Good shoulder turn without over-swinging?

[madcityscott]

I've always struggled with taking my hands too far back on the backswing. (I pretty much have to tell myself before each swing, "Hands halfway back", and even then I take the club past horizontal most of the time. Frustrating!) But how do you get a good shoulder turn if you don't get your hands back? It seems contradictory.

[mdl]

Well I'm closer to one-plane than two-plane, and this doesn't exactly apply for a strict one-plane swing as far as I understand, but a standard two-plane piece of advice is to think of your hands staying directly in front of your chest. So, the line from where your hands start towards the center of your chest is perpendicular to the line between your shoulders at address. Then as you go into your backswing, think of keeping this relation all the way back. Obviously you break this and put your hands farther back than this line towards the top of your backswing, but you can keep this relation until you get to, say, a 90˚ shoulder turn, and if this is your thought about your hands as you go back, it should be harder to over-rotate your arms from there.

[madcityscott]

Thanks, I'll try that.

[tm22721]

In the backswing first trace the clubhead, then the grip, down the target line as long as possible. This gives you width which synchronizes the arms and body. It also guarantees a straight plane line for straight shots. Always stop the arms when the left shoulder is under the chin. Keep your left arm straight by trying to extend the right arm (throughout the swing) which also prevents a collapsing right arm.

[WUTiger]

MCS,

I have a similar problem, and have an added tip related to what MDL said. Overswinging often involves breaking the wrists or letting the right hand "take over' the swing in reaching back for extra length.

I have a mirror drill / timing drill I do which helps. When I get up to shoulder level, this means I have about "1 more second" of coil. I want to stop at ear level, where I have both good coil but can maintain my overall balance.

You have to be rather flexible to reach horizontal; it's more important that your club is parallel to target line at the top, than to be horizontal.

I used to have a very upright, "reach high" swing; I've since gone to a flatter, 3/4 swing. Whenever I go past ear level on backswing, things get exciting in the worst way.

Let our Overswing Recovery Support Group know how things work out.

[ks8829]

What works for me is to start with the set up and what I try to do is:

1) lower my rear shoulder slightly
2) Take the club back slowly
3) Make sure that my front arm is straight on my backswing and not bent.
4) Keep a soft grip

By doing the above items this should limit your backswing and prevent you from going pass parallal.

[golfdad]

like all of above suggestions. here is another way that i can think of to exaggerate the feeling of keeping arms and chest connected as you rotate the chest around the spine, without which we swing with arms, with which we swing by way of core muscles:

address the ball as usual with a longer club.

maintain the posture, little by little choke down on the club until the butt of the club touches and rests somewhere on your chest/belly (depending on the length of the club you use). so now you are holding the club by the shaft somewhere and because of the butt anchoring, your arms and the chest are connected for the moment.

now, attempt to slowly start your backswing on your regular swing plane with butt of club on the body. IF you have had much dissociation between the shoulders and the chest, this movement may feel very tight or restrictive, meaning you turn your chest quite a bit and realize that your hands have not moved up much at all, possibly not even above shoulder height.

by no means am i suggesting this is the way you should do your backswing. the point of this simple exercise is to physically remind you what a 100% connected takeaway feels like. in reality, there is no need to maintain a 100% connection imo, but it seems that for most folks, in the very beginning of the backswing, the more connected we can maintain, the more consistent the swing plane of their likings or natural tendencies.

in fact, the current teaching of the top juniors is to shorten the backswing and stop short of parallel at the top. some aim for 10 o'clock where the hands are farthest to the right ear and the arc with the longest radius,,,for better control as well controlled power.

[wedge player]

I've always struggled with taking my hands too far back on the backswing. (I pretty much have to tell myself before each swing, "Hands halfway back", and even then I take the club past horizontal most of the time. Frustrating!) But how do you get a good shoulder turn if you don't get your hands back? It seems contradictory.

i dont pay attention to that i fully turn my shoulders and my arms are wherever they are i like to make it natural not force my body to do something that feels strange.i go past parralell and its not that bad

[Ben]

I've always struggled with taking my hands too far back on the backswing. (I pretty much have to tell myself before each swing, "Hands halfway back", and even then I take the club past horizontal most of the time. Frustrating!) But how do you get a good shoulder turn if you don't get your hands back? It seems contradictory.

Wow, I was going to recommend try thinking "3/4 backswing" but you already think 1/2 backswing and you're having troubles. You're on the right track with that. I would say at this point focus on your left arm achieving its full firmness in the backswing. Once you feel it at a point that is firm, straight and full of torque start your downswing. I was never one to keep a straight left arm, but I do now. Feel that point where you can keep that left arm straight, that's the torque you are looking for. Shoulder turn will come automatically. You may be more flexible than others and can keep that position past parallel? Who knows? I've never seen your swing. I say focus on that and see what you come up with.

I've attached a pic of myself at that point. Sure enough, straight left. I can feel the torque. Anymore and I'd break my point of flexibility and that left arm would bend.

[yygolfnb]

Same problem here. The worst part is the habit will slip back once I stop thinking about 1/2 swing, so it is gotta be the perception of the swing in my sub-conscious mind.
The way I fix this problem is telling myself to use the shoulder to propel the club head and limit the left grip effort to only c*cking the club head to level with the shoulder. This usually work for the rest of the day when playing.

[luckyluke699]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only person working through these types of problems!

My arm movements are apparently very good throughout the swing, but I am overcocking my wrists at the top of my swing (causing the club angle to go well beyond horizontal!! and the shaft angle to point "downwards") which I am trying to work through... but the problem is I can't think of a way to "know" if I got the angle right, apart from to video myself??!

anyone have any suggestions (or drills) that might help??