Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

[Go Low]

Posts by Go Low in this thread have been deleted.

Go Low

[srglassw]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

I think your posts are very interesting and instructive. I find them very helpful and would appreciate seeing them continue.

Thank you for caring and taking the time to assist us others on this site.

[BrianW]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

Go Low, your posts are good and very thought provoking. You are certainly not wasting your time, I think many do not question your posts as they have learned something from them and will contemplate and try it out.

This current post is something golfers need to understand. I like the attached video from Shawn Clements ofn this issue:

[Sparky08]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

I hope so Brian. It would be nice if more members would [at least] comment with a few words. It's definitely helpful if I know something like this has helped them. If I don't get replies, all I can assume is that it's ignored...or no one cares. And if that's the case it's not worth my time to share and help others.

Oh it's definately helpful

Over the last few years my pivot has been really poor and this is something I need to get some clarity over.

In the search for the x factor, keeping my belt buckle at the ball on the backswing and not being that athletic does, I feel, result in a OTT swing and I just find it so hard to get to the back and the inside of the ball and it feels like it's hands and arms. I really feel I need to bin this swing and get out of the concrete blocks!!

I have touched on what you are saying in the past and certainly like the Brady Riggs videos about creating space.

What I'd like to know is how the arms get to the top. If I work on this type of pivot and tend to swing the shaft under plane and get flat with arms and also lose a little balance. I've been told in the past that this type of swing will feel a little two piece to begin with. i.e It's a turn with the body to get things going then a lift or hinge of the arms to get to the top, does this sound right and you have any drills or thoughts on this?

P.S Whenever I have worked on this in the past it also, in slow motion, sorts out my clubface from being to closed at the top which currently happens to me in my pivot less swing.

Look forward to your thoughts on this

[Sparky08]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

Thanks Go Low, infomation above and beyond the call of duty there. The pivot you talk about is something I think I get as it's something I've touched upon before but have never commited to it fully as it feels just so different but what you say makes complete sense. The biggest challenge I face on this I feel will be relaxing the upper body and getting the club set or on place on the backswing, although it's intersting to hear your thoughts on the amount the hands and arms move 'up' in the backswing being minimal. I guess with my old swing the hands and arms did all the work and now they will be doing a lot less, does that sound right?

I understand what you mean by bumping the hips to start the down swing, this again will have it's issues as I've always tended to spin out, thus throwing my back shoulder OTT. I quite like the Brian Manzella episode ( I think it's 3 or 4) where he talks about getting the hands to the ball and getting the rear shoulder down plane which the results in the hips bumping to the target, again, your thoughts would be more than appreciated then I'll leave you in peace and go and wear my fingers to the bone on the practice ground

[KrudlerAce]

Keep Them Coming

Your posts are awesome 'Go Low'.

Keep them coming, people may just be a bit uncertain whether to post or not for fear of maybe saying the wrong thing.

You're doing a great job.

[Neil18]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

Fear not Go Low. You da man. Unless stated otherwise

[keiko]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

Your posts are very good and they are timely for everyone whether they are struggling or not. We all need reminders and you seem to hit the key points.
Keep it up.

I hope so Brian. It would be nice if more members would [at least] comment with a few words. It's definitely helpful if I know something like this has helped them. If I don't get replies, all I can assume is that it's ignored...or no one cares. And if that's the case it's not worth my time to share and help others.

[keiko]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

I am going to hold you to your promise to discuss weight shift soon but for golfers who are right handed they are fighting the right arm/hand/domination in the downswing, same for left handed folks. Whatever side is dominant will also be in the downswing; the trick is to not let that side dominate. Some drop from the top, others use the hip bump to signal the downswing as you say.
It all goes back to tension, some is ok but it must be married to the correct tempo, to have tension without the correct tempo produces nothing more than an uncontrolled lashing at the ball. Watch Ernie Els, who was just voted into the hall of fame, he has tension but it is his tempo that controls the swing.
Amateurs and pro's alike fight this all the time. Tiger won 8 tournaments one year and then said I can do better; what he was really talking about was he wanted to work on marrying a correct swing with the correct tempo.

Sparky,

Let me address the second portion of your post first. Instead of discussing startdown methods (e.g. hip bump and hip shift, replacing left heel, dropping arms, etc., etc., etc.) I'll start a new thread soon to discuss the topic. It's widely varying in methods and views, and it includes another closely related topic - weight shift and weight distribution. Let's cover that on a different thread...

As for your challenge in relaxing the upper body (shoulders, arms, wrists and hands) - don't feel you are the only one challenged. You are in the majority, but that's not a good thing!

What I can tell you that will make the most sense is this - the more often you see positive results the more confidence you will have. First and foremost you must accept that a tension-free upper body is correct. You need to prove it to yourself before you can really accept it. While you may want to believe me - when you prove it to yourself, then you will gain confidence and it will become much easier. I think you will find that once you prove it to yourself (which is personal acceptance) the learning curve for a tension-free upper body golf swing will be extremely quick. It takes repetition, and more repetition.

The next time at the range make every swing with tension-free shoulders and arms...and just enough strength in the hands so the grip won't twist or turn. Tee up all your practice balls. Make things as simple as possible for yourself. Try to get the feel for a slow shoulder and arm swing with the wrists (hands) free-wheeling passively however they wish through the ball. Have the view that you don't care where you hit the ball - there's range balls! Don't even think about controlling the clubface with any fiber of your body. If the ball wants to right or left, slice or hook - you should not care one iota - zippo.

Swing with an "I don't care" attitude. Act like you're sick, running a fever, have no energy, unwilling to use your muscles when you swing. You are not going for distance in this practive session. I repeat - you are not trying to see how far you can hit the ball. Nor are you trying to hit the ball straight, or hook it, or fade it, or hit it high, or hit it low. Your sole purpose is to make swings tension-free...and watch and feel the results. Try to hit clubs only 1/2 the distance you normally hit those clubs using a full (tension-free) swing.

I'll bet you'll hit some surprising shots! And you'll probably hit some shots that will make your body feel differently. Have fun with it, but only focus on tension-free swings. Reps = acceptance = confidence = norm. Hey, if you can do it once (knowing how you did it means so damn much), you can do it every time. You just need to confidence...and that comes with acceptance and repetition.

[Sparky08]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

I am going to hold you to your promise to discuss weight shift soon but for golfers who are right handed they are fighting the right arm/hand/domination in the downswing, same for left handed folks. Whatever side is dominant will also be in the downswing; the trick is to not let that side dominate. Some drop from the top, others use the hip bump to signal the downswing as you say.
It all goes back to tension, some is ok but it must be married to the correct tempo, to have tension without the correct tempo produces nothing more than an uncontrolled lashing at the ball. Watch Ernie Els, who was just voted into the hall of fame, he has tension but it is his tempo that controls the swing.
Amateurs and pro's alike fight this all the time. Tiger won 8 tournaments one year and then said I can do better; what he was really talking about was he wanted to work on marrying a correct swing with the correct tempo.

I'm left handed and right side dominant so I guess I'm screwed

Thanks again to Go Low, will give it a go I promise although it ain't going to be easy.

[keiko]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

You can only be "right side dominant" in your eyes not your body. Your eyes you cannot control dominance so you adapt to it for putting, nothing else. On the other hand, if you are left handed, then you will be stronger with your left arm-usually.

I'm left handed and right side dominant so I guess I'm screwed

Thanks again to Go Low, will give it a go I promise although it ain't going to be easy.

[slater170]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

This thread has appeared just at the right time!
though my problem only arises when im hitting driver which in the main i end up hitting snap hooks

strange as my iron shots are nice soft draws

[bdbl]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

This thread has appeared just at the right time!
though my problem only arises when im hitting driver which in the main i end up hitting snap hooks

strange as my iron shots are nice soft draws

Aha Slats.

On recent form with your "problem" posts you're going to pop up with a "gross 68 net 54" post next Only kidding m8 - hope it's going well.

[slater170]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

Hi robin

i wish!

shot 84 and 81 at weekend and didnt hit 1 decent drive, put myself in trouble so many times

unbelievably it only took 4 days to go from bombing my tee shots to barely being able to hit one!

[BrianW]

Re: Are You Doing Your Backswing Pivot Correctly?

Hi robin

i wish!

shot 84 and 81 at weekend and didnt hit 1 decent drive, put myself in trouble so many times

unbelievably it only took 4 days to go from bombing my tee shots to barely being able to hit one!

84 and 81 !! Thats not bad Slats, you would have given your back teeth to have shot 9 over recently.