Sportsline USA - John Daly - Killer Backswing

Let's take a minute to think about what a realistic gain in distance can do for your golf game. When I say realistic, I mean a reasonable percentage of increase in distance with all clubs, obtained over a resonable amount of time with a reasonable amount of work. You can't get much longer overnight. But as long as you're in good health and willing to work at it, I know you can learn to be a longer hitter with a month or two of good effort.

Let your Left Arm Bend

One of the myths of golf instruction is that you must keep your left arm straight during the backswing. No wonder so many golfers can't swing the club back far enough and look so robotic. All this advice does is cause the golfer to tense up, and when you're tight you can't generate sufficient clubhead speed to bring the club powerfully into the ball at impact.

Many of the greatest names of the past and some of today's living legends allow the left arm to bend. I know I do; it puts an added springiness in my hands and wrists and allows me to catapult the club into the ball on the downswing. So the next time you go out to practice or play, allow your left arm to bend as late as possible on the backswing.

Lift Off

Many golfers over fifty years of age lack the flexibility of younger players. Yet some seniors who don't accept this fact try to make a big swing, resulting in back injuries. Consequently, they must put their game on hold or, in some cases, quit.

You don't have to quit golf. Furthermore, you don't have to stop trying to make the big swing, provided you don't stop staying flat-footed during the motion. That's what's causing you to feel tight. Let your left heel lift off the ground on the backswing as you turn your body, and see how much bigger your backswing becomes.

Sway Prevention

Moving the body away from the target laterally on the backswing in such an exaggerated fashion that weight shifts to the outside of your right foot is a common fault of amateur golfers that leads to mishit shots.

If a friend has told you that you have this problem or you have seen yourself sway on video, practice hitting shots with a golf ball lodged under the right side of your instep. This will encourage you to keep your weight on the inside of your right foot during the backswing, which is exactly where it should be to ensure that you stay steady over the ball and coil into a braced right leg.

The Proper Path

The most common takeaway faults are pulling the club back on an exaggerated inside path or pushing it back on a path well outside the target line.

The proper path for the club to swing along initially is straight back along the target line. To help you start the club on the proper path, imagine that you're dragging it through a foot-long trough of molasses that starts behind the ball and extends back along the target line

Forget the Parallel-At-Top Position

I'm not a historian of golf instruction; however, I'd sure like to scold the teacher or professional who first advised a student to swing the club back to the parallel position (clubshaft parallel to the target line at the top of the backswing). It also bugs me that some modern-day teachers have called this the "classic" position.

Trying to arrive and stop in the parallel position at the top is so hard to do that it causes the palyer to lift the club on too steep an angle or to pause so long at the top that he finds it very difficult to make a smooth transition into the downswing.

Don't worry if you go beyond the parallel position. Just tell your teacher that John Daly said it was all right.