There are many conventions on how to start your back swing. I think over the years, I have tried them all. Straight arm, hinge wrist, push out, or draw in……they all had the magic cure to my swing woes. As it turned out, none of them actually helped much and so now I draw the club back on a normal swing plane and try to keep everything aligned. However, my back swing starts with my club resting on the ground. After watching Justin Thomas, I am not sure I am doing the right thing.
I was scrolling through some Twitter feeds when I came across this:
It looks to me like JT is using his 3 wood off the tee. The profile of the club head is smaller than a driver. Regardless, right before he starts his back swing, he lifts the club head an inch or so. After this initial movement, he starts his routine and crushes the ball.
What caught my eye was the upward movement of the club as he started his swing sequence. I have watched players hover their club for a moment as they steady themselves before starting their back swing, but not in the manner that JT is moving.
I might be missing something, but that extra movement seems wasted. I understand he is trying to set his club head in the slot as part of his swing routine, but moving the club up an inch and continuing on to the rest of his swing routine seems like an opportunity for something to go wrong. I figure that any extra movements, especially moving upwards can spell disaster if my swing is not spot on.
Is it possible that this upward movement is part of his pre-shot routine?
I might be overthinking this a bit and really who am I to critique JT, however am I missing something? Does JT’s swing look like this extra movement is a bit of a waste or an opportunity for disaster?
What are your thoughts? Is JT on to something? Would you incorporate this movement into your swing?
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Truth is I don’t know what I do, I think I just move straight into my backswing. I did try the hovering thing many years ago, but that did not work for me. Just do what ever comes naturally, if it isn’t broken, don’t try and fix it.
Pete
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Pete,
Great advice. Just do what is natural. Thanks.
Cheers Jim
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I lift mine sort of like Justin does only earlier. I allow the club to touch the ground only while getting my stance/distance to the ball set up. After that, I make it hover until I’m ready to begin the back swing. I do it because I don’t like to feel any drag at all from the ground when I start turning. If I let it stay on the ground, it feels to me like the club head wants to lag behind the hands a tiny bit because of friction and that feeling bugs me.
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Kevin
That makes sense. Because I have never tried lifting the club for any length of time, I noticed any drag issues. I do not have that problem with my driver as I draw it back. The hover might be something to try this spring. Thanks.
Cheers Jim
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Nicklaus hovered his club too. I found this article where he explains why and thought you would find it interesting.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/flick-nicklaus-club-hover/amp
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Kevin,
Great article. Thanks for pointing it out. I will definitely try this in the spring.
Cheers Jim
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