When you are learning to play golf, a tip you will often hear is to keep your head still. Some instructors and well-meaning coaches will say it to you at leasst 50 times per round, especially when it comes to perfecting the your backswing.
Better advice would be to “move your head a little on the way back” to get a proper golf backswing.
Why move your head as you take the club back during the golf backswing? You want to move your head because in order to backswing in a circular motion you need an axis to swing around. An axis has a top and a bottom. When you set up to the golf ball, you have 1 top to an axis (your head) and 2 bottoms (your legs and feet) to an axis.
An axis is something to swing around. So on the way back your head – the top axis – should move three to five inches to the right to create this first critical axis point. On the way down, your head will stay there and even fall further back as you complete this golf backswing technique. And it is only after the ball is hit that your head will automatically move forward over the top of your left leg and create the second point of the axis – allowing you to complete the swing and follow through.
Your head should float, not stay stationary. Your head should float like the top axis of a spinning top. This allows your golf backswing be a circular motion, though not a perfect circle. It’s slight egg-shaped oval. Which is why you will never hit the ball with 100% accuracy each and every time.
Only a one-legged golfer will naturally keep their head still during a golf backswing. The reason is if you only had one leg you would only have two beginning axis points… your head and one leg. So if you moved your head, ever so slightly, you would effectively elimate the axis completely and, ultimately, lose all the power in your swing.
The challenge most golfers have when learning this proper golf backswing technique is feels uncomfortable. It just doesn’t feel natural to move your head back.
First, consciously think about moving your head at least a full 12 inches to the right at the start of the golf backswing. By mentally picturing your head moving a full foot to the right your head will actually move only 4-6 inches. If you continue to have challenges, practice your back swing in front of a mirrow and watch to make sure you move your head. It will feel unnatural at first but work through it. Moving your head is the key to setting up a proper golf backswing. Swing towards the mirror and watch your head.
As you watch your backswing, you can clearly see if your head is moving back 3-5 inches. As your head moves back, feel how your weight loads into the right leg. This is the tell tale sign that you have created your first axis in the golf backswing. If you don’t have a loaded, powerful feeling in your right leg, you will have to move your head a little more as you go back.
If you are wearing a hat when you play golf just take your backswing and look to see if the brim of the hat is level to the ground not tilted to the left. If the brim of the hat is level to the ground at the top of your backswing your head will have moved the proper amount.
As a final check just ask a friend to watch your head to see if it moves back a few inches or use a video camera to see for yourself. If your head is too still then constantly remind yourself to move it back or have someone constantly remind you to move your head.
One of the dangers of moving your head back as you swing will be the tendency to hit the ball short and fat. Don’t sweat it. This is a good thing because it let’s you know you are moving your head properly. The key is simply to realize you are now shifting too much weight to your right leg and pull a little off at impact. Try it. Move your head to the right at the start of your backswing, hold and drop at impact, shift some power off your right foot through impact into the follow through.
Get more Paul Wilson Broadmore Golf Academy golf swing tips at MyGolfProShop.com.
Get a unique version of this article from our golf backswing article directory
