A common saying in golf is to “Swing your swing.” Because when you know your swing and don’t try copy anyone else, it gives you more confidence on the golf course.
While I definitely don’t recommend copying a specific swing, I do think there is one part of your swing that can have a big impact on ballstriking.
Backswing length.
Adding more length to the golf backswing can help casual players in creating more distance and better ballstriking. In this post we’ll cover the importance of the backswing and give you five tips to develop a longer swing.
How to Lengthen Your Backswing
Before getting into the best ways to lengthen your swing, let’s talk about the ideal position at the top of your swing. If you watch one of the best ballstrikers of all time, Tiger Woods, you can see he varies the top of his backswing position.
With driver, the club is nearly parallel to the the ground (at least when he was younger and healthy). Now, it might be a little short of parallel since his long list of golf injuries. While irons and woods are usually short of parallel for more control.
In his book, How I Play Golf, Tiger elaborates on the length of his driver backswing. “I believe in a big shoulder turn, but I don’t like the club dipping past parallel with the ground. Actually, the shoulder aren’t to blame for the club going back to far. It happens because the left arm bends too much at the elbow or the hands don’t maintain a firm hold on the club.”
Tiger Woods later said, “When the shaft extends beyond parallel, you tend to throw the club from the top rather than letting the turning of the shoulders transport the club into a sound position on the downswing.”
Here’s the thing, the longer your backswing the more likely you are to to lose accuracy. A shorter, more compact swing generally produces a straighter shot and tighter shot dispersion.
So, how do you fix a short backswing?
Here are the five best ways lengthen your backswing.
1. Make a Full Shoulder Turn
Your shoulder turn has a direct impact on the length of your backswing.
The goal is to make your shoulders rotate about 90 degrees on full swing shots. For driver swings, you might even get more than 90 degrees (if you’re flexible enough). To do this, you needy our head high and at the right angle so the lead arm plus shoulder can move underneath.
Tiger described the importance of shoulder turn saying, “I know I’m making a full shoulder turn when my left shoulder turns under my chin. I try to turn my shoulders at least 90 degrees form their position at address, enough so my left shoulder is well behind the ball at the top.”
This is pretty simple to feel as the shoulder turn should start your backswing. The hands and arms simply follow the shoulders. Make it your goal to feel your shirt get under your chin on the backswing.
Tiger later said, “Butch Harmon tells me that Ben Hogan used to wear out his shirts at the point where the left shoulder moved under the chin.” While I doubt you will hit as many golf balls on the range as Ben Hogan, this is a great thought to have to feel the proper amount of shoulder turn.
Just remember, the hips do not turn as much as the shoulders. In fact, the hips should only rotate about half as much. Most of your power and length of your backswing is from shoulder rotation, not hip rotation.
Shoulder Rotation Drill
The good news is that you can feel this feeling pretty easily, whether you’re at home or on the driving range. Simply grab a club or alignment stick and place it across your chest. Keep rotating the club or stick until it’s pointing down directly at your ball
This should help you get your lead arm and shoulder under your chin to make a complete turn. You’ll likely feel some tension in your back as you have more length in your swing. But I bet you’ll make solid contact once the club reaches impact.
2. Rotate Hips to Avoid Swaying
Speaking of hips, another common move that players make is sliding (or swaying) their hips, instead of rotating. If you watch the best players in the world, they do not move their hips laterally at all.
Instead, they rotate around their lower body and load up on the trail side. This weight transfer helps create momentum that is unloaded on the downswing.
When you sway laterally, you’re making it nearly impossible to rotate properly. Laterally moving means you have to slide back just to get in your starting position.
Focus on rotating the hips, not swaying for a longer swing.
3. Get Your Left Heel Off the Ground
Have you ever watched a long drive competition? It’s pretty incredible as these guys hit it 80-100+ yards past the average PGA Tour player. Sure, their drivers are a little longer but there’s no denying that they’re insanely long off the tee.
When you watch, it’s easy to spot two things they do differently than most golfers. First, they have a long backswing to generate maximum power. They’re well past parallel and sometimes it looks as though the clubhead could almost touch the ground.
The second thing that you might spot is their “happy feet” as they have a ton of motion in their feet. To maximize their full range of motion, the lead heel comes off the ground which allows slightly more hip rotation and power.
Another famous golfer to used to move his front foot was Jack Nicklaus. This is something that you can do as well.
According to Tom Watson in a Golf Digest article, “The longer the backswing—driver versus pitching wedge, for example—the more the heel lifts. Provided you stay in balance and retain the tight coil of the backswing, it can go as high as necessary.”
Experiment on the range to see how it impacts your extension, swing, and impact.
4. Check Your Wrist Hinge
In the search of creating a longer backswing, another critical element is your wrist hinge. Many golfers neglect this part of the swing and instead focus on hip rotation, left heel, and other parts of the swing. But your wrist hinge can impact your lead arm, and
So, what should the wrists do in the golf swing?
Here’s what top golf instructor David Leadbetter said in a Golf Digest interview.
“When I turn back to a point where the shaft is about parallel to the ground, I then hinge my wrists letting the clubshaft work “up,” with the butt end pointing down.”
While some players do hinge their wrist before the club is parallel to the ground, it’s not as common. He then talked about part two and how to finish the backswing.
“If you’ve properly cocked your wrists during the early stage of the backswing–the “hinge”–then all you have to do is “turn” by rotating your trunk away from the target as much as you can. Flexibility will determine how far you can turn.”
5. Train with deWiz – #1 Tool to Lengthen Backswing
While we’ve covered four ways and drills to lengthen a golf swing, we didn’t talk much about numbers. Instead, we focused on what the naked eye can see in terms of backswing length.
But there is a new golf gadget that can help you monitor backswing length and get valuable insight to other parts of your game. The deWiz golf watch is a wearable device unlike anything ever created that gives you so much data about your swing. It will help you learn backswing length, tempo, swing plane, and so much more.
For your backswing, it will give you a precise number for each swing; whether you’re hitting a driver or wedge. This will help you immediately see how your backswing affects your ball flight and total distance. Plus, establish a benchmark for future swings so you have the most effective practice sessions.
Here’s how this device can quickly help you lengthen your swing:
- After warming up, take five full swings with your driver and pay attention to the backswing measurement.
- Once you have a baseline number, take 5-10 more swings and try to extend your backswing 2-4 inches more.
- Then, take 5-10 more swings taking the club back as far as you can.
- Once you get comfortable with a longer swing, learn even faster wit hthe “Learning Stimuli” feature. This feature is a neuroscience hack that will help you speed up learning
Make sure to work your way up to the Learning Stimuli feature as it’s a bit of an adjustment. As they said on their website, “Every time you make a swing that is shorter than the minimum distance you have set deWiz will send a slight impulse. This will help re-wire your motor skills faster as the direct feedback occurs instantaneously.”
After using this feature myself, I can say it has a big impact on speeding up the learning curve.
Click here to read our full review of the deWiz golf watch now.
FAQs About a Longer Backswing
Do you have more questions about completing your backswing for more power and distance with every club in the bag? Hopefully our frequently asked questions and answers can help.
Why is my backswing so short?
A short backswing can occur for a variety of reasons. One of the most common reasons is not getting enough shoulder rotation on the backswing. Remember, the goal is to make a 90 degree shoulder turn so that you get your hands high on the backswing.
Another common reason for a short backswing is a lack of flexibility. If your back, shoulders, and upper body is tight, it’s hard to make a full backswing. This can lead to rushing the downswing and losing out on power.
What stretches make your backswing longer?
Flexibility is big part of playing your best golf. Since the swing is quite taxing on the body, it’s a great idea to keep improving your flexibility for long term success.
Click here to read our full guide on golf flexibility.
While stretching is helpful, don’t forget about other ways to increase your flexibility. Some other hacks include:
- Massage: Golf, regular exercise, and the daily activities of life can create a tight body. Getting massage is a great way to relieve stress, tension, and make it easier to increase flexibility. The more often you golf, the more often you should get a massage to stay ahead of injuries.
- Massage gun: If you don’t feel like splurging for a massage, at least buy a massage gun and use at home. When you’re relaxing after a round, use the device to target tight areas or big muscles to get loose. Also, try it out before the round too.
- Yoga or pilates classes: If you need some extra help and guidance from a professional, sign up for a class near you. I’ve even found some gyms that offer golf specific exercise and stretching classes.
- Foam rolling: Before or after your round, make sure to foam roll too. Even a few minutes can help with your flexibility and stretching for a longer backswing.
- Chiropractic work: Lastly, going to a chiropractor on a regular basis is another good way to increase your flexibility and align your body. This is especially true for golfers since we only swing one direction, which can lead to some serious imbalances. Regular chiropractic work is a great way to get ahead of injuries and help maintain a healthy body.
How can I get more distance with my short backswing?
A few ways – increasing swing speed and strengthening your lower body.
When you increase your swing speed with speed training, it’ll naturally increase your total distance. Don’t forget, speed equals distance. The more speed you have, the further you will hit the golf ball.
In the book, Tour Tempo, the authors also found that more speed makes a faster, more consistent swing. They found that most golfers take several seconds to swing, while elite amatuers and professionals swing in a second or less. We’ve got a full post on tour tempo here.
Related: SuperSpeed Training Sticks Review
Not only will this help you hit it longer but likely more consistent too. Speeding up your swing can have a massive impact on ballstriking and transform your game.
Additionally, make sure to work on your lower body where much of your power is generated. We compiled a list of the best golf workouts and exercises to help you become stronger for more power on the course.
A stronger lower body and core will make it easier to generate power and maximize your distance off the tee.
Final Thoughts on Lengthening Golf Backswing
Lengthening your backswing could be a great way to gain more distance and power, especially off the tee. But it’s important to make sure that you don’t overswing the golf club as it will hurt your ballstriking and negatively impact distance. Plus, a longer swing will require a new golf swing sequence and does take some time getting use too.
Ultimately, a longer backswing can help your game when you make the changes correctly. Also, please remember that you don’t need a super long backswing with every club in the bag. A general rule is the longer the club, the longer the backswing.
While I’m confident these tips can help you out, don’t forget to swing your swing! If your swing is short of parallel and are hitting it the way you want, don’t feel like you “need” to lengthen it.
