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Femgolf1 Oct 01, 2021
My Golf mentor, teacher, model and creative genius. I am happy to inform you that my golf has improved tremendously since I discovered, embraced and commit to your method. I play with a lot of confidence now to the envy of my club mates and partners. For this I congratulate you and myself.
I discovered that my backswing mostly stop at the “extended” takeaway since I wont want to lift the club with the hands. I am often criticized that this is too short.
How can I get the hands up to about 9’0 -10 0clock without lifting the arms in the backswing!! Am I asking for too much? I have consistently refused to yield to their criticisms because I feel my distance and results are manageable.
But is there any way I can do this or is there anything I am not doing right. You have seen two of my video for analysis.
When I watch your videos it looks to me you lift after the takeaway.!! .
I will appreciate your comments. Thank you sir.Ross Oct 01, 2021 ยท Edited
The height the arms/club travel “up” (as you say) is different for every golfer depending on their body size, type and height… and the amount of tilt each golfer has in their spine, depending on the club selection and course conditions (level ground, on a slope, ball above/below). Age and flexibility is another factor that limits the shoulder turn.Now, your friends mean well, but actually lifting your arms higher does not necessarily equal more distance. It does equal disconnection from the Large muscles and the chance for more inconsistency in many areas, but usually, the arms/club getting left behind is one of the first. Keep in mind that if done correctly, the shoulders will move the arms/club up roughly perpendicular to the spine angle. Your maximum distance is about how efficiently you wind up and unwind and how square the club face returns, and how close to the sweet spot on the club face you make contact. There are other factors.
There is a difference in actually lifting the arms in the backswing and the arms being moved by the shoulders. The arms may continue slightly at the top of the backswing due to the momentum of being moved by the shoulders. This can happen to golfers with a faster backswing. I’m not suggesting to speed up your backswing, I’m only mentioning that there might be a little more momentum at a faster pace and it may take the arms/club slightly higher. This must be done by the shoulders or you’ll disconnect.
Femgolf1 Oct 01, 2021
Thank you sir for the timely response.
I keep my swing. I am doing well by my own standards and age. I appreciate you so much.DaveF Oct 05, 2021
Stick with it! I am 6 years into this now (might be 7? and learning to turn your shoulders vs just moving your arms would be beneficial to the vast majority of golfers I see. I have found that “good” golfers actually compliment people with compact backswings. I struggle with this as much as anyone, but one thing I do now that helps as part of the routine is I turn my shoulders before addressing the ball ala the big muscles drill and mentally note where the right elbow stops with no arm interference. This has the benefit of building in a pause at the top (rhythm) and not “trying to hit the ball in the backswing”. My fatal flaw (one of them anyway) is if I am not focused on JUST the downswing I’m toast. As a drill, I find the “acid test” of whether I’m making progress is finding the top of the backswing position, and then hitting balls from there. Like Ross has mentioned, watch Matsuyama, and then try to hold that pause even longer, or just start from there, from the top. It also helps with the instinct people often have of “worrying they will get back to the ball” (another thing I’m guilty of). Anyway, sorry to go on, but I’ve been pretty quiet since I observed I was “oversharing” a few years ago!DaveF Oct 05, 2021
Hope you’re doing GREAT Ross!
I’m finally swinging from the ground-up!For me thinking about getting the left hip back at impact STAYING OVER the Left leg (starting with the Ross Move of course? and not “spinning” my hips was the final clarifying moment (of many). Never would have gotten here without your roadmap (and a lot of work of course?
I had an eagle on a par 5 last week, it only took 3 really great shots using Driver and 5 Wood, but it’s not “how” but “how many” right?
I’m even working the ball more and more so it’s all good man ? You know what a hot mess my swing was when I started!WTG on the eagle Dave! I’ve always thought a big part of the enjoyment is the process, so when you put together 3 great shots, you could reflect on the hard work and practice that lead up to the result ?
Anthony225 Oct 02, 2021
This was always something difficult for me to grasp. When you watch some good players it appears that they lift their arms in the backswing (and some do). But what happens in my experience is that as you rotate your shoulders in the backswing the arms “lift” due to the back elbow running out of room. When the back elbow runs out of room it starts to fold causing the front arm to lift. But the front arm doesn’t lift on its own. If the front arm lifts on its own I get disconnected and then the club gets left behind when I turn my hips on the downswing. One backswing thought that has been helping me is that during the backswing the back elbow should “feel” like its not too far from the right hip. This is a feel only and by too far it more of the plane that the back elbow and shoulders travel on if that makes sense. So on my backswing I now feel that my should turn back puts my back elbow in position to return back in front of the right hip with no independent from the arms.
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