Do I have to be parallel at the top?

[elnocho_3]

I have been working with the pro i have lessons with on stopping my arm swing when my body stops turning (90 degrees) to keep everything synchronised. My backswing is now just short of parallel with a driver and the irons short of parallel. This has actually increased the distance i hit the ball not to mention the consistency of strike and direction i now hit the ball a 1/2 to 1 club more with my irons due to the proper use of my body (being in sync and timed properly) so the main point in the backswing for amatuers is to have the arms and body in sync so however far you turn your body your arm swing and therfore club is proportional to this.

[ragontona]

Watching JB Holmes swing a club is further testimony that the shaft needn't be parallel at the top of the swing. His club is nearly pointing straight up at the top... and we all watched what he did at FBR.

[Maverick]

But then if you are not parallel at top I assume you would need a faster tempo or swing speed to offset the amount of turn you would have if you went to parallel?

[ragontona]

But then if you are not parallel at top I assume you would need a faster tempo or swing speed to offset the amount of turn you would have if you went to parallel?

Oh yeah, JB's got clubhead speed up the ying yang. But from what I could tell, he keeps everything in sync, and his shoulder turn at the top is still pretty full. He just has his wrists in a position that his shaft stops well short of parallel.

[Golfer7945]

Last spring and summer I was very strong and I used a swing that was parallel at the top and I was able to get fantastic yardage and pretty good consistency for a weekend golfer... Then I got really sick (emergency procedures and surgery the whole enchilada) I lost a lot of weight and strength. This spring I visited my pro and I asked him to instruct me to a simple to repeat swing. The new swing uses a back swing that is short of parallel. The new swing is much more compact and easier to repeat and iron striking is more solid. I gave up about a club length in distance with my irons but picked up a good 20+ yards with the driver and more important I hit more greens and fairways. My goal for this golf season is to trim at least 5 strokes from my handicap. I need short game help (chipping and short pitch shots)

[sungho_kr]

no, for example, tiger woods and jay haas are both like 5 degrees short to parallel at the top. If the pros don't have to be, then why do you have to be?
If your close to parallel like -5 degrees, that is real good because you have a sense of timing, power, knowing where the club is and target.

[golfchief]

I try not to get parallel and play pretty well, if I think I need to hit it harder I go past parallel and pull the shot left,so I aim a little further right. I don't have the leg strenth to push off like I use too.

[Maverick]

no, for example, tiger woods and jay haas are both like

*gulp* so I'm assuming they are 94% parallel (assuming out of 0 deg. being parallel)

[NM Golf]

I have tried to shorten my golf swing as I actually go past parallel with the driver and 3 wood. It just feels really bad to me when I try and shorten up. My timing gets crazy and I hit big cuts or quackers left. So I gave up and I'm sticking with the John Daly look for now. I definately wouldn't try and sell my swing to anyone but it works for me most of the time.

[Dinkoh]

I definitely get across parallel, even though I try not to! My elbows probably turn farther than my hips, which restricts my downswing. This probably explains why I slice the ball so much... out to in motion....

More frequently happens when I'm tired and trying to kill the ball...

Short of parallel backswing allows for a more compact, but powerful, swing.

[sungho_kr]

yeah what he said

lol

no, short swing means better tempo, quicker tempo, less mistakes in backswing, better impact and stronger finish. The pros are doing it, why not u.

John Daly dosen't count because hes a big fatass (I still like him). He dosen't exercise or any of that proffesional golfing crap, he just sits and occasionally stands up to hit the ball, lol.

[neudi]

I think im weird with my swing...for my woods I try to be exactly parallel...3 iron a little shorter and so on...my wedges are about 45 degree angle compared to the flat 180 on my parallel woods...maybe that is just me i dont know.

[Gary W]

In all deference to the better golfers, isn't the important thing to create tension around the hips?

My understanding (generally based on Hogan) is that power comes from winding the upper body against the resistance of the hips.

So it follows that if you have great flexibility through the hips and upper legs, you will need a longer backswing to create that tension. If you're tighter through there, you can generate sufficient tension (stored power) without trying to go back so far.

Also, I have noticed on some days my swing feels longer or shorter, without any real correlation with ball striking or distance. (It's usually equally bad all days... )

[Chas]

All I know is, the less close to parallel my backswing is, the more consistently and longer I hit the ball. My biggest fault is overswinging, which I used to combine with regripping at the top - fortunately THAT (regripping) is mostly under control. At some point I'm sure it will be counter-producting to shorten my backswing further, but I haven't got there yet.

[Crafty]

It all depends for me. Generally, I dont go all the way to parallel on a "stock" swing(with the exception of my driver). This allows me to have an "extra gear" if i need a couple more yards. I would agree that it is generally easier to time a shorter swing.

One other thing however. People seem to forget the other parallel at the top of the swing; whether or not your club is parallel to your target line at the top of the swing. People think this piece of positioning is rather unimportant, but it can make a big difference. About the middle of last year, my instructor (dad) noticed that my club is very "laid off" (pointed left of parallel) at the top of my swing. I played around with it and found that the closer my swing was to parallel to the target line at the top, the better I strurck the shot in general. It ended up making a big difference in my ballflight.

What are your thoughts on this position? Is it important?

[TourSpoon]

Good question.

When I go past parallel I tend to cross the line because something is breaking down. My ideal is to be short of parallel. In that position, my club is in the right spot aiming parallel to the target line. This position lets me drop from the top and puts me into the position to release the club from the inside. At impact I have less chance of breaking down so I hit a cleaner shot. When I overswing I get out of position and start flipping to compensate. It is very ugly to watch that on video. I find that starting with a slow tempo thought helps me stay short of parallel.

I was watching the last group in the seniors yesterday and noticed that Allan Doyle has the shortest back swing I have ever seen. I don't think that he gets his arms to 90 degrees, but he hits it with the best of them.

[mikelz]

Good question.

Love that slow tempo take. One of my keys is to make the takeaway last long enough to remember it. Another is keeping my hands "brain dead" until the backswing is waist high. When I feel my wrists hinge, that's far enough. Far enough gets shorter and shorter working down the bag. This may be absolutely wrong. (I said that just so people will stop "hatin' on me".)

[BritBoy]

....... I've shortened my swing in the past couple years...especially with the irons. I have better control of my swing and distances now without a loss in power.

I've been working on the same and have actually noticed an increase in yardage. But its not an easy thing to do. If I dont make a point of keeping it short I will go back to a past parrallel back swing and then bad things start to happen

(I said that just so people will stop "hatin' on me".)

Your killing me man.............. but dont worry, I'm not a hater