An Instant Golf^® Special Report

The Simple Golf Backswing

 

by Robert Cotter (About the Author)
Professional Golf Ball Engineer
Director of Golf Swing Instruction, Instant Golf®

It's Thanksgiving week here in the US and a great time for a new Special Report. This time I address a commonly misunderstood feature of the golf swing. And several top golfers with recent breakthrough performances perfectly illustrate this point.

You see, one of the most prevalent inquiries I receive involves the backswing. The question is not about the backswing plane, club position, or even the weight transfer. Rather, it is typically asked something to the effect:

"How long should my backswing be .... to parallel or past parallel?"

This is a great question... let's get to it.

There is a persistent adage in golf that the club shaft should reach a position where it is parallel to the ground at the top of the backswing for a "full or complete backswing". The logic continues that without achieving that position, you will be incapable of hitting the ball for distance or with maximum power.

Well, in this report I will shatter that myth and show you why the quest for that position at the top is not necessary in today's game (and why it is most likely hurting you and your scores).

First, let's address the origin of the myth. During golf's early evolution right on up to the 1930's, golf club technology was is its infancy, at least relative to today's advancements.

If you have ever seen those old black and white films of Bobby Jones (right) and his long and graceful swing, you have no doubt witnessed his golf club dipping way past parallel during the backswing. In some sequences, it looks as though the shaft might actually smack him on his "hind quarters"!

In those days the only shafts available were made of wood, particularly hickory. Because of the inherent flex of the material, a longer swing was necessary in order to give the club head a longer travel distance in order to build up enough speed to deliver a solid blow. Hence, the shafts were whippier than the steel and composite shafts of today and therefore the swing necessary to maximize their performance reflected that difference.

Then a breakthrough in club technology...

Steel shafts were approved by the R&A and USGA for use in competition in 1929. With the introduction of steel shafts and later the space age club head alloys, suddenly there was a new way to get the job done. Just think of the club shaft as the engine of the club.

Better, Stronger Engines = Faster, Longer Rides!

The transfer of momentum from club head to ball was now so much more efficient that the past parallel backswing started to be replaced with a parallel condition for most pros. An added bonus was that this was also a position of more club control. This translated directly into more precise ball striking.

To illustrate this point, Ben Hogan's early swing was very inconsistent and he would allow the club to dip dramatically past parallel at the top of the backswing. He fought an awful hook for many years until he "retooled" his swing after 1948.

The result was his more compact, precise swing (just to parallel with the driver) that enabled him to become arguably the greatest ball striker in the history of the game. Again, his swing allowed him to maximize the club (and ball) technology of the day.

Today's golf equipment has progressed yet another degree since Hogan's era. We now have more responsive "tuned" shafts, perimeter weighted irons, low back weighted drivers, and incredibly advanced golf balls. One wonders where Hogan would rank with today's stars if he were around to tee it up with these new, advanced tools of the trade.

Importantly, today's players are taking full advantage of the equipment, and their swings again reflect the nature of the new technology.

The most overwhelming feature I see is shorter, more compact golf swings in today's stars.

More specifically, the length of the backswing is shortening, yet distance numbers continue to advance!

Let's look at 2 Major Championship winners, who both happen to be named Jason. 2016 Career Builder Challenge and 2013 PGA Champ Jason Dufner's golf swing is powerful and repeats like a fine Swiss watch.

To the right is a shot I took of Jason at a practice round at the Bay Hill Invitational. It is actually a still from a video.

I stopped the video precisely at the top of back swing. You can see the club falls well short of parallel where the red line represents the "traditional", parallel condition.

Yet he bangs it out there about 284 yards on average and hits 67% of the fairways, which is much better than most of his peers. He is not a big guy either.

Dufner's compact (but not short) backswing allows him to explode through the ball at impact because his backswing is void of slop or looseness.

With his great ball striking and clutch putting, it's no wonder he is one of the most consistent players on Tour.

One of Dufner's rivals from overseas is Australian phenom Jason Day (left).

Jason had an incredible breakout year in 2015 winning 5 times including his first major, the PGA Championship. He then followed it up with 3 wins in 2016 including the Players Championship!

At 29 he is already a 10 time PGA Tour winner and will be battling Rory, Dustin, and Jordan for the top spot in golf for years to come.

You can see that his club shaft falls well short of parallel at the top of his swing. Compare that to the image of Jones above.

He is poised at the top of the swing and ready to transition smoothly but powerfully into the downswing.

Jason averaged 304 yards off the tee in 2016 and lead the Tour in eagles, a great combination.

Like Dufner, the short of parallel position is precise and free of slop or looseness. Plus, the club head still is a long way from the ball, so there is plenty of time to reach max club head speed through impact.

Below is another player who is playing with this modern back swing position, and doing great things after 40.

If you watch golf you have probably seen Steve Stricker. This 49 year old star has won 12 PGA tournaments, with 9 wins after turning 40!

Among others, he won the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions and 2009, 2010, and 2011 John Deere Classics (he shot a blistering 63 en-route to his John Deere victory in 2011).

Steve retooled his swing a few years back after falling off the map. Watch his swing now and you'll notice:

Steve has a backswing that is well short of parallel for all his clubs.

Steve rebuilt his swing specifically for more control without losing distance. He still bangs it out there 280+ yards with his driver and has arguably the best short game in golf.

US Open and Olympic Gold Medal winner Justin Rose (left) routinely smashes the ball over 300 yards. He now has a 7 wins on Tour and his potential is limitless.

His shorter, compact swing defies logic! Justin compresses the ball as efficiently as anyone out there. He is a blast to watch play the game. He even hit a 376 yard drive this year on Tour!

So how are Dufner, Day, Stricker,
Rose, and others doing this?..

These players have combined powerful, compact golf swings with today's golf equipment technology and achieved world class results.

Golf has evolved to the point where the methods of yesteryear have been challenged or replaced by those that offer max efficiency at impact, and golfers at all playing levels are reaping the rewards.

Here is a visual representation of what I am talking about:

 

        
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Now you may be wondering:

"How do I get the same power from a short swing?"

First, we are not talking about a short swing, but rather a more compact swing. Look at all the distance that heavy club head still has to travel to get back to the ball in the second picture... it's a long way. There is still plenty of time to generate club head speed.

But more importantly, your ultimate goal is ball speed.

Ball Speed is achieved at Impact via the Downswing!

It's achieved from transferring all that club head mass powerfully into the back of the ball at impact. Club head speed is only part of the equation for ball speed.

Remember, you can have all the club head speed in the world as a result of a "huge" backswing, but miss the ball and have no ball speed. Or more commonly, hit the ball with a glancing blow (slice, hook, etc..). What a waste of effort, not to mention the strain on your back.

This new, simple backswing position is also Great for Seniors and
golfers with backswing restriction due to physical limitations.

You see, the arms are designed to do most of their work below the shoulder level. Excessive lifting above the shoulder plane stresses the shoulder and can cause injury. Baseball pitchers commonly suffer rotator cuff injuries, as do golfers.

When the golfer learns to stop over rotating the shoulders and over extending the arms in the backswing, he or she has taken the first step to a more compact, powerful backswing.

IMPORTANT - "Is it as simple as taking a more compact backswing?"

Absolutely not, and if I could explain this to you right know I would, but this is something you need to see for yourself.

IT IS VISUAL.

You see there are 3 simple but critical elements to the backswing position in the second picture above.

Without them you have an inefficient swing that produces poor distance and horrible accuracy.

But get them right and all systems are on go for a simple yet powerful return to the back of that ball at impact... and an explosion at impact!

I go into detail in the The Key To A Repeating Golf Swing exactly what these elements are and how to achieve them, and then I show you how to quickly train your body to reproduce them so the downswing swing becomes virtually automatic.

And when the backswing with these 3 three critical elements is combined with the actual Key (the Key is related to an entirely different part of the body) that is the foundation of my teaching, golfers can transform their games literally overnight.

And the experience is the same for Men, Women, and Junior golfers, whether they are picking up a club for the first time after 40, or trying to shave off those last few strokes to break 70.

If you are not happy with your game and are looking for a new direction in the 2020 season, I would like the opportunity to help you by showing you The Key To A Repeating Golf Swing and my complete swing technique.

You will benefit from my firsthand experience inside the ropes, working with some of the top players in the game. I am convinced you will benefit tremendously from my swing instruction.

In all my years of playing golf, I have concluded that a golfer can not break 80 without a repeating golf swing. It does not have to be perfect, but it must be reproducible. When a repeating swing takes form, a whole new level of satisfaction results as the golfer is now able to play the game the way it was intended.

My trademark move, The Key, delivers the club head right back through the ball with precision power and control. It is the star of the show. I can't play without it.

In fact my discovery of The Key was the very catalyst for my whole career in the golf industry. It was also the sole factor that..

Took my scores from the 110's to the 70's after struggling for years
with inconsistent ball striking and a stagnant handicap.

I'll show you exactly what I've shown over 10,000 golfers from 61 countries, many of whom broke 80 in their very next round after putting The Key into use.

I have also added some great bonuses to my complete 2022 package including Lifetime expert, yet brand unbiased new Golf Ball Reviews.