Does slowing down your backswing help?
Emma Payne
Published Jan 17, 2026
A slower, more deliberate golf swing may improve distance and control your game. Slowing your golf swing down may provide more control and your ability to get more distance in your golf game. By applying techniques with your backswing, downswing and follow through, you may lower your scores and improve your handicap.
Should I slow down my backswing?
While you will want to play with a good tempo, you may want to use a slow backswing for some of your practice swings, both on the practice tee and on the course. A slow backswing aids you in developing balance and strength, so consider one for practice swings and the driving range and a quicker backswing when you play.
Does the speed of the backswing matter?
In golf, your backswing is your counter-movement, which is why it's important to get the club moving quickly away from the target. Speed accumulates throughout your swing, so the faster you move the club away on your backswing, the faster your club will be traveling as it comes into the golf ball.
Who has the slowest backswing on the PGA Tour?
Slowest: Heath Slocum
He doesn't hit it hard or high, but Heath Slocum has managed to record four wins on the PGA Tour, including the 2009 Barclays. Slocum made just six of 22 cuts in 2015, tied for the worst number of his career.
Does a shorter backswing help?
Keeping your golf swing a bit shorter can help with control, accuracy, and for some, it can be a great wait to deliver effective power to the golf ball. Don't assume that shortening your backswing is going to result in less distance; this is very often not the case.
27 related questions foundHow slow should my backswing be?
If a golfer has a quick downswing then the backswing should be faster also. Good tempo can be fast or slow. The best way to explain tempo is to divide your total swing time by two. For example, if your total swing time is two seconds then the backswing should be one second.
What is a good swing tempo?
The right swing tempo is actually all about getting the perfect tempo of 3:1. Here's a quick video from the Golf Channel discussing the 3:1 swing tempo in full. To sum it up, your backswing should take 3X as long as you're downswing. So if your backswing takes three seconds, your downswing should take one second.
How fast should I swing my driver?
Well, more than 40 percent of golfers measured swing the club between 91 and 100 mph, according to the same data. The overall average is 93.4 mph, so if you're hovering around there, you should feel pretty proud of yourself. A swing speed in the 90s puts you right around average.
Do you need a big backswing in golf?
Distance is heavily affected when your backswing is too short, you won't be able to generate enough power to hit the ball a decent distance, a knock on effect from that would be height, without generating enough speed you won't be able to get the ball up in the air, this will also cause the ball to not go very far.
Is it better to swing easy in golf?
In golf, you should swing as hard as you can without losing your balance and posture. The longer you can hit the ball off the tee, the easier scoring becomes as you'll leave yourself less distance into the green.
How fast should I swing the golf club?
The average clubhead speed for many male, amateur golfers is between 80-90 mph. Leading LPGA players come in around 90-100 mph. Tour pros tend to have average golf swing speeds in the 110-115 mph range or even higher, and long drive competitors are all the way up in the 140s.
What happens when you swing too fast in golf?
Putting too much effort into the swing is usually going to lead to diminishing returns, where the quality of your ball striking – and even your raw distance – actually goes down as you swing harder.
What is Hideki Matsuyama swing speed?
Hideki is averaging 115 mph of clubhead speed in 2021. While a longer pause may cost him a few mph of speed, and therefore might lower his probability of success, it is clearly sufficient to win on the PGA Tour.
How do you move your weight in a golf swing?
In the golf swing, weight should be evenly distributed at address, slightly towards the balls of your feet. In the backswing, you should feel the weight shift onto the inside of your trail foot, before shifting forward again and through your left side when rotating through the shot.
How far should you hit a 7 iron?
A standard amateur golfer can hit a 7 iron from 128 yards to 158 yards. The lower range will be for women and senior golfers. To hit the ball over 150 yards in total distance with a 7 iron club, an amateur golfer will have to have a good swing and be physically fit.
How fast should you swing a 7 iron?
An average golfer will swing a seven iron about 75 mph. This number can change based on the weight of the club and if it is steel or graphite. The faster you swing a seven iron, the further it will go. If you can swing at about 85 mph, you will see distances closer to 165 yards.
Who has a slow backswing?
Sungjae Im has one of the slowest backswings on Tour.
Why is tempo important in golf?
Having a fluid golf swing with tempo in mind at takeaway and impact of the golf ball is crucial when trying to hit flush, center faced strikes. I think as we discuss players with higher and higher handicaps, tempo becomes more and more important, with those players usually less confident in ball striking abilities.
How do I stop my backswing from Overswing?
The Simple, Secret Fix for Overswinging in Golf
Just twist your arm clockwise, kind of like a rotator cuff exercise. That's all you're doing.
Who has the shortest backswing in golf?
Jon Rahm has one of the shortest backswings in golf. Every golf swing has some unique flair. Like the grooves and curves of a fingerprint, no two swings are alike.