A Paul Wilson Backswing Golf Tip

By: Paul Wilson

When you are learning to play golf, a tip you will often hear is to keep your head still. Some instructors and well-meaning coaches will say it to you at leasst 50 times per round, especially when it comes to perfecting the your backswing.

Moving your head on the way back is one of the best golf backswing fundamentals you can learn.

It sounds counter intuitive and even feels abit unnatural. But think of a ballerina or figure skater going into a spin. They always move their head first to set up and create a proper two-point axis. A proper circular motion requires two axis points. A top and a bottom. And when you set up to execute a golf backswing your head becomes the top axis and your legs and feet become the bottom axis.

This means that on the way back your head should be moving 3 - 5 inches to the right in order to create your first axis to swing around - the foundation of a good golf backswing technique. Your head will stay there as you come down and fall even further back through impact. Then, after the ball has been hit, your head will move forward over top of the left leg to create a second axis, and this second axis will allow you to complete the circular rotation in your golf back swing allowing you to finish your swing.

Your head should float, not stay stationary. Your head should float like the top axis of a spinning top. This allows your golf backswing be a circular motion, though not a perfect circle. It's slight egg-shaped oval. Which is why you will never hit the ball with 100% accuracy each and every time.

The only time you would keep your head still during a golf backswing is if you had one leg. If you had one leg, you would have 1 top and 1 bottom to an axis. This means that if you moved your head you would destroy this axis. So maybe we should all be playing standing on one leg and keeping our head still? Unfortunately, this will never work because you will not generate enough power and you will probably fall over. Most people have enough trouble keeping their balance with 2 legs never mind 1 so it's best that you keep both legs on the ground and learn to move your head.

Because moving your head at the beginning of a golf backswing is so counter-intuitive, here's a couple of golf backswing tips you can use while practicing. At first, moving your head will feel confortable but these golf backswing practice techniques should help you work through the challenges.

To get the proper feeling, you must feel like your head is moving about 1 foot to the right. If you feel like your head is moving 1 foot to the right on the way back, it will actually only move a few inches. One good tip is to try swinging regularly towards a mirror.

As your swing comes down, your head should stay back and you'll feel the power loading on your right leg. This is what you are striving for. This weight shift is your clue you have properly created the top axis needed. If you don't feel your weight shift into our right leg, this is a clue you need to move your head back more when you start the backswing. Think more, not less and you'll soon be hitting like a pro.

Wearing a hat while you practice is also a great golf backswing technique. What you are looking for is to keep the brim of your hat level to the ground as you start the backswing. If the brim tilts to the left you are moving your head back, you are tilting your head back. Strive to keep your head level to the ground.

As a final check just ask a friend to watch your head to see if it moves back a few inches or use a video camera to see for yourself. If your head is too still then constantly remind yourself to move it back or have someone constantly remind you to move your head.

As you move your head back, beware that it may cause you to hit behind the ball a little. This is a good sign at first. It's telling you that you are moving your head back but you have too much weight on your right foot at impact. To remedy hitting behind the ball (fat shots), all you have to do is feel a little more weight shift off of your right foot through impact. If you do, you will hit the ball perfectly and with much more power than you are used to.

Article Source: http://www.bettergolfarticles.com

Paul Wilson is an expert at teaching the perfect golf backswing. Get more golf backswing tips here.
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