found your post on “loading” it answered my question! Thanks,John
Hi James, this tip has transformed my iron and hybrid play. But would you use the same swing with the driver, thanks again for great video. Cheers Chris.
Hi Chris, I wouldn’t ask you to do something different on the Driver swing. But because the ball is forward the club will stay lower longer on the takeaway.
Always tried to start swing with left shoulder. Does this just simply start with the hands throwing the club head back and the right wrist sets? Then the shoulder turn comes in late? I struggle with the body turn after this initial,move because for so many years was tUght to turn 1st.
No, I’d want you to move everything together. The wrists cock and the right wrist bends while the left shoulder is moving down and the spine starting to tilt left.The wrist cock will facilitate the right arm folding which gradually comes more off your torso to get to the top. However, you still want some connection at the top. Pinch a ‘tee peg’ under each arm to feel the correct move.. Hope that helps. Thanks for stopping by..
I have experimented with Nick Faldo drill of bending right wrist back coupled with right hip pocket back with good results. I got your email and tried the wrist cock as my first move on backswing tonight. Worked very well for me. Thanks.
Thanks James!
Secret in the dirt and spine toward target has helped. Early wrist cock also helps. ( Also letting my lead knee move more toward the ball during the takeaway?) I slowed down my tempo with more weight on lead foot, more pressure on inside trial foot and have seen great results with my ball striking. 2 over on back 9 yesterday. Of course I continue to work on my short game as well as my ball striking. My biggest problem seems to be releasing the club head too soon, the above teachings have seemed to
eliminate the early release. Just need to get it ingrained in my subconscious.
Thanks again,
Walt
2 over on the back 9 sounds pretty sharp Walt. Well played..
James ,
Is the early wrist set kind of a throwing of the clubhead back so it gets above the hands early? Also, the left wrist cocks and the right wrist sort of sets back , correct?
There are many pros who have the Club head outside the hands early in the takeaway, yes. As the left wrist cocks, the right wrist also cocks and bends. You ant to maintain this bend in the right wrist all the way through and post impact. Hope that helps..
I agree with everything you said Steve. Thank you for commenting. However, if you’d care to read some other blogs or watch some other videos you would find out that I’m a proponent of swinging the hands inward, moving around on a circle, etc. plus if you watch most pros on tour they take it back a little steeper and come down a little shallower. The club head has the furthest to travel in the swing, so it should (in theory) move first because it has a wider circle to travel around. This is a drill to get people to pay attention to loading their wrists – yes in combination with turning, tilting and extending the body.
Please see other comment for response.
Thanks for the lesson James
An early wrist cock has stopped my sway which had crept into my swing and had wreaked havoc without me noticing.
The early wrist cock must have been the move which saw me hit perfect shots on the range without me realising what I was doing.
I struggled to take the range swing onto the course, now I have that ammo I know I will be more confident out on the course from now on
Best regards
Wullie Ruffle
Secretary
Dalmeny Estate GC
Thanks Wullie, I appreciate your comment.
Your early wrist set with more weight forward on left leg during takeaway has helped balance and my ball striking immensely after left knee replacement. (Was not getting to left leg at impact consistently because of pain) Was not real clear on your start of downswing sequence… I start mine with firing and turning left hip side and firing right knee at target simultaneously . Can u clean this crucial aspect up for me! Great tips and lessons!! Thanks so much!’
Hi Joaquin, you want 80% of the pressure under the trail foot half way back, and 80% of the pressure under the lead foot half way down.
Hi James
A most impressive and well organised site with loads of great material which I look forward to exploring!
One question if I may please I am a bit confused about wrist hinge/cock. I have recently been shown that on the backswing my left wrist should be much more bowed which seems to result in a closed position (also rather uncomfortable) by a parallel position. I much prefer to use an upward cock of the left wrist on the takeaway This seems to give me considerable more power by impact although my tendency is to bring the club down with the face rather open. Can you point me to any particular section of your site which deals with this or can you clarify for me please. ( I am presently going down the S and T route which seems to make so much sense)
Many thanks
Regards
Ian
Hi Ian, thanks for taking the time to comment on my blog.
The answer is, it depends on what works for you.
Dustin Johnson bows his lead wrist at the top where as Ben Hogan cupped his lead wrist. But both get down to impact with the lead wrist slightly bowed. This keeps the trail wrist bent and ensures the shaft is leaning forward at impact.
Here’s a short blog I wrote a while back http://www.jamesparkergolf.com/bowed-left-wrist/
Hope that helps..
Hello please keep uus up to date like this. Thanmks for sharing!!!
When you get to the 90 degree position with the hands lower club head higher after cocking the wrist with the fingers , is the butt end of the club pointing at the ball just before you lift and turn??
Hi Harold, you should be extending and turning simultaneously. But sure, the butt should be pointing around the target line..
Really good article! Great pictures. “I agree that it’s best grasp this vital concept of address For me, the key is found in maintaining the natural wrist-cock created by taking the proper grip. This angle must be maintained at address, and through the impact zone. It is lost when it is intentionally opened because we suffer from laziness. We allow our backs to curl, or we stand up during the backswing, or bend our knees, or rock back on our heels.
”
Excerpt From: Mike Stair. “Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons.”
I have a question, if I may.
At address, what is the degree of rotation of the left forearm?
In almost all photos (on the internet) the address is from behind the striker or looking at the torso. It actually makes it very hard to see how rotated the left arm is.
When I address, my left forearm (and therefore my elbow) can rotate about 70? degrees without the hand or shoulder changing position.
I have the impression that with a left elbow rotated away from square to torso (in a leftwards direction for a righthander), the tendency would be to favour a draw. When I set up with the left elbow in line with the hand position (it cannot go any further to my right without opening the club face), the resulting swing seems to prevent a draw and keeps the clubhead on line for longer.
Thank you
Interesting comment Alan. I think what you’re referring to is the Pronation (palm down) or supination (palm up/holding a bowl of soup) of the hands/forearms. I’d say it has a lot to do with the player in question. Dechambeau may look a little different at setup compared to say Zach Johnson. I’d have to see your swing to give you a more in depth answer and to let you know if this is even relevant to the move you’re making at the ball.
I think in another video you showed that you could pre-set or pre-rotate the left and right wrist to the impact position in the backswing similar to Dustin Johnson. If you do that you turn the face downward in the backswing and the downswing is simplified by coming to your right thigh and being already closed for square impact. You also get that rotation swing finish where you hands swing out to the left as you finish. Can you tell me about this?
Hi Robert, sure. Please be more descriptive and I’ll try and give you an answer to your questions.
Hi James,
Superb articles.Great clarity.
By trial and error I find an early loading is key.
I fan he clubface by forearm rotation in tandem with shoulder and body rotation followed by wrist hinge.Fet action ,pivot and balance all engaged.The overall action is rotational.(Circle Swing)ziIn summary:Back,Up Down,Out and Up.
James,I would appreciate your observations.
Many thanks.
John
Hi John,
Please sign up here and I’ll take a look at your move https://www.jamesparkergolf.com/online-academy-free-7-day-trial/
Hi James
You make a lot of sense. I have been using an early wrist hinge for the last 15 years. I’m a student of the Joe Dante method ( Four Magic Moves) where he advocates an early backward wrist break. This move in effect results in a flat or slightly bowed left wrist at the top of the backswing. Then all I have to do is bump/rotate my left hip toward the target which shallows the club and results in a very powerful impact. It’s important that I keep my head behind the ball and I transfer my weight to my lead leg, but the Dante method works well.
“Valuable insights on loading the club during the backswing! Mastering this technique can enhance the effectiveness of each club in golf bags, optimizing performance across various shots. This article offers practical advice for maximizing club potential on the course.”
[…] To start the backswing, don’t rush11. Keep your body steady and let your shoulders turn away from the golf ball. A smooth backswing helps you keep your balance. It also uses your body to generate the power you need to hit the ball far12. […]