A swing feeling you can try at home to improve your backswing turn

In making a full and powerful backswing, your arms lift about 90 degrees, swing across your chest about 15 degrees, and rotate open (clockwise) 90 degrees more. That’s a lot of movement! Getting it right and in the correct sequence, as you can guess, is essential. The big error? Starting your backswing by excessively hinging your wrists before lifting your arms. That’s a surefire recipe for a weak, steep backswing, and can also cause other issues, including a reverse pivot.

To make a proper backswing, start by lifting your arms. Even more specific, use them to elevate the club’s center of mass (signified by the red ball on my club) about 25 to 30 degrees as I’ve done here before even thinking of pitching the club upward with your wrists. In addition to helping you motion your arms in the correct sequence, you’ll no doubt widen your swing arc and nail your top position, to say nothing of adding yards to every club in your bag.

1. Touchdown! Seriously: From address, your arms lift anywhere from 90 to 100 degrees in your backswing.

2. Feel as though your arms are lifting the club’s center of mass as you begin your backswing.

Silva operates Movement 3 Golf at Highland Park CC on Chicago’s North Shore.

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