Purpose of the Backswing

Purpose of the backswing is two fold, to put the club at right angles to the line of the shoulders and to create momentum so that the arms and legs will coordinate. Momentum results from arm swing and as long as the arms swing the arms and legs will automatically coordinate. This means that one can swing slow to slow, medium to medium or fast to fast.

Doing this satifys a time IQ that all golfers posses. Because every swing takes a set amount of time, if one swings slow to slow the swing will naturally shorten and if one swings faster back, or more medium to medium the swing will lengthen so as to satisfy one’s time IQ. This is how arm swing controls the legs and reflects how the golf swing is a hard wired program just like walking.

The next purpose of the backswing is to keep the club in front of the body, between the line of the shoulders, that way it is in position to straighten back to the ball, a goal where the grip end can easily point at the target line in the downswing. This is a desired condition since the grip end dictates where the head end goes. If the grip end is pointing at the target line in the downswing it is very easy for the head end to release back to the ball for impact. A good reason not to try to delay the release.

This is why the club needs to be at a right angle to the line of the shoulders and why golfers swing back on plane, to get the club in position to release back to the ball. But it is also why some golfers don’t swing back on plane. While some are on a visually pleasing plane, some are on a circle where the club swings back outside and shut and then opens back to square for impact. Also, some gofers do the opposite, by swinging back inside and open. As the club circles out it will settle into a right angel to the shoulder line in, square, in position to straighten back to the ball.

Lets look at an example with Ryan Moores golf swing to see this in action.

The first two pictures show the swing from address to the top of a very short backswing.  The third picture is actually the completion of the transition. This club has swung from outside and shut to opening back to square, ready to straighten to the ball as shown by the following.

This swing is clearly not possessing the preferred look of a golf swing however it is in a perfect match. lets use BioSwing Dynamics to take a quick look: Here is a one post golfer with slow hips and has a square right foot, flared left to facilitate the lower body action. Because of this hip speed there is a lot of knee flex at address needed to capture vertical forces in the downswing. He can stand up through the shot. With a right arm that back and up folds, he diagonally sets the club swinging it back on the shoulder plane. With a downswing plane lower than his backswing plane he loops the club outside and shut allowing momentum to open it back to square on the right arm plane. Changing this swing for appearance can only be done at the expense of functionality, proving again that there is no preferred look in the golf swing.