How Shoulder Turn Impacts Backswing
Everyone has heard that you’re supposed to start your backswing by keeping your hands in the center of your chest as you turn your shoulders. Well many of you start of with your hands there, but then because of flexibility issues your shoulders abruptly stop. When your shoulders stop turning, you will use probably use your arms and hands to lift the club. This lack of shoulder turn and manipulation of the club by the arms and hands will destroy your consistency; here’s some reasons why:
Plane – lifting the club with your arms and hands may likely move the club off plane. Even though you’ll do your best to to reroute the club in the downswing, it’s really difficult to be consistent from swing-to-swing to get it back on plane and square up the club face to hit the ball straight and long.
Sequence – ideally, when you have unrestricted shoulder turn, the golf downswing sequence is supposed to start with the legs and turn of the hips to turn the shoulders and finally pulling the arms, hands and club through impact. When you lift the club with arms and hands, however, muscles in the shoulders, arms and hands may create problems.
Sling Shot Analogy
Like a slingshot, pulling back and then releasing the elastic energy, muscles and other elastic connective tissues in the body will stretch, load and fire to create the necessary forces to move the body and swing the club.