One of the areas of your swing that needs to be fine tuned in order to maximize distance from the tee is the backswing. Think of your backswing as being the foundation of the power that you are going to create. You obviously aren't going to hit the ball during the backswing, but it remains important for what is to come. Without a quality backswing it will be nearly impossible to strike your drives with authority and accuracy. Spend some time working on the technical aspects of your backswing and you should be able to pick up yardage relatively quickly.

The concept of 'loading' up your swing during the backswing is something that every golfer should understand. The ultimate goal of the backswing is simple – to position both the club and your body at the top of the swing for a great move toward the target. It is crucial that both of those elements come together nicely, as one without the other is useless. You need to put the club in the right spot at the top, and you also need to make sure your body is in a place that will allow it turn aggressively toward the target without losing balance. There are a lot of misconceptions around the game as to what should happen during the backswing, so make sure you have a clear picture of the important fundamentals before you start working on making improvements.

Remember, as you are working to add distance to your swing, that distance gains should never come at the expense of your accuracy. You will not be a better golfer if the only way to gain ten yards is to sacrifice some of the control that you have over the ball. It would be ideal to have both control and power, but control always needs to be the top priority. Feel free to work on improving the way you load up the backswing in an effort to hit the ball harder, but never forget that accuracy always trumps power when it comes to shooting the best possible score.

The backswing phase of your golf swing sets the stage for the excitement that is the downswing and the moment of impact. While you don’t actually hit the ball during the backswing, this part of your swing is incredibly important in the big picture. If you swing the club back properly – putting both it and your body in the right position – you’ll be on your way to a great result. If things go wrong on the way back, however, trouble will be soon to follow.

In this article, we are going to take a look at the topic of the backswing from a number of angles. We’ll talk about some common mistakes, some key positions to master, and some drills you can use to get yourself on track sooner rather than later. Finally, we’ll discuss the backswing and how it works in the short game, so you can tighten up your performance with the putter and wedges, as well.

All of the content below is based on a right-handed golfer. If you happen to play left-handed, please take a moment to reverse the directions as necessary.

— Common Backswing Mistakes

As the club makes its journey from the address position on up to the top of the backswing, there is a lot that can go wrong. While your hands aren’t actually moving that far – from in front of your belt buckle to up over your right shoulder – the club is going to trace a rather large arc on its way. If you may even a minor mistake during this movement, it will be hard to get the club back into the right position in time to strike the ball cleanly.

The list below highlights a few of the common backswing mistakes made by amateur golfers. Understanding where your backswing can go wrong will be tremendously helpful as you try to keep it on track.

• Too narrow. This is a big one in the amateur game. One of your keys in the backswing should be to keep the club wide as it makes its way up toward the top. In other words, you want to keep the club out away from your body, allowing for a long swing arc (more on this later). Unfortunately, many golfers fail on this point, allowing the club instead to get quite narrow on the way up. Why is this a problem? Simple – it can lead to one of the most common issues in the amateur game… the slice. If you currently struggle with a slice in your game, it’s likely that your backswing is too narrow. With the club close in to your right shoulder at the top of the swing, you won’t have the room you need to swing down into the ball from the inside. So, you’ll push the club up and away from you as the downswing begins, and you will pull the club across the ball from outside-in at impact. The end result of all of this is a slice, and it all stems from the fact that you didn’t create enough space in your backswing. To make things worse, even if you do manage to avoid a slice from time to time with this narrow swing, you’ll always lack power because of the short swing arc. Simply put, getting away from a narrow swing arc and tracing a wider path in the backswing is one of the best things you can do for your game.
• Too fast. This one is almost as common, and as harmful, as the mistake of swinging back too narrow. When you make a fast backswing, it will be very difficult to get your body into the right position in time for impact to arrive. Most likely, the club will beat the rest of your body to the top of the backswing, since it is moving so quickly. Then, you’ll transition down with only the club, while your lower body stays mostly out of the action. In the end, the quick backswing will probably lead to an arms-only motion that badly lacks power and consistency. We should say that while a fast backswing isn’t recommended, it is possible to play well this way. The key is to make sure that your body moves fast enough to keep up with the club. If you can do that, and the fast tempo feels right to you, go for it. However, for the majority of golfers, a slightly slower backswing is going to be the preferred option.
• Too steep or too flat. So far, we’ve talked about what can go wrong if you swing back too quickly, or too narrow. Those are serious issues for many golfers, but there is also the matter of getting on the right plane to deal with. If your swing is too flat or too steep, you’ll always struggle to strike the ball cleanly. And, even if you do hit clean shots, it will be tough to add much variety to your game. For most players, the right path away from the ball is going to closely mimic the angle of the shaft at address. The angle that the shaft forms in relationship to the ground at address is going to set your plane for you, and from there you’ll simply turn away from the target and get the swing started. If you immediately flatten the club out, or tilt it vertically, there will need to be some kind of compensation later in order to get back into position.
• Too short. Finally, the last mistake we’d like to discuss in this section relates to making a short backswing. If you cut your backswing off prematurely and start down toward the ball before you are ready, all sorts of issues can pop up. This is a problem that tends to show itself more on the course than the driving range, as players tend to rush their swings when they get nervous about the results of the shot. On the range, you are feeling relaxed and it is much easier to let the club travel the full arc of the backswing before changing directions. Once you hit the course, however, some nerves may come into play and your swing may get a little tight. That can lead to a short backswing, a rushed transition, and poor contact in the end. Finding a way to set aside your nerves and make a full backswing even under pressure is a big part of your development as a golfer.

We hope you aren’t intimidated by the long list above. Yes, there are plenty of ways for the backswing to go wrong. However, with some hard work on the range and the necessary attention to detail, you can cut many of these mistakes out of your game. Now that you know what to look for in terms of mistakes, let’s move on to highlight proper backswing technique.


— Three Important Positions

It’s easy to overcomplicate a topic like the backswing. While we want to explain it in sufficient detail, we also don’t want to overwhelm you with so much information that you just freeze up when taking your stance and preparing to make a swing. With simplicity in mind, we are going to boil down the backswing to three important positions. If you can hit on these three positions each time you make a backswing, your swing as a whole should be in pretty good shape.

• Address position. Yes, it’s technically true that the backswing has not yet started when you are standing at address. However, this position is so important to the health of your backswing, and to the health of your swing as a whole, that we need to include it in this discussion. With a good address position, it is going to be much easier to make a composed, balanced backswing. So, how do you get into the right position at address? It starts with plenty of knee flex and a relatively flat back. You should also be tilting forward from your hips, keeping your chin up, and allowing your arms to hang freely from your shoulders. Take some time to work specifically on the quality of your stance and you may find that some of your backswing issues work themselves out naturally based on those improvements.
• Halfway back. This is the most important checkpoint along the way in the backswing. The ‘halfway back’ position is defined by most golfers as the point when the club reaches parallel to the ground. As you turn away from the target, the club is going to gradually lift away from the ground and begin to rotate around your body. When the club is pointed away from the target and the shaft is parallel to the turf, you have reached halfway back. This is a great opportunity to assess the progress of your backswing and note if anything needs to be changed in your takeaway sequence. What you want to see at this point is that the club is on a line that is roughly parallel to the target line you are using for the shot. It doesn’t have to be perfectly parallel, of course, but you should be relatively close. If your club is pointed way to the inside or outside of that target line, something has gone wrong early in the backswing. Usually, the error has something to do with your hands. Either they are overactive, turning the club inside immediately upon the start of the takeaway, or they are too passive, and the club is dragging back. If you are out of position when you reach this halfway back checkpoint, take a close look at how you are starting your swing and make the necessary corrections to get in a better spot.
• At the top. When you arrive at the top of your swing, the backswing phase is finished, and you will be transitioning into the downswing. Although the backswing is done at this point, the position that you find at the top is going to tell you a lot about what has led up to that moment. If you have done a good job with your backswing, you will find that your shoulders are turned fully away from the target, you are still nicely balanced, and your eyes are on the ball. Poor balance at the top is a significant problem, so be sure to address that issue right away if it is present in your game. Remember, you don’t have to make the biggest backswing in the game to hit good shots, so don’t force yourself to take the club back farther than what feels natural or comfortable. As long as you make a good turn and keep yourself firmly balanced, you should have plenty of time in the downswing to build speed and send the ball on its way.

If you decide to take a video recording of your swing to check out your positions and make corrections, try pausing that video at the three checkpoints listed above. With your body and the club in good positions at address, halfway back, and at the top, you are likely to hit quite a few good shots moving forward.


— Helpful Practice Drills

Golf practice drills are a great way to make steady improvement toward your goals. It’s one thing to read golf instruction and gain an idea of what you are trying to accomplish with the club, but it is another thing entirely to put those concepts into action. Drills serve to bridge the gap between concept and action, so it’s always good to have a few in mind when you head to the range for a practice session.

The drills we have listed below are specifically designed to help you improve the quality of your backswing. As always in golf, do your best to temper your expectations when first getting started. Nothing comes quickly in this game, so stick with the process and look forward to seeing results down the line.

• Back and forth. One easy way to work on the first portion of your backswing is to simply go back and forth between your address position and the halfway back position. You aren’t going to be hitting any actual shots with this drill – you’ll just take your stance, swing halfway back, and move the club back down to address. Doing this over and over again will help you get comfortable with how the club moves early in the backswing. Since you won’t feel the pressure of continuing on to hit a full shot, you can focus your mind fully on how the club behaves during the takeaway. This is a useful drill for any player, but it can be particularly helpful for the player who has a habit of using his or her hands too actively in the takeaway. Focus on moving the club with your shoulders rather than your hands and repeat the takeaway action as many times as you would like.
• Full extension. We talked early in the article about how a narrow backswing can get you into trouble. To work toward getting great extension on the way back, try placing something to your right that you can reach the club out to for a quick drill. Your golf bag works great for this purpose, as long as you have one that can stand up on its own. Set your bag in a spot that will require you to use great backswing extension in order to reach it with the clubhead once you get to the halfway back position. When doing the drill, don’t make a full swing or try to hit any shots. Just swing back to gently tap your bag with the clubhead, and then start over. If you have previously been using a narrow backswing, you will quickly notice just how much more room you feel like you have in the swing now that you are tracing a wider arc. When you do this drill at the range, try going back and forth between the drill and hitting a few shots. Just perform the drill a couple of times, then move your bag out of the way and hit normal shots while maintaining the feeling of a wide backswing. With any luck, you’ll start to feel added power in your swing and you will notice an improved ability to strike the ball solidly.
• Hold the top. The top of the backswing comes and goes so quickly it can be hard to tell if you are truly balanced or not. One good way to find out is simply to stop your swing at the top and hold yourself in that position. If you can easily hold the position without leaning to one side or the other, you are balanced properly. Should you find it difficult to balance at the top, do some work on your stance or backswing technique to find better footing. This is a drill that you can even do out on the course when you feel like your swing technique is getting away from you a little bit. Instead of a traditional practice swing, just swing the club up to the top and hold it there for a moment. That move will remind you to stay balanced, and it will hopefully lead to better results for the rest of your round.

As you gain experience practicing your golf game, you will be able to develop a list of drills that work for you and address your specific swing issues. Make it a habit to work through at least a couple of drills each time you practice so you can make consistent forward progress with your performance.


— Backswing in the Short Game

In the short game, the ‘backswing’ you use to hit your shots is going to be rather compact, of course. The ball doesn’t need to be hit very hard in the short game, so you don’t need a big backswing to get the job done. With that said, there are still important technical keys here, so let’s take a quick look at some of the points to keep in mind.

• Extremely quiet hands. While you will likely use your hands a bit in the takeaway for your full swing, you don’t want to do the same in the short game. When putting, take your hands completely out of the equation and just use your shoulders to move the club. Once off the green for a chip shot, you can just your hands just a bit if you need to add some height to the shot, but control over the swing should remain largely in your shoulders.
• Trace the proper line. The path of your swing is just as important here as it is in the long game. With your putter, work on taking the club straight back away from the ball and then deliver it straight down the line toward the target. For chip shots, you can break from this rule just slightly and swing across the ball a bit, when you need to hit a higher shot.
• Keep it tight. One common mistake seen in the short game is allowing the backswing to go too long. If you make a long backswing with your putter, for instance, you’ll have to slow the club down prior to impact, in order to avoid hitting the shot too hard. Don’t put yourself in that position. Instead, keep your backswing tight and allow yourself to accelerate smoothly through impact and into the finish. As you practice, focus on learning how much backswing it takes to hit shots of various lengths, so you can have a good feel for the length of your short game swings when on the course.

You aren’t going to get far in this game without a good backswing. While there is plenty of room for personal style and preference when building a backswing, there are also a few keys – discussed in this article – which can benefit nearly every player. We hope the ideas presented above will help you improve your performance in the weeks and months ahead. Thanks for reading and good luck!