I’m gong to give this a try. I find myself fidgeting with the grip and ending up with my right hand a bit under the shaft. I don’t realize that I do it but have been told that I do this. I also wait too long before I start back. This is a good tip for me.
Thank you Paul.
Glad you found out something you are doing that can affect your swing. This is why I did the tip. I just had a bunch of people over the last week with no chance to do a proper swing. Imagine having no chance to even hit a good shot. Wow. The grip and setup is vital.
Paul: As I’ve gotten older I know that in my backswing my arms break down and I get handsy. I’m ok with the one piece takeaway getting my hands, arm, and torso to the thigh high position. But it’s what comes next that’s the issue. I’m trying to use the big muscles in the back, shoulders, and torso, but the tightness in these muscles leads to the arms bending and early hands activatation as I try to get to position 1 at the top. The result is a very hands/arm top position with no sense of torque or power. In video I can see I’m not fully turned to 90 or even 80 degress. When I’ve done this correctly, for example in a practice swing where I’ve created some momemtum back, I can really feel the torque as you describe. In your opinion, is there a small weight shift that should be employed to the right leg to get the process going and some momentum started? Just seems hard to do from a static position over the ball.
Any suggestions in how to get the big muscles engaged from the beginning be greatly appreciated.
People usually break down at the top because the wrists are too tight or they are lazy going back (me). You need to be manually hinging that club in the wrists to the top. Regardless of the amount you can coil back if you don’t have the wrists fully hinged you won’t hit it anywhere. I know for a fact I can barely turn back and still get over 100 mph. I did a tip on it here:
If you are not even getting to 80 degrees then I would be lifting the left heel a little and turning the hips a little. At least this would give you more turn to get the arms up higher. Then like I said you need that hinge. Maybe you are trying to resits too much going back. Not sure but you have to do whatever is necessary to coil back a little more. You can do this:
You can also coil a little faster to get some momentum to coil you back. Some people coil too slow so they never quite get back all of the way.
So you need to find out what is hampering the coil. Are you too tight? Too slow? You don’t realize it take effort to coil fully? Etc. Once you know that then you can get back there a little more 80+ and get the hinge.
You definitely need to stay in motion before you go back. I have done tips on this here:
Hi Paul
I’m glad you did a tip on this. It’s important. Just like your downswing triggers, shouldn’t there be a trigger to start the backswing? I totally understand staying in motion but isn’t there one more thing that most advanced golfers do a split second before they take it back? I’ve always observed this. You must know that in your swing, the split second before you take it back, you release a little bit of pressure in your right hand and just as soon as you reapply it, you take the club back. I think it’s great because there’s no doubt as to when you’re gonna “pull the trigger”. I’ve taken a little break from golf but as soon as I get back, I’m gonna try and incorporate it into my swing. I think it must really help tempo. Give me your thoughts when you have a chance and thanks for being there. Your tips have been a part of my almost daily routine for years now!
Hello Paul, Yes, I push left then move right as I take it back. It is subtle but I did realize I do this quite a few years ago now. So I am ready to go. My weight is 50/50 I subtly feel the weight move to my left shoe then I am immediately moving right then coiling. You can try that.
You can also try the right knee kick which turns the hips a little open and moves the weight left too.
Yes, I do twitch my right hand. Not really trying to do it. Just a habit as I am trying to keep my grip relaxed. Not sure if I like doing this though cause it moves a little strong. I like the ball falling right so anything strong I don’t like but I would have to really focus on it before every shot to get rid of it. You can try it if you want but ideally you want your grip on then keep it on.
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6 Responses to “Stay In Motion At The Start”
May 2, 2018
DonaldPugsleyI’m gong to give this a try. I find myself fidgeting with the grip and ending up with my right hand a bit under the shaft. I don’t realize that I do it but have been told that I do this. I also wait too long before I start back. This is a good tip for me.
Thank you Paul.
May 2, 2018
Paul WilsonDonald,
Glad you found out something you are doing that can affect your swing. This is why I did the tip. I just had a bunch of people over the last week with no chance to do a proper swing. Imagine having no chance to even hit a good shot. Wow. The grip and setup is vital.
September 12, 2018
wkalaidjianPaul: As I’ve gotten older I know that in my backswing my arms break down and I get handsy. I’m ok with the one piece takeaway getting my hands, arm, and torso to the thigh high position. But it’s what comes next that’s the issue. I’m trying to use the big muscles in the back, shoulders, and torso, but the tightness in these muscles leads to the arms bending and early hands activatation as I try to get to position 1 at the top. The result is a very hands/arm top position with no sense of torque or power. In video I can see I’m not fully turned to 90 or even 80 degress. When I’ve done this correctly, for example in a practice swing where I’ve created some momemtum back, I can really feel the torque as you describe. In your opinion, is there a small weight shift that should be employed to the right leg to get the process going and some momentum started? Just seems hard to do from a static position over the ball.
Any suggestions in how to get the big muscles engaged from the beginning be greatly appreciated.
September 12, 2018
Paul WilsonWK,
People usually break down at the top because the wrists are too tight or they are lazy going back (me). You need to be manually hinging that club in the wrists to the top. Regardless of the amount you can coil back if you don’t have the wrists fully hinged you won’t hit it anywhere. I know for a fact I can barely turn back and still get over 100 mph. I did a tip on it here:
Limited Shoulder Turn? Power Is No Problem: https://ignitiongolf.com/limited-shoulder-turn/
If you are not even getting to 80 degrees then I would be lifting the left heel a little and turning the hips a little. At least this would give you more turn to get the arms up higher. Then like I said you need that hinge. Maybe you are trying to resits too much going back. Not sure but you have to do whatever is necessary to coil back a little more. You can do this:
Increase Shoulder Turn (seam on shirt): https://ignitiongolf.com/increase-your-shoulder-turn
You can also coil a little faster to get some momentum to coil you back. Some people coil too slow so they never quite get back all of the way.
So you need to find out what is hampering the coil. Are you too tight? Too slow? You don’t realize it take effort to coil fully? Etc. Once you know that then you can get back there a little more 80+ and get the hinge.
You definitely need to stay in motion before you go back. I have done tips on this here:
Stay in Motion: https://ignitiongolf.com/stay-in-motion-swing
Waggle: https://ignitiongolf.com/setup-waggle
Then choose a backswing trigger here:
What is Your Backswing Trigger: https://ignitiongolf.com/backswing-trigger/
Shoulder Rotation – Learning To Coil: https://ignitiongolf.com/learning-to-coil/
The Right Way To Turn Your Back to the Target: https://ignitiongolf.com/back-to-target-right-way/
August 2, 2025
PaulDInceccoHi Paul
I’m glad you did a tip on this. It’s important. Just like your downswing triggers, shouldn’t there be a trigger to start the backswing? I totally understand staying in motion but isn’t there one more thing that most advanced golfers do a split second before they take it back? I’ve always observed this. You must know that in your swing, the split second before you take it back, you release a little bit of pressure in your right hand and just as soon as you reapply it, you take the club back. I think it’s great because there’s no doubt as to when you’re gonna “pull the trigger”. I’ve taken a little break from golf but as soon as I get back, I’m gonna try and incorporate it into my swing. I think it must really help tempo. Give me your thoughts when you have a chance and thanks for being there. Your tips have been a part of my almost daily routine for years now!
August 6, 2025
Paul WilsonHello Paul, Yes, I push left then move right as I take it back. It is subtle but I did realize I do this quite a few years ago now. So I am ready to go. My weight is 50/50 I subtly feel the weight move to my left shoe then I am immediately moving right then coiling. You can try that.
You can also try the right knee kick which turns the hips a little open and moves the weight left too.
Yes, I do twitch my right hand. Not really trying to do it. Just a habit as I am trying to keep my grip relaxed. Not sure if I like doing this though cause it moves a little strong. I like the ball falling right so anything strong I don’t like but I would have to really focus on it before every shot to get rid of it. You can try it if you want but ideally you want your grip on then keep it on.
Try the other things I mentioned too.
Paul