- Place a club across the front of your shoulders; cross your arms and hold the club in place with the hands.
- Crouch into your golf stance and turn the shoulders as if making a backswing. Restrict the lower body from turning as much as possible.
- Continue turning until the club points directly at the ground. You’ve reached the magic 90° mark.
- You should feel tension in your lower back – that’s what we’re after.
Making a full backswing turn requires utilizing your shoulders. If you fail to engage the upper body, your arms and hands will be restricted, resulting in either 1) A swing that’s too short, or 2) Bending of the left (lead) elbow to create length, which destroys efficiency.
As you complete the backswing, your shoulders should be perpendicular (90°) to the target line, with your back facing the target. Practice this drill to achieve a correct, full turn:
If you can’t tell whether you’re achieving a full turn, do this drill while facing a mirror.
This also makes an excellent pre-round stretching exercise to loosen up the lower back and torso.
