Backswing stopping point

[carpediem4300]

At which point would anyone suggest is the point you know personally your backswing should stop?

I played yesterday and was striking it "okay", and my backswing felt comfortable,.....i had a long drive on a par 5 into the wind with alot of fairway to play with so really went for it on the backswing "without overswinging my arms etc" and creamed it, nice flight and distance,.. the point i stopped my backswing that time i felt a tight sensation in my back, not painful but very noticeable

I decided on all full shots to continue that feeling and struck it really well

could this be me finding the ideal spot on the backswing to stop and then start down? im not swinging any harder at the ball im still trying to swing with a nice tempo

I wonder if without this feeling of tension I havent swung back far enough for a full swing

 

I know the feelings etc are subjective for each player but thought worth asking anyway

[RWC]

For me, I try to stop the backswing when the shoulders stop turning. This seems to help me keep my spine angle in tact and has improved my consistency.

[Lihu]

If I can see my club head on my back swing, it's probably too far back. My son can take the club back quite a ways with proper form and all, but he stops when his shaft is maybe 45 degrees less than parallel to the ground. That's what I attempt to do, but often overturn or when my lead arm breaks down.

Edited September 11, 2017 by Lihu

[carpediem4300]

Thanks Guys :)

[RussUK]

My left arm will "feel" like its just abopve parallel with left shoulder just touching my chin. For me thats far enough. If i feel a stretch or tightness in that shoulder then i've gone too far. Too many people seem to think the arms have to all the way up and round.

Im sure a lots of the guys here can hit it really well with a "short" backswing but full shoulder turn. 

[carpediem4300]

Very true, russ, i have no intention of swinging the arms as far as i can, im a one planer so it matters little to me the overall length of the backswing,....i just want to be sure im making a full turn properly and im hoping to find a feel that could be shared by others, alot of the replies so far are visual which wont help me much i dont think, i did think it would be quite different between people

[Buckeyebowman]

Sounds to me like you're remembering to turn your shoulders. After a round where I remember to do that, which usually results in pretty good ball striking, I'll feel it in my back! It just means that you are making a turn!

[mvmac]

Good question, like you said @carpediem4300, it's going to feel a little different for each player. Ideally you want the backswing to stop when the pivot stops, allowing the pivot to "carry" the arms.

I don't consciously feel or think "ok so and so feel means my backswing is done now I'll do my downswing feels", it's more of a seamless thing. 

I have a tendency to get a bit under-turned so my mental image to "finish" my backswing is to keep decent pressure in my abs as my left shoulder works under my chin. The pressure comes from my torso coiling/bending correctly. If I "stretch" my abs too early I stop turning and start lifting my arms.

 

[carpediem4300]

I think i answered my own question during the original post really that it will be different for each person, but its certainly interesting to hear others take on it.

great image of the abs tightening causing arm lift

Im playing off 12 at the minute but im sure i change my backswing feel depending on how my round is going, if im losing it left ill start to focus on my right arm folding a bit more and shifting my weight more before transition, if im losing it right ill focus on a more hands in front of my sternum feeling, and my main one at the minute is getting the fats ill focus on more of a straight back takeaway and big turn

 

unfortunately im not at the level where once i correct and issue with a feel i can then groove it, something else seems to creep in a few holes laters, and what worked on the 4th doesnt always work on the 9th!

 

still gotta love this game!

[saevel25]

6 hours ago, mvmac said:

Good question, like you said @carpediem4300, it's going to feel a little different for each player. Ideally you want the backswing to stop when the pivot stops, allowing the pivot to "carry" the arms

Harder to achieve than you think  

[mvmac]

12 hours ago, carpediem4300 said:

great image of the abs tightening causing arm lift

Abs stretching = arm lift

Abs tightening = easier to rotate with good sequencing

[Hardspoon]

I have a continuing issue with stopping the backswing too quickly (short)...the best way I've found to combat that is to continue the backswing until I feel a little bit of "pull" in my right hip.  When I feel that stretch, that's when it's time to start the downswing.

[Jack Watson]

The problem here is momentum.

It can be extremely difficult to shorten a swing up.  My tendency is always to be a bit overswingy.  

Imagine the clubhead is a bowling ball rolling down towards the pins. You cannot just stop it dead.

Clubhead?Same concept.

At the same time sometimes people want a shorter swing because it just looks more on plane on video and that absolutely seems that it would be way more consistent but imo that's definitely not a rule.

Imo if you are consciously thinking about top of bs on course you have no chance.  

Remember momentum though,  you can do a smooth steady takeaway.  

Live found for me when I do manage to play well really my whole swing is a downswing in terms of focus.  

 

[billchao]

I overswing. It's annoying because I can stop at the right place when I'm practicing, but when I'm playing, it just gets long again.

It's also hard to get rid of because I'm pretty sure my swing is grooved with the extra length in place because I get some contact and flight issues when I shorten up.

[Jack Watson]

A bit of overswing compared to pro x is not a killer.  To me it's kinda irrelevant.

imo what's important is to know where and how you wanna come through during takeaway.

Again I have heard it so many times from all the best local guys in my area that they got prettier and more fundamentally sound on video but it absolutely did not translate into lower scores for them.

I am similar although not at a truly good level.

The key to golf that's so hard to get for analytical types like me is learning to be comfortable with yourself.  That absolutely does NOT mean foregoing improvement imo in fact opposite.

Its easy to place more importance on a swing position than the ballflight and imo that can make it impossible to score or ballstrike with confidence.

Theres no subtracted strokes for on plane at p what have you or whatever.

Eliminate major faults such as over top or way from inside then build skill.

Creating swing positions is not the same as building striking skill despite the Internet.

Edited September 16, 2017 by Jack Watson

[billchao]

35 minutes ago, Jack Watson said:

A bit of overswing compared to pro x is not a killer.  To me it's kinda irrelevant.

Eliminate major faults such as over top or way from inside then build skill.

Creating swing positions is not the same as building striking skill despite the Internet.

It's late so I apologize for not going into more detail.

Your post contradicts itself a bit and your disdain for video or mechanics-based instruction limits you IMO.

A bit of an overswing is not a problem in and of itself. The problem is when that overswing leads to swinging OTT or from too far inside, which is common for most players who overswing. Most people don't get across the line and then transition perfectly on plane like Nicklaus, Couples, Daly, etc.

The object of building a swing with video isn't to make it pretty. Swing positions are snapshots that only tell part of the story. The dynamics of the swing and how everything moves from one position to another matter.

[Jack Watson]

Just now, billchao said:

It's late so I apologize for not going into more detail.

Your post contradicts itself a bit and your disdain for video or mechanics-based instruction limits you IMO.

A bit of an overswing is not a problem in and of itself. The problem is when that overswing leads to swinging OTT or from too far inside, which is common for most players who overswing. Most people don't get across the line and then transition perfectly on plane like Nicklaus, Couples, Daly, etc.

The object of building a swing with video isn't to make it pretty. Swing positions are snapshots that only tell part of the story. The dynamics of the swing and how everything moves from one position to another matter.

Why are you a 15 when your swings so much prettier than mine?

[downbylaw11]

Usually I stop when my hips fire on the downswing lol

I've played rounds when I've really tried to shorten the backswing and I've definitely hit some super flush shots, and in reality, I was still probably getting my club almost close to parallel.  with the momentum of the backswing, what can feel really short, is actually probably where it should be.  Unless you want to be super technical with your swing, I would just use a backswing length that felt good, allowed you to do everything in the correct sequence on the downswing, and produce good strikes.