Do you lift your arms in the backswing?
William Rodriguez
Published Jan 23, 2026
To make a proper backswing, start by lifting your arms. Even more specific, use them to elevate the club's center of mass (signified by the red ball on my club) about 25 to 30 degrees as I've done here before even thinking of pitching the club upward with your wrists.
Do you lift the club in the backswing?
You don't need to add any extra lift on there, because what will often happen is the hands will get disconnected from the body, or the arms will just become too high at the top of the swing. Just allow them to move naturally and then club should lift into a perfect position on it's on without any extra help needed.
What do you do with your arms in the backswing?
Back Swing
You keep your left arm straight to get the maximum arc out of your swing. The more arc you get from your swing, the more power you will have. Allow the left arm to push the club into the back swing and keep your right arm tight to your body to keep the swing straight.
Should arms be straight in golf swing?
So, what is the correct way to do it? Golfers should try and keep their left arm as straight as possible without it being rigid, or locked, but some bend is fine. Most professional players start with a straight left arm at address, which bends to around five degrees at top of their backswing.
Do you swing with your arms in golf?
In order to get distance out of your swing, the key is to let your arms, wrists, and hands drive your swing motion, not your hips and torso. By keeping your arms loose and letting your hands and wrists dictate your body's motion and direction, you will get a better strike and more power from your swing.
19 related questions foundWhere should my hands be in my backswing?
At the top of the backswing, the right elbow should be bent at slightly more than 90 degrees. The right wrist should also be bent at about 90 degrees so that the palm of the right hand faces directly at the sky (back of the hand is parallel to the ground. Your right elbow should be below the right shoulder.
Why do I lift up in my golf swing?
If you are lifting up during the downswing, it means that your body is performing some unnecessary movements. Whether it's shoulders lifting, back-arching, knees or waist extending, or head raising, the result is almost always going to be a slight loss of balance.
How do I get better at golf backswing?
To that end, your backswing should begin with all pieces moving in concert. Your hands, arms and shoulders should form a triangle, and as that triangle begins to rotate away from the ball, your hips, legs and feet should move together, making a single, powerful engine ready to launch the ball toward your target.
How do I stop all arms in my golf swing?
Perform a mock backswing and make sure that the end of your club points at the ball when you reach what would be your top of the swing. Reaching this position will only be possible if you are indeed rotating your upper body on top of your hips, with your shoulders – not your arms – doing most of the work.
How high should my hands be at the top of my backswing?
Get your hands as high as possible above your head while turning your shoulders to the max. Then, drop the hammer and ring the bell! You won't get much backswing height if your lats are tight. Greater flexibility here makes it easier to get your arms and hands up in the air.
Where should your backswing stop?
That rule, the backswing ought to stop when the shaft of the club is parallel to the ground. The reason for this, is that it tends to be the perfect moment where you can both create enough club head speed while still maintaining your balance. Once you start losing speed or balance, you've gone too far or too short.
Should I keep my head down in golf swing?
The club head strikes the golf ball first, then continues to drive into the grass where eventually the club bottoms out. When golfers are told to “keep their head down”, it robs them of their ability to shift their weight into their left side, and rotate the hips and chest toward the target.
How do I stop looking up when playing golf?
A good way to stop standing up at impact is to focus on your head. Indeed, if the head is not allowed to rise or move at all vertically the upper body will be forced to move while keeping it in place. And in doing so, the spine angle should remain constant throughout the swing, which is one the things being sought.
Where should the top of my backswing be?
So at the top of the backswing you want it pointing down where your body is aiming, down towards parallel lines of the target as you come down that will give you a chance to drop it in. Not only do you want it pointing down straight to the where you want it to go you also want it pretty much parallel to the ground.
Where should right elbow be on backswing?
Ideally, the right elbow should point at 90-degrees to the ground at the top of the backswing. This allows the right elbow to drop into the correct slot on the downswing and sets the swing plane coming into the ball.
How do I get a flat wrist at the top of my backswing?
By definition the flat wrist position at the top of the backswing for a right handed player involves having the left forearm, left wrist and back of left hand all in alignment as if a ruler were strapped to the arm like a splint while the wrist is hinged or cocked approximately 90 degrees.
Should you hinge your wrists in backswing?
There is no 'proper' wrist hinge in golf. Many coaches suggest to start breaking your wrists once you pass parallel in the takeaway, while others advocate a one-piece takeaway and only allowing your wrists to hinge at the top of the backswing. Both methods can produce repeatable, powerful golf swings.
Should elbows be tucked in golf swing?
Your right elbow should be consistently tucked throughout the backswing and downswing, because that arm position will help you trace the proper swing path with the club. If you let the right elbow get away from your body early in the swing before trying to recover later on, it will be too late.
Which hand should dominate in the golf swing?
The left-hand dominant golf swing is known to be very powerful, and it will help correct some misses golfers have in their game. If you are a player who wants power and you like the classic methods of pulling the golf club through your swing, then left-hand dominance is the right idea for you.