Backswing

The backswing is the first half of the golf swing. You take the club away from the ball backwards and upwards until it stands at the highest point of the swing path. In this phase you build up the tension that the downswing later converts into clubhead speed. The backswing decides about distance and consistency: if the position at the top is wrong, the rest of the swing has to correct — and corrections cost precision. The same movement is also referred to as the Rückschwung — both terms mean the same thing.

In practice the rule is: back slowly and in control, then accelerate. Example: you stand at a par 3 over 140 metres, iron 7 in hand. You take the club back with the shoulders, the hands stay quiet, the wrist only hinges in the top third. At the top the club points towards the target, the left shoulder stands under the chin. From this starting position the downswing almost falls into place by itself. Whoever snatches with the hands, on the other hand, ends up at the top in a position from which only luck helps.

The most common mistake is the too fast, too long backswing. Whoever snatches the club past the parallel position loses control of the clubface and produces slices and tops in alternation. The famous “hitting down on the ball” also begins here: an overhasty backswing provokes an overhasty downswing. The remedy is simple: deliberately take the tempo out and rather shorten the swing by ten centimetres. A controlled three-quarter backswing almost always beats an uncontrolled full one.