How to Start the Golf Swing Correctly
Proper Golf Swing – Part 1
Every golf swing begins with the takeaway and it can literally write the script for how the rest of the swing is performed…
If you can start each swing along the right path, keeping the club in a good position early on, there’s a much greater chance that the rest of your backswing will follow that good path – and that in turn will promote a good downswing and a solid, straight strike on the golf ball.
I see a number of common takeaway faults in a lot of the amateur golfers that come to see me. As a result, they spend the rest of their swing working hard to adjust in order to make a decent contact with the ball. Not great if you want to become a more solid and consistent ball striker.
Rather than go through each common fault here, let’s stick to what a good golf swing takeaway looks and feels like…
There are a couple of very useful, very objective checkpoints that you can use to make sure your swing begins on the best possible path. I outline what they are in the video below (or see the video summary further down the page):
Golf Swing Takeaway Video Summary
Start the takeaway by allowing your left shoulder to turn under your chin (for the right-handed golfer). Keep the left arm straight and the hands passive (no wrist hinge or rotation at this stage) until the club reaches hip height.- As the club reaches a horizontal position, check that the butt end of the club points at your target. If you have access to a mirror use the down the line view to check that the club is in this position.
- The club head should cover the view of your hands. Looking down the line, the sole of the club should run parallel to your spine angle.
You can easily practice a good golf swing takeaway at home or at work with a spare club. You want it to become second nature so that on the golf course you don’t think consciously about checkpoints or swing paths.
I recommend that for 7-10 days you make 15-20 good takeaways 3x a day. Combine this with checking your set up position before each takeaway swing.
Golf Practice Drills for the Takeaway
To further help you get a feel for a good takeaway, I’ve filmed a couple of useful drills you might want to try:
