One of the most common mistakes that amateur or beginner golfers make is swaying in the golf swing. It happens very naturally and sometimes feels like a more logical way to make the ball travel farther.
Amateur golfers always want to hit the golf ball farther, so it’s tempting to sway or drift in the backswing to make that happen.
This leads to a whole slew of other issues that make the ball fly shorter than before. These golfers are often faced with inconsistent contact, lack of distance, and struggles with balance.
The primary goal behind stopping the sway is to allow your golf swing to become consistent which eventually leads to better performance and increased distance.
Although, most of the time when people sway in their backswing it’s because they misunderstand how the golf swing works. Stopping the sway and keeping an old approach to the swing only makes the swing that much harder.
Don’t worry though, we have just the right information for you to understand how the golf swing works and how you can use it to your advantage:
What is Sway in the Golf Swing
“Swaying in the backswing is the lateral movement of a golfer’s body, typically the head, away from the target during the backswing.”
The head is an indicator for the rest of your body when it comes to a golf swing.
If your torso is swaying, then your head will sway, and then you sway with your legs.
Swaying happens because a golfer assumes the golf swing happens on a line; that is the target line, swinging straight back and straight through in order for the ball to fly straight down the target line.
In that case, moving the weight back on that target line and then through the same line would help the ball fly far and straight.
The golf swing exists in a circle, not a line. What I mean by this is, that your golf swing is meant to swing around the corner of the circle, your spine, not to and fro the target line.
Since the swing exists on a circle instead of a line, the power is drawn by twisting around the spine like a tetherball.
Provided, your spine is the pole, arms, and body the rope, and the club is the tetherball.
Why Stop Swaying in the Backswing
Let’s apply the tetherball analogy to understand this:
- Imagine there is a golf ball on a tree and you want to hit it with the tetherball.
- To do this, you would need to measure the size of your rope and place the second ball at the same distance from the pole.
- Now, when the first ball would fly around the pole it would come in contact with the second ball.
The same applies to your golf swing. As long as your spine remains in the same location, the club and the golf ball will come into contact.
The moment your spine moves from its original location, it becomes significantly harder to return to the exact location and make contact with the ball solidly.
This is extremely hard to achieve, but when mixed with consistent hand-eye coordination, even amateurs can have a grip on the game.
Also, hitting the ball with the center of a clubface helps hit the ball farther than trying to swing harder. Golfers must avoid sacrificing the centredness of contact to gain swing speed as it leads to swaying.
How to Stop Swaying and Sliding in the Backswing
You can follow the following methods to stop swaying and sliding in the backswing:
The Hip Sway
Focus on your hips by:
- Moving your hips down and toward the golf ball.
- Moving your hips toward your back.
This combination will help you turn around your spine instead of shifting backward.
The Shoulder Sway
Make sure your shoulders turn in the exact same way as your hips. The difference is the sway would be a little delayed than the hips.
Stop Lateral Movement
- Don’t shift too much weight on your back foot.
- When not able to maintain 50:50 balance between both feet, shoot for that breakdown to stop swaying.
- Finally, make sure you hold your follow-through for at least a 3-second count at the end to maintain the correct balance all the way.
Best Drills to Stop Swaying
No Club Swing Drill
The best part of this drill is you don’t even need a golf club to practice it.
- Fold your arms across your chest and address an imaginary golf ball.
- Then, take some practice swings by focusing on your shoulders and hips in the backswing.
- Pay attention to the amount of weight on your back feet.
- Repeat for muscle memory.
Club Next to Hand Drill
This drill requires a helping hand.
- Address a golf ball and have your partner stand outside of the space, so you both are facing each other.
- Have him/her grip the golf club and hold the grip end to the side of your head. The grip is supposed to be next to your back ear.
- Then repeat the same.
Make sure you hit a shot without touching or pushing the club too far backward.
Hit on a 2*4 Drill
This drill focuses on improving your balance leading to an improvement in your sway.
- Get a 2*4 piece of wood that you can stand on during the swing.
- Try hitting some golf shots while maintaining balance on the wooden board.
- Elevate the golf ball on 2*4 as well.
This stops you from swaying too far backward hindering your fall.
Final Thoughts
These steps and information would help you if you continuously struggle with shot consistency, distance, and balance. Improving these aspects in the backswing might be challenging but a rewarding experience.
Start with the basics, and make sure your posture is on point as discussed above. Take the help of different drills to improve your balance.
Make mistakes and gradually increase your efficiency in the game, and you will be there.
Happy Practicing!
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