Take away help

hunter57 · Mar 19, 2011

I'm curious if anyone has any good simple tips to work on for the backswing. I've had some consistency issues lately and I am looking for an easy swingthought to use.

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coolbreeze · Mar 19, 2011

It will be different for everyone but for me, its "low and slow" If my backswing gets quick then so does the downswing and then nothing good happens from there.

Dent · Mar 19, 2011

Perhaps you could give us a little more info? What problems are you having on the backswing? Taking it too far outside? inside? coming over the top? I have some good drills you could use but would need to know about your problem a little more.

hunter57 · Mar 19, 2011

I've been fighting a mean hook. My driver has a little draw, but the 3w and 5w have been brutal. I try to initiate the downswing with the lower body and get my hips through. I don't know if I'm coming to far inside on the takeback or what. I just don't want to start overcompensating and creating other issues. I guess I'm looking for a tip to help me feel like my backswing is in the correct position.

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arydolphin · Mar 19, 2011

hunter57 said:
I've been fighting a mean hook. My driver has a little draw, but the 3w and 5w have been brutal. I try to initiate the downswing with the lower body and get my hips through. I don't know if I'm coming to far inside on the takeback or what. I just don't want to start overcompensating and creating other issues. I guess I'm looking for a tip to help me feel like my backswing is in the correct position.

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A mean hook could come from a number of different sources, but it's what I used to fight. The reason I would hit those shots is that I would be under the plane on the downswing and hit the ball too far from the inside, so I either hit a block or a big hook. I had to work on getting my swing more on plane on the backswing, as I also used to take it back too far to the inside.

This may not work for everyone, but I had a breakthrough after realizing I didn't have to feel my arms or hands to the inside at all on the backswing. The feel I try to achieve is that my hands work straight back along the target line when I start the takeaway, not to the inside. Another image is that there's a guy with a catcher's mitt sitting behind you, and you're trying to take the clubhead straight back and put it in the mitt on the backswing. Feel is usually not what is really happening, but it has worked for me. My miss is now more likely to be a fade as opposed to a hook.

jnug · Mar 19, 2011

Funny taking the club back inside seems to be a theme today. In my case maintaining my triangle on the way back was the cure. It allowed me to stop trying to determine if I was coming back too far inside or not. Instead I just made sure I maintained my triangle which is what you want anyway. Had a huge impact for me as my downswing problems have almost always been a consequence of a backswing problem. Getting rid of that problem became the key to much better ball striking for me because I was not left trying to correct an early backswing problem in my downswing.

hunter57 · Mar 20, 2011

Some good stuff to try out. Thanks for the tips!

Dent · Mar 20, 2011

The most basic drill that is quite common is to align 2 allignment sticks behind you with a good foot between them or so and have your club take away inside between the two sticks and come down between the two sticks. It's hard to explain so I'll try and draw a diagram:
---------- = Allignment Sticks
D = clubhead
= Swing Path

----------
D =========
----------

So as you can see you want those sticks as a takeaway aid behind you on the backswing.

Bridges · Mar 20, 2011

arydolphin said:
A mean hook could come from a number of different sources, but it's what I used to fight. The reason I would hit those shots is that I would be under the plane on the downswing and hit the ball too far from the inside, so I either hit a block or a big hook. I had to work on getting my swing more on plane on the backswing, as I also used to take it back too far to the inside.

This may not work for everyone, but I had a breakthrough after realizing I didn't have to feel my arms or hands to the inside at all on the backswing. The feel I try to achieve is that my hands work straight back along the target line when I start the takeaway, not to the inside. Another image is that there's a guy with a catcher's mitt sitting behind you, and you're trying to take the clubhead straight back and put it in the mitt on the backswing. Feel is usually not what is really happening, but it has worked for me. My miss is now more likely to be a fade as opposed to a hook.

Thank you for the catchers mitt tip! I understand that perfectly.

To be honest I didn't even know you weren't suppose to take the club back on the inside. I struggle with consistency in my irons and have always taken it back inside so I will try out the little tips to see if they help.

From what I'm gathering, you want to almost take It straight back (or on the target line) then comeback through just a little bit inside of that, correct?

I have always came back inside then try to comeback even further inside or same path and usually get a nasty hook, big push or a push slice if I hang the face open at impact.

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Flooder · Mar 20, 2011

I have this same problem (take away too inside) but had no idea how bad it was until the wife and I filmed each other at the range Thursday. WOW am I inside AND LOW.

I think the triangle comment is a great one; when I don't watch it, I end up getting too quick with my hands and arms getting them out of sync with my chest. Andy also suggested to me that I place an object (chair, golf bag, etc.) in line with my hips, back 3 feet from my rear foot and hip high and then practice making sure the club goes just over that. Helps me/you find how high the club needs to be at that point - it's higher than you think or was for me anyway.

jnug · Mar 20, 2011

It is really a good thing to check I think because it is do easy to get the club going too far inside on the backswing. It is yet another swing flaw that is more subtle than you expect it to be, Every once and awhile at the range I will stop my backswing and turn and look at the club head and shaft. If I see the shaft on an angle back from my hands well I know that is wrong. I want the club shaft on the toe line when it is parallel to the ground in the backswing and parallel with the heel line at the top. Those are both pretty easy to check if you stop your swing at those two spots and just look. If I have done it right in the backswing invariably at least in my case I will get to the top in the right place.