Golf Sport

Takeaway top of the menu

Written by Pai Yao

This article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2015 issue of WGM.

In our introductory article we looked at building fundamentals into our set up to create a good platform to build a solid repeatable golf swing. In this article we will look at the takeaway and its importance to the overall motion of the swing.

A repeatable golf swing requires many things but one of the most important is good sequencing of the correct movements in the correct order. Every swing has to have a starting point and the movement at the start will in some cases make or break a good sequence to the swing.

From a relaxed, balanced posture make sure the arms are hanging freely and underneath the shoulders. Tension kills golf swings so focus on getting the shoulders, arms and grip tension free.

 

 

 

Move the triangle of the shoulders, chest and arms in one piece, focus on the hands working slightly in to the right thigh and the club head outside the hands. The club face will appear closed at this point and in line with the spine angle.

 

 

From the front view the triangle stays in one piece until approximately the hands get to the right thigh. Practice this in a mirror until you feel a simple one piece move.

 

 

 

This is the most common mistake made by players where the hands have initiated the first move and disconnected from the body. This move creates many problems later in the swing where the player will have to make many compensations in order to get the club face square at impact.

 

 

This movement is also a common mistake where the player has moved the club too much outside the hands. Although not ideal, it is far better than rolling the hands as in the previous photo.

 

 

 

If you follow the photos of the correct motion and rehearse daily in front of a mirror, in no time you will start to feel a smooth relaxed movement that activates the bigger and more powerful muscles. This will lead to more consistent swings and more repeatability.