To the Top
Let the chest and wrist lead you to more solid shots

By Brad Redding
Director of Instruction at The Golf Academy at Grande Dunes
& Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher
With Greg Midland

The golf swing is an action-reaction motion. How you swing the club to the top dictates how you return it to the ball. Watch Tour pros like Jim Furyk or Lee Trevino, and you might think, “How can they hit the ball with that back swing?” The answer: world-class talent and hours of practice. Most amateurs lack both, so they need a mechanically simple backswing to make solid contact. Here’s how to create one.

First, understand that “shoulder turn” is a myth. Your back and chest turn, your shoulders do not. Imagine a car’s suspension-each wheel can move up and down independently, reacting to the road surface. The shoulders also can move independently, without the chest moving much at all. In the golf swing, trying to make the shoulders turn does not guarantee a good body turn and can lead to inconsistencies, such as dipping the left side. Instead, focus on turning the chest; the shoulders will follow.

Turn The Torso Address a tee with your 5-iron to practice the correct turning motion. Visualize moving your shirt buttons until they face away from the target. The turn will originate from the torso, rather than from the shoulders. If you lack flexibility and you think you can’t make a “full” turn, you’re probably trying to twist just your shoulders. Turning your chest will let you make a fuller swing.

Cock Wrists Up Once you’ve mastered the turn, you must cock the wrists to set the club at the top. Try this drill with a 5-iron. First, cock the club straight up in front of you. Without moving your wrists, turn your chest as described above; that’s the ideal position for the top of the backswing. Repeat a few times to ingrain it.

Next, put a tree in the ground and repeat the drill, this time swinging down and sweeping the tee out of the ground. Finally, put a ball on the tee and hit shots this way. This drill works so well that some students have asked if it’s legal to swing like this on the course! It is, but even if you used it only in practice, you’ll develop a better backswing and hit stronger shots.