Over the last few weeks I have given many lessons to club golfers and I have seen one particular move many times. This move is probably the most destructive move a golfer can make but it can be very easy to fix.
The problem is pictured above and is referred to amongst teaching pro's as a flat takeaway or too much rolling of the forearms.
Why is this move so destructive?
This move causes many issues including:
A flat backswing plane which can result in a steepening of the downswing and therefore a slice
A flat shoulder turn which makes the downswing difficult to be consistent
Too much weight transferred to the back foot causing a heavy/fat shot
An over rotation of the upper body which puts the body out of sync with the hands & arms
How should it look?
Here is a picture of Hunter Mahan, a multiple winner on the US PGA Tour. I have drawn some lines to help illustrate the points more easily.
The line up Hunter's club is his plane line and ideally we need the club to swing up this line on the takeaway.
I have also drawn a line up his spine angle and a line at 90 degrees to his spine to show the ideal angle his shoulders should turn.
As you can see, Hunter moves the club away and his club is above the plane line. To do this he has turned his chest away from the ball and cocked his wrists to lift the the club upward.
You can also see that by lifting his clubhead upward his shoulders are turning at 90 degrees to his spine angle.
From a face on view we would also be able to see that his head will not have swayed away from the ball which will make his ball striking much more consistent.
How can you improve your takeaway?
There are several ways to feel this new move but I believe the best way is to put an object in the way for you to avoid.
The picture shows a golf bag but you could put a cane in the ground or even swing a club up against a wall.
The main objective is to steepen your backswing which will directly influence your shoulder turn and improve your ball striking with one simple change.
If you would like your swing analysed on video and Flightscope, please contact me and I will be happy to help.