The final swing season of the PGA Tour is complete following the 2022 RSM Classic. Along with the conclusion of the fall swing comes a number of players who thrived and a list of player who … well, didn’t. While there are still competitive reps in the upcoming weeks on the DP World Tour, at the Hero World Challenge, QBE Shootout, The Match VII and PNC Championship, a bow has been put on the PGA Tour slate for the 2022 calendar year before play resumes at the Tournament of Champions in January.

This fall swing was inherently different from those of the past as modifications to the PGA Tour’s upcoming schedule and playoff structure heightened the intensity. With only 70 players gaining entry into the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and those falling outside the magic number eventually needing to vie for status, some saw this time of year as critical for their job security.

“It’s harder,” said Joel Dahmen of the new structure. “I mean, with the new system comes if you play really well, now you’re in that top tier, now you’re on the PGA Tour, not the PGB tour. The PGA Tour is really sweet right now and it’s the best time I think ever to be on Tour. Great play will get you to that next level and that’s a great spot to be.”

Dahmen was one of many to take advantage of his opportunities this fall. Playing in seven tournaments, the 35-year-old captured three top-10 finishes in addition to a couple top-20 results. For his efforts, Dahmen heads into 2023 ranked 15th in the FedEx Cup standings and in the driver’s seat to remain inside that coveted top-70 cutoff.

While Dahmen won’t be making the list of top winners from the fall, he is surely in the conversation and in a much better position than some of his peers who will be discussed in a different light. Not all were lucky enough to find their stride the past few months, and will have ample ground to make up come 2023.

Winners

Honorable Mention: Seamus Power, Alex Noren, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Taylor Montgomery

Losers

Honorable Mention: Daniel Berger, Sam Burns, Cameron Champ, Taylor Pendrith

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Have you ever had someone tell you that your golf swing was too long? Chances are they were right!

So many amateur golfers take the club back much further than needed. This ends up causing issues with accuracy and balance that doesn’t need to be a problem.

Since taking the golf club back this far is not necessary, here are some tips to help shorten your swing and get everything under control.

Who Should Shorten Their Golf Swing?

Golfers should shorter their golf swing if they are swinging past parallel, losing accuracy, or feeling like they are unable to be consistent in their golf shots. Taking the club back too far does not help you play better.

In fact, if you want to increase swing speed and hit more consistent golf shots, a shorter swing is typically the better choice.

It does not matter if you are a low or high handicap player; golf swing length should never go past parallel. Of course, you have seen golfers like John Daly make a career out of swinging the club too long; this takes a lot of athletic ability.

My favorite way to think about this is to consider the clubface of the golf club. Think about taking the golf club back about five inches; wouldn’t it be pretty easy to keep the clubface square?

Now consider taking it back to waist-high. Still not that difficult to keep the clubface square.

You can probably tell where I’m going with this. The further you take the club back away from the ball, the harder it is to return it to square. You may be able to do it several times but to do it over and over again and get consistent results is much harder than it needs to be.

Keeping the golf club in control is the key to seeing more consistent scores on the golf course.

How to Tell If Your Backswing is Too Long

The best way to tell if your backswing is too long is to take a video of it. There are so many great ways to record a golf swing, and this can be as simple as using your phone and the help of a friend.

When you take the video, the easiest way to do this is to do a forward facing video. This means that the person recording stands face to face with you as you set up to hit.

Once you have the video, play it in slow motion until you reach the top of your golf swing. Just when you start to make the transition to the downswing, take a look at where the golf club is.

If the club is past parallel to the ground, you have taken it back too far.

4 Tips to Shorten Your Golf Swing

Now that you can identify how far back a golf swing should go and why it’s important not to overdo this motion, it’s time to shorter your golf swing. Here are some of my favorite ways to go about this process. You will be glad you decided to shorten your swing; it should make the game of golf considerably easier.

1. Start With a Chip Shot

One of the best ways to start taking shorter golf swings is to start by taking a chip shot. The chip shot is really just a shorter version of the full swing. When you take a short chip shot, you can focus on keeping the swing a bit more in check.

Once you have the chip shot down, start by increasing the length of your backswing. Maybe take the club to about ¾ distance as you would normally do to hit a pitch shot.

After you have increased to that ¾ distance, then extend it just a bit more to get to the top of your golf swing. Essentially you will find that this shorter swing feels almost like a pitch shot for quite some time.

However, when you see that your clubhead speed is increasing and your tendency to lose balance is decreasing, you may see the benefit of this pitch shot type swing and start to incorporate it into your golf game.

2. Use a Mirror

Using a mirror to practice is a great way to shorten your golf swing. You can use a number of drills that help you look up and see where the club is.

Sometimes when I practice something like this, I will use a dry-erase marker on the mirror to create the line that I want to swing back to. The tendency for many golfers when taking too big of a swing is to lose their spine angle as well.

It makes sense to make a mark on the mirror where you will want to ensure your head stays. This way, when you look up at the top of the swing, you can see if you are actually in a good position.

Keep practicing this so that you are able to repeat it without looking at the mirror. Many golf practice facilities have a mirror like this for you to use, but you can do it at home as well if you can create the setup indoors.

3. Stop and Look Drill

The Stop and Look drill is not always the most effective from a feedback standpoint, but it’s certainly what I have used to get through almost all swing flaws in my golf career. When we swing a golf club back, we can’t see how far it went.

Therefore it sometimes makes sense to take a peak and see where everything is.

When I’m working on something, I will step away from the golf ball, take my swing and then look and see the position of the club. I can check for things like clubface angle, the rotation of my shoulders, and especially the length of my golf swing.

The stop and look drill is made even better when you have a mirror to work with, but it certainly works without.

When the turn is efficient, and you are not taking the club back too far, you can then step up to the ball and try to repeat the motion you just made. I know this is not the most high-tech way to learn the game of golf, but it has always worked quite well.

This process works with any club. If you don’t have the money for training aids and devices to create a shorter swing, this drill will create muscle memory and start to train your brain to what a perfect length golf swing is.

4. Find a Stopping Point

As much as I like these other 3 tips to help you shorten your golf swing, many golfers complain that they still have no idea where the golf club is. For beginner golfers and some amateurs, the concept of where the golf club is at any given time can be a bit foreign.

Luckily, there are ways around this.

If you can find a stopping point on your backswing, chances are you can stop the swing at the correct point. For me, this stopping point is when my shoulder has rotated under my chin. Once I feel that shoulder gets into place, I know my golf swing is done.

From a feel standpoint, this still does feel like the club has not even reached the top of the swing. However, we know from momentum and the way the golf swing tricks us that the club has very much reached the parallel position.

Years ago, I had the misconception that a long backswing would help me get more power. After years of practicing and working on this concept, I have finally learned that a shorter swing leads to better results all around.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children.

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The chicken wing golf swing has never really been a great look.

To be honest, when you see golfers chicken winging, it’s really difficult to even say “nice shot” or “looks great.”

Although this common flaw does not keep all players from hitting a good shot, it’s important to start to get rid of the chicken wing, as it generally means there are other problems in the swing.

To fix the chicken wing, we have to rewind a little and look at what is causing it.

What Is a Chicken Wing Golf Swing?

The chicken wing golf swing (for a right-handed player) is when you swing through the golf ball, and your left arm creates a chicken wing type motion. The arm does not rotate as it should, and it certainly falls out of position compared to the right arm.

What Causes a Chicken Wing in a Golf Swing?

Many golfers think the chicken wing in a golf swing is created after impact. Of course, this is where it is visible, but it is not necessarily what caused the issue to come up.

Instead, problems like hips swaying on the backswing, poor movement toward the target, and arms losing their extension through impact are significant causes.

Arms Losing Their Angle

You know the old tip to keep your left arm straight? It’s never explained correctly, and most professionals will shake their heads when a beginner comes to them with this left arm that will barely even move.

However, there is something to be said for keeping the left arm straight through the impact position. If your arms start to bend and get a little too loose, the chicken wing is the mistake you will see come up.

Arms through impact should stay strong and extended.

Swaying on The Backswing

Swaying in golf is never good.

To get the proper performance, you need to make a pivot, not sway. Golfers that have trouble rotating and shifting their weight will often find themselves in a position where they need to catch up or manipulate the clubhead so that it is square.

The last thing you want to think about as you get towards impact is the angle of the clubface. Make sure that you pivot correctly and that there is much less thinking that needs to be done.

Lack of Weight Shift and Hip Rotation at Impact

Great players can turn their hips toward the target at impact. The weight shifting is crucial as it will create power in not only the swing but also consistency in how the club is delivered.

Great players have their hips shifted more toward the target at impact. This move allows golfers to rotate their arms more effectively. The hips start to rotate, creating room in the swing for the arms to rotate through as they should.

Without this weight shift and hip rotation, players can feel stuck. Of course, the stuck motion only makes it more challenging to get your arms into that final position, and the dreaded chicken wing shows up.

It’s a good idea to narrow down what is causing your chicken wing golf swing before you attempt to start fixing it. The fix that you choose should be something that is directly related to the cause.

3 Tips to Get Rid of Your Chicken Wing Golf Swing

Now that you have the reasoning behind your chicken wing, it’s time to eliminate it. This is not a swing fix that can happen with just one shot. I would highly recommend heading to the range with the ability to video your golf swing.

Sometimes the visualization of what the chicken wing golf swing looks like prior and what it looks like after you make your changes will help you ensure these fixes stay in place the next time you hit the golf course.

1. Improve Arm Connection

One of our favorite drills that will help fix quite a few swing flaws is one that allows your left arm to stay a bit more connected. You can use this drill if you are also struggling with an over-the-top motion on the downswing.

The first part of this process is to just take your typical setup. Then you will put a golf glove or even a golf towel under your left armpit (for a right-handed player). This will need to stay in place as you do this drill.

Next, you can start taking some half swings where you don’t even hit the ball. Just make a move back and through that ensures that the glove or towel does not fall out.

I would then try to hit a few shots like this. Stick with something like the 8 iron or pitching wedge, so you don’t have to worry about forgiveness or launch in the club. The shots are not intended to go far. Instead, they just teach the importance of connection and what that feels like.

2. Follow Through Only Drill

Another great drill for getting rid of the chicken wing golf swing is one that works on the follow through only. Instead of taking a backswing, you will start at your setup position and then just go to a full follow through.

To do this, you must push your body a bit and almost force it to get into the proper position. The follow through only drill ensures that you don’t take a chicken wing golf swing, as you will feel the arms rotate correctly up to the top of the swing.

With the follow through only drill, you want to make sure that you are also transferring all of your weight to the left side.

I would do this about 4 to 5 times, then take a full swing and hit a shot. You should feel the muscle memory start to develop and push your body into the proper position.

3. Alignment Sticks to Help

We talked about the bigger problems related to the chicken wing golf swing. Things like swaying on the backswing and not rotating your arms. However, there are also issues with the basic setup and stance that can cause problems in the swing.

When practicing at the range, make sure to bring some alignment sticks with you.

To fix this problem, in particular, make sure that your stance is not closed. Set up alignment sticks for both stance and ball position.

In addition, if you are comfortable with your alignment sticks, you can also set one up behind your right hip. The hip needs to rotate, not slide or bump into the alignment stick that is secured into the ground.

Alignment sticks are very versatile, and they help with a variety of swing issues. If you have a chicken wing golf swing and are tired of hitting shots with an open clubface, or those that lack distance, take some time to learn different drills with an alignment stick, and you will likely find it easier to perform on the course.

Some players are finding that an alignment stick holder is easier for them to use when practicing on mats. For the hip rotation drill, this is undoubtedly the case. You will need to be able to place the alignment stick in the ground for it to be effective and create that wall of support.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children.

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Swinging over the top is a problem that so many golfers struggle with.

It doesn’t matter if you are brand new to the game or have been playing your entire life; getting a swing path that is a bit over the top is something that needs to be fixed.

For some golfers, a simple swing thought can have you on your way to square shots. However, for most players I have worked with, a combination of drills, training aids, and good old-fashioned practice have been the only ways to fix your over the top golf swing.

Take a look at my six key steps to finally fix your over the top golf swing, and start swinging through the golf ball with confidence.

Step 1: Record a Video

The first step in this process may seem like a simple one but both pro golfers and average golfers that have done it will tell you it’s a must.

Start by recording a video of your golf swing.

One of the most challenging things about the game of golf is that we can’t see the golf club when we swing. Trying to determine where the swing path or swing plane is wont’ be easy. However, with modern technology, a quick video will let you see quite a bit.

So many players say to me, “I don’t know how to diagnose the video.”

I understand you may think that is the case. However, chances are you will be able to see a great deal of what you are doing wrong. Also, you want this video as a comparison when you finish fixing your over the top swing.

Take two videos with the help of a friend. One of the videos should be down the line; another should be a face on video.

If you don’t hit the big slice that has been bothering you, record a few swings so you have some evidence of the problem.

Step 2: Check Your Setup

The next part of this process is to look at the most obvious errors in the game. Players who have their grip, feet position, shoulder line, hips, or even their head position wrong at setup.

So many players want to fix their over the top swing by working on their angle into the ball, their rotation, or ensuring they make a good transition. These are all important but are you setting yourself up to get to this position?

If your feet and your shoulder lines are crossed, straight shots are hard to achieve.

We know that practicing your setup and stance is quite boring compared to other things on this list; it’s well worth getting this down before you try and fix something that may or may not even need to be fixed.

Step 3: Perfect The Takeaway

The takeaway of your golf shots should be low and slow. Taking the club back with just your arms, swinging back really fast, or forgetting that important transition between backswing and downswing can cause poor shots and an over the top swing.

Most golfers struggle at the top of the swing, but there are issues at the start of the swing that can cause this problem.

The golf takeaway is often overlooked by amateur players.

One of my favorite swing tips for golfers working on their takeaway is to take a small blade of grass or even a leaf and place it just a few inches behind the ball.

On your backswing, make sure you may contact with this. To do so, you will have to engage your lower body, keep the arms out of it and ensure you are having the golf club and the body work together.

Step 4: Get To The Inside

Now that the basics are out of the way, it’s time to do the actual work to fix your over the top golf swing. There are two things you need to think about here, getting the club path more on the inside and ensuring the club face is rotated so that it is square at impact.

The first part of this process is ensuring a more inside club path. This club path encourages a golfer to keep their right elbow (right-handed golfer) more connected throughout the swing. The right elbow should even feel as though it is touching your body as you make your transition at the top of the downswing.

One of the simplest and best drills for this is to put a golf glove or even a towel under your right armpit and ensure it stays in place as you make a good transition.

Another drill to consider here is over-exaggerating the inside to out swing path. Most golfers that come over the top have an out-to-in swing path. What this typically looks like is a golf club that starts coming down with the arms and shoulders from the top of the swing.

The club never appears to drop into place and fill in that space that you created with a good rotation.

Exaggerating this move so that you feel as though you are coming way inside on the approach to the ball is a good way to get your lower body sequence worked out and feel what you need to do.

When you go back to hitting balls, chances are you won’t be exaggerating nearly as much, and you will actually be in the correct position. Some players that struggle with this common problem of coming over the top will add an exaggerated inside approach to their pre-shot routine.

The next thing to work on is the club face angle. If you get to the inside, but your club face is not square to the target line, the shot won’t work out. Most golfers struggle to rotate their forearms.

Step 5: Training Aids to Help

Feeling this inside-to-out path and getting rid of the over the top swing plane will be hard for some players. If you have been swinging like this your entire life, you won’t fix it with one good swing. In fact, it will take quite a bit of time and effort to work this out.

Some of the best options for fixing coming over the top is to use alignment sticks or something like the Eyeline Speed Trap. All you need to do with an alignment stick is set it in the ground at an angle just above the golf ball.

The goal is to swing under this alignment stick. If you swing over the top, you will hit the alignment stick.

Start with slow swings here, as you won’t want to make contact with the alignment stick and hurt yourself.

The Eyeline Speed Trap is another excellent device that allows you to see the proper path and eventually leads to golfers having a square face at impact. The latest release of the Eyeline Speed Trap makes it much easier to use the device without damage to your club or yourself.

I love the visual benefits of a tool like this.

When you head out to the golf course, you can be sure that your mind is in the right place and that you are prepared for what impact position should look like.

Step 6: Transfer to The Course

As a golfer (and teacher of the game) who has had issues with swing path in the past, I know how it can feel simple to fix issues on the range and then an entirely different situation to fix them on the golf course.

You are not alone in this frustration of transferring knowledge to the course.

The best way I have found to help this issue is to work on making your driving range practice more like the course.

Most amateur players head to the driving range with a bucket of 75 golf balls and then just start firing away. This is, of course, not the solution. Even if you do come closer to fixing your over the top swing, chances are you have ignored other issues that could be creating inconsistency.

Instead, take some time to work on the drills we talked about. Hit ten or twenty golf balls using the drills. Then take out a training aid like alignment sticks or a path trainer and work with that for some swings.

The idea is that you are building the muscle memory to then use when the pressure is on.

Once you feel like you understand the motion, you have to start putting pressure on.

Pick a target and try to hit it just as you would on the golf course. If you miss the green because of a slice, chances are you were over the top. If you hook it or draw it, maybe you came a little too far from the inside.

Make a mental note of this shot and then move to the next one. Don’t stand there and rapid-fire golf shots; it gets you nowhere. Make your practice like the course, and everything will transition to the course independently.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children.

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When you want to get full distance from your golf shots, you need to be able to swing through the ball with power. The swing should feel free and unobstructed.

However, there are times when players feel as though they are getting stuck on the downswing. This feeling is frustrating. It makes you lose power, and sometimes it will even increase dispersion rates in your golf shots.

If you are getting stuck in your golf swing, try these four steps to start swinging freely again.

What Does Getting Stuck in Your Golf Swing Mean?

Getting stuck in your golf swing is a common swing flaw in which you feel as though the club can’t get through the ball. It feels almost as if on the way down, there is nowhere for the club to go, and your arm does not fall into place the way it should.

You may hear golfers talking about dropping the golf ball into the slot on the downswing. This is something that helps to get the downswing on track.

Getting stuck may be something you feel when taking practice swings or when hitting full length shots. The results of getting stuck could end up with shanks, chunks, blocked shots, and more. It’s best to get rid of this issue as soon as possible.

3 Common Reasons You Could Be Getting Stuck in Your Golf Swing

There are 3 common reasons you could be getting stuck in your golf swing. They include standing too close to the ball, poor transfer of weight, and a swing plane that is too upright.

Standing Too Close

Standing too close to the ball is a very common reason for feeling stuck in your golf swing. When you are close to the ball, there is nowhere for your club to go, and you may struggle to release the club.

Many golfers make the mistake of standing too far from their golf shots but standing too close can be just as much of a problem for some.

Remember that as a golf club gets longer, there are times that you will have to stand further from the ball. If you are standing the same distance from the golf ball with your pitching wedge as your driver, that is a problem.

Always adjust based on the length of the club you have in your hand and find a spot that is more comfortable.

Poor Weight Transfer

One of the causes that I have seen the most often in golfers getting stuck in their golf swing is they don’t correctly transfer their weight. If the weight does not make its way back onto the right leg, it will have a hard time getting to the left leg as you go through impact.

The result is a player feeling as though they are loaded up on their right side with nowhere to go. Players struggle to get that push forward, and then the club and the weight feel as though they are lagging behind.

Ask yourself where you should be when you finish a swing. The answer is finished with your weight forward on the left side. However, most golfers are leaning backward, barely trying to maintain balance.

Too Upright of a Swing Plane

Another common cause and something that you don’t see too many pro golfers doing is an upright golf swing that creates an issue with the club being stuck behind. When the club is more upright, sometimes there is no room for a golfer’s elbow to fit in to release the club.

These feelings of getting stuck typically release in a slice-type golf shot.

4 Tips to Help You Stop Getting Stuck in Your Swing

Now that we have identified why you get stuck in your golf swing let’s look at a few of the ways you can ensure that you stop getting stuck. The good news is that these tips can make this process considerably easier than you might think, and you shouldn’t have a hard time getting it done.

Stand Further from The Ball

The first way to ensure that you are not getting stuck in your swing is to make sure you have enough room for your arms to swing. Sometimes you get stuck simply because there is a lack of space to swing through the golf ball.

Of course, there is a fine line between standing too far from the ball and standing too close. Try to make sure your arms are hanging freely down your sides. Don’t feel as though your hands are too close to your thigh, and don’t reach out to extend your arms too far.

Standing further from the ball means that you will be able to cast the club out just a bit more too. If you have had a hard time with the swing inside out, this can certainly help.

If you start to lose balance and feel as though you have to bend over to reach the golf ball, chances are you are standing much too far from the golf ball, and you need to move up.

Start The Swing With a Weight Transfer

So many of golfers’ swing flaws are because of how they start their golf swing. If your swing does not get started the right way, it’s very hard to recover and start swinging correctly. Therefore you must ensure that you start your back with a weight transfer back to the right foot.

This is not difficult to accomplish if you take a low and slow takeaway. The club moving back low and slowly helps the weight transfer onto the right foot, making it considerably easier to get the weight onto the left side.

When you swing properly with the correct position of the weight to start, you have a much lower chance of getting stuck on the right side (for right-handed golfers).

One of my favorite drills to help focus on weight transfer and ensure that it is more efficient is to swing with my legs completely together. Standing with the legs together teaches you how to get more balanced and simplified in your swing; in the end, this will translate into the regular swing when you are ready.

Shallow Things Out a Bit

A shallow golf swing can undoubtedly lead to some issues.

However, for the most part, shallow golf swings are really good for a draw style ball flight and a much easier time getting distance. In addition, when you swing more shallow, you help to get that space in your downswing for the club to fit.

One of the best ways to determine if your golf swing is too shallow is to take a video of the swing with a camera. When you take a video, ensure it is a down the line view. Ensure your alignment is correct and your spin angle is good.

Once these are in place, take a look at the actual swing plane.

The swing plane that is too upright could cause you to get stuck. The shallower swing plane involves a more rounded move around your body. Play around with this to see how it impacts your ball flight and whether or not you have done too much, and it causes you to start hooking the ball.

Don’t Close The Stance Down

Another great tip to ensure that you will not get stuck in your golf swing is to open up your stance and setup a little bit. So many players make the mistake of closing things down. Their shoulders, hips, and even their feet will be closed off to the target.

When this happens, players will notice that the club can swing back just fine, but once it is back there, the room to swing through is significantly impacted.

The best way to do this is to start by opening up your lower body a bit. Take your feet and your hips, and just turn them slightly left of the target.

Remember that a slight move to the left is all it will take in golf. There is no need to exaggerate this movement; it won’t help you!

If you find this creates some space in the swing for you to swing down the target line, you may want to check your shoulder position as well to ensure that it is properly aligned. Take some practice swings with this more open stance first and see if it is easier to get the club face angle you are looking for.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children.

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The Stack and Tilt golf swing has become immensely more popular the last few years. 

If you’re wondering what the Stack and Tilt golf swing is, you’ve come to the right place!

After reading this article, you’ll be able to decide if you want to implement some of principles of this method into your golf swing.

What is The Stack and Tilt Golf Swing?

While most golf techniques focus too much on variables like stance, grip, and posture, the Stack and Tilt golf swing puts more emphasis on fundamentals of the swing like keeping the bodyweight forward and the arms straight. This leads to better ball striking, which leads to increased distance and improved control.

Golfers who struggle to hit the golf ball off the sweet spot of their clubs consistently should try out the Stack and Tilt method. 

The Stack and Tilt golf swing was initially invented by Andy Plummer and Michael Bennett, two golf instructors who are obsessed with simplifying the golf swing. 

This golf swing was only known by a small circle of folks until Golf Digest did a feature article on Aaron Baddeley, who was adamant about how much the technique had improved his game. 

More PGA Tour golfers have adopted the Stack and Tilt since 2005 and some folks consider it to be a game-changer to the world of golf.

Breaking Down How The Stack and Tilt Golf Swing Works

The above YouTube video from Nick Taylor Golf does a fabulous job of explaining the differences between the Stack and Tilt and the conventional golf swing. 

Here is a brief rundown of the basics of the Stack and Tilt and how it works.

1. Make Consistent Contact By Keeping Your Weight Forward

If you break down the swings of all the best golfers in the world, you will see a wide variety of grips (strong, weak, or neutral) and alignments (some aim right, some left, etc). 

You’ll also notice that some of the top players in the world swing with an upright posture while others seem to be more hunched over during the swing. In other words, these variables of the conventional swing can be left up to individual preference.

Though the best PGA Tour players differ in lots of areas, they all have one thing in common: the ability to make consistent contact. 

This means that they hit the ground at virtually the same place every single swing. This is why the most important principle of the Stack and Tilt golf swing is to focus on making consistent contact.

Keeping your weight forward during the entire swing will allow you to hit just in front of the golf ball, which is the ideal spot for the clubface to hit if you’re hitting an iron. The conventional swing calls for golfers to start with their weight more on their back foot. 

This causes some folks to never make good contact consistently due to the lack of balance.

2. Increase Your Power By Tilting Your Left Shoulder Down

Instead of moving the left shoulder inward as the conventional swing calls for, Stack and Tilt students focus on simply tilting their left shoulder down during the takeaway. 

This helps keep the head still and ensures you’ll hit the ball first, not the ground. No more painful chunks!

This slight tilt increases your distance without adding any extra head movement. This means you’ll be able to hit the ball flush more often.

3. Bring Your Hands In To Control the Curve

Have you ever noticed that very few golfers hit the ball exactly straight? 

The natural swing of most folks leads to either a draw or a fade. A big part of keeping the ball in the fairway is learning how to control the curve of your shots.

The Stack and Tilt swing is built on bringing the hands in during the backswing. This promotes a nice in-to-out golf swing that will lead to nice draws. 

This is a huge benefit for newer golfers, as most of them struggle with a wicked slice that leaves them frustrated most of the time.

4. Knee Position Changes During the Swing

For a true Stack and Tilt golf swing, the knee position changes during the backswing, downswing, and the complete follow-through of the swing. 

During the backswing, the right knee straightens as the left knee flexes a little bit. This is of vital importance because it allows the hips and shoulders to turn more easily.

During the downswing, the knees both return to their original flexed position just like in the swing setup. When completing the follow-through, the left leg straightens out a tad.

5. Keep Both Arms Straight At Impact

While the left arm will naturally bend a bit during the takeaway, once the downswing starts both arms should straighten out.

When a golfer bends one or both arms too much during the swing, this messes with the radius of the swing. This makes it nearly impossible to make solid, consistent contact with the golf ball.

Too much bend in the arms can result in the banana slices that all golfers hate. That is because any bending in the arms makes it too easy to cut across the ball. 

The golfer is much more likely to hit a nice baby draw when the arms are kept straight.

Players on Tour Who Use This Technique

You may be surprised to learn how many PGA Tour golfers employ the Stack and Tilt method. Here is a quick list of them.

Aaron Baddeley: 4 Wins on the PGA Tour

You knew Baddeley would be on this list since the Golf Digest article put the Stack and Tilt golf swing on the map. 

Baddeley turned pro in 2000 and racked up eight wins on a variety of tours. The 40-year old Australian utilized this swing for several of his best years on the PGA Tour.

Mike Weir: 8 Wins on the PGA Tour

Weir has 14 professional wins since turning pro in 1992. He won The Masters in 2003 and for a large part of his career was a huge fan of The Stack and Tilt method. 

The 51-year old Canadian recently won his first PGA Tour Champions tournament in May of 2021.

Justin Rose: 10 Wins on the PGA Tour

Rose has one of the prettiest swings on tour and has accomplished a great deal on the links. The 2013 US Open champ may not be a true Stack and Tilt student but he definitely has some of the core principles in his swing. 

Rose’s coach, Sean Foley, may teach some proponents of this method, as several of his PGA Tour students have similarities.

Charlie Wi: 7 Wins on the Asian Tour

Wi has yet to win on the PGA Tour but his seven Asian Tour wins are tied for ninth in the record books. Wi is a true Stack and Tilt disciple, as he is coached by Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer. 

Heck, Wi even helped them name the swing “Stack and Tilt”. Bennett and Plummer consider Wi’s swing the best example of the method.

Grant Waite: 1 Win on the PGA Tour

Waite has four professional wins and loves the Stack and Tilt technique. The 57-year old New Zealander turned pro in 1987 and last played on the PGA Tour Champions in 2019.

Is It an Effective Technique?

Absolutely – the Stack and Tilt technique has been around a long time and has helped many golfers improve their ball-striking ability. 

Stack and Tilt golf instructors have helped 10 different PGA Tour winners. That’s quite an impressive track record.

Though the conventional golf swing is more commonly taught, one cannot argue with the amount of success that some golfers have had with the Stack and Tilt. The technique has helped golfers all over the world shoot lower scores.

Who is The Swing Best Suited For?

The Stack and Tilt method is suited for almost any golfer who wants to improve their game. 

Here is a brief list of folks who could benefit the most from implementing the technique in their golf swing.

1. Habitual Slicers

If you struggle with a mean slice that you just can’t seem to solve, read up on the Stack and Tilt. The Stack and Tilt will teach you how to bring your hands in during the swing. 

This will allow you to swing with a more in-to-out path and will help eliminate your slice. No more playing out of the wrong fairway because now you’ll hit a nice penetrating baby draw.

2. Golfers Who Struggle to Make Consistent Contact

If you are constantly catching the ball too thin or chunking the ground before you even touch the ball, try out the Stack and Tilt. 

The key move to the Stack and Tilt is to make sure your weight distribution is more toward the front foot. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 60% of your body weight to be on the front foot at set up.

This will allow you to hit the ball first, then the ground. You’ll love the crisp, clean sound of a purer strike on the golf ball. There is nothing quite like it!

3. Newer Golfers Who Feel Overwhelmed

When a golfer first decides to take up the game, learning the conventional golf swing can quickly become overwhelming. 

There are too many variables in play like tempo, grip, stance, alignment, and posture. This can lead to overthinking, which almost always decreases performance.

The Stack and Tilt technique cuts through a lot of that noise and breaks the swing down to three dynamic principles (Contact, Power, and Control). For some folks, this is a much easier swing to learn. 

The last thing any golfer needs is some sort of long mental checklist while on the tee box.

4. Senior Golfers or Golfers With Back Problems

The Stack and Tilt could be a great option for older golfers or golfers with any type of joint pain. 

The method calls for the toes to be pointed outward. This may take some getting used to, but it’s actually quite comfortable. 

This takes a great deal of stress off the joints and leads to less back, knee, and hip problems. Many senior golfers also find that they can hit the ball further using the Stack and Tilt because of the increased leverage that is created.

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

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Did you know that the grip is the most important part of the golf swing? 

Think about it. The only thing that connects your hands to the golf club is your grip!

How do different grip pressure points affect your golf swing? Find out the main pressure points on the grip and how these pressure points can help your swing.

How Grip Pressure Affects Your Golf Swing

How you hold the golf club affects your swing in a variety of ways. When it comes to grip pressure, gripping the club too tight or too loose can negatively affect your swing. We’ll examine the consequences of each below.

Results of a Grip That’s Too Tight

A whole host of problems are caused by gripping the golf club too tight. Here are a few of the most common ones.

Your Swing Tempo Becomes Jerky

The first telltale sign that you’re holding the golf club too tight is a swing tempo that is too fast and jerky. Instead of a smooth, controlled swing, a grip pressure that is too tight will lead to a rushed, restrictive swing. 

Reduced Clubhead Speed

This one is counterintuitive. So many golfers assume that gripping the golf club harder will lead to more clubhead speed and more distance. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Using too much grip pressure causes unnecessary tension in the hands, wrists, and forearms. All that tension makes you swing slower because everything is so knotted up. 

Again, it seems counterintuitive but several studies that involve grip pressure, clubhead speed, and ball speed prove that too much grip pressure decreases distance.

Constant Slices or Pushes

Gripping the golf club too tight can also cause you to slice and push the ball quite a bit. This is because when you grip the club too tight, the hands cannot close the clubface in time. This means that your clubface will usually be open at impact, which is the main cause of a slice.

If you’re constantly missing your targets and losing your ball out to the right (for a right-handed golfer), you may need to lighten your grip pressure. 

Results of a Grip That’s Too Loose

While lots of golfers struggle with a grip that is too tight, there aren’t many out there that hold the club too loose. 

For those rare folks that do hold the club too loosely, the main negative consequence is not having enough control of the clubface. These folks will also struggle with the direction of their shots and end up hitting lots of hooks and slices. 

On rare occasions, the club may even fly out of their hands.

Where Pressure Should Be Applied in Your Golf Grip

Okay, now that we know there are dangers of holding the golf club too tight and too loose, once we find that “sweet spot” of grip pressure, where do we apply it? 

Top Hand (Left Hand for Right-Handed Golfer)

Finding the proper grip pressure point on the top hand can be difficult for golfers because it is usually their non-dominant hand. 

Ideally, you want the grip pressure on this hand to be in the heel pad of your palm near the pinkie and ring fingers. 

Again, getting used to the feel of this may take quite a while.

Bottom Hand (Right Hand for Right-Handed Golfer)

Now let’s talk about the correct pressure points in the bottom hand. In this case, we are often dealing with the golfer’s dominant hand. You want the majority of the grip pressure in this hand to be on your index finger (ie pointer finger).

Surprisingly, you shouldn’t feel much grip pressure on your right thumb at all. When gripped correctly, the index finger will be able to easily guide the golf club. Now you’re ready to hit a great shot!

How Tight Your Golf Grip Should Be

On a scale of 1 to 10, you should aim to have a grip pressure of around 4 or 5. The ideal golf grip is not too tight but not too light. Here are a few analogies to remind you of this.

When thinking of grip pressure, remind yourself of Goldilocks and the porridge. She didn’t want the porridge to be too hot or too cold. You don’t want grip pressure that is too tight or too loose.

The great Sam Snead (winner of 82 PGA Tour tournaments) had a famous theory on grip pressure. Snead said to imagine that you’re holding a baby bird. You want to hold the bird tight enough so that it can’t fly away but not so tight that you harm it.

Another popular grip pressure analogy is the tube of toothpaste. You want to hold the tube of toothpaste with both hands but imagine that the cap is off. You don’t want to grip the tube too hard and splatter toothpaste all over your bathroom mirror.

What Happens When Your Golf Grip is Too Strong

There’s a saying in golf that goes something like this: To hit it long, grip it strong! 

That saying isn’t referring to grip pressure, it’s referring to the position of your hands on the golf club. Here’s a quick exercise to determine what type of golf grip you have:

1. Hold the golf club like you’re about to hit a full shot
2. Count how many knuckles you can see on your left hand
3. If you see 1 knuckle, you have a weak grip
4. If you see 2 knuckles, you have a neutral grip
5. If you see 3 knuckles, you have a strong grip

What are some unwanted side effects of a grip that is too strong? 

Most of the time, a grip that is too strong can cause the golfer to hit lots of hooks and pulls because the clubface is shut at impact. This can lead to lots of frustration, not to mention lots of lost golf balls.

Other nasty consequences of having a grip that’s too strong include lower ball flight and inaccurate chipping around the greens. Both are hazardous to shooting low scores on the course. 

If any of these problems are plaguing you, consider weakening your grip a bit.

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

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One of the biggest debates in the game of golf is about weight distribution. Some golf instructors teach their students that they should have their weight evenly distributed at setup. 

Other instructors say that the golfer’s weight should lean slightly to the front foot or the back foot. All this conflicting advice can be confusing, especially to newer golfers.

Should a golfer keep their weight forward at address or farther back until after impact? We take a closer look at this question in this article. 

After reading this, you’ll be able to decide if you want to try the weight-forward golf swing.

What Does it Mean to Have Your Weight Forward in Your Golf Swing?

Having your weight forward in a golf swing means that instead of having a 50-50 weight distribution at address, the golfer has at least 55% of his weight toward his front foot. 

This type of approach was made famous by Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett in their Stack and Tilt golf swing teachings. The Stack and Tilt method has helped many golfers (including some on the PGA Tour) achieve their fullest potential on the course.

Though 90% of a golfer’s weight should be on their front foot at impact, many golfers struggle with hanging back too much on their back leg. This leads to decreased power and inconsistent contact. 

By starting with the weight slightly forward, it is easier to transfer the rest of the weight at impact.

Yes, to ensure maximum distance and a fluid swing, there must be a proper weight transfer during the swing at some point before impact. 

Golfers who have too much weight on their back leg at impact are swinging with their upper bodies only. It’s nearly impossible to hit the golf ball a long way if you’re only using half your body.

 

Pros of the Weight Forward Golf Swing

There are lots of advantages to adopting a weight-forward golf swing. Here is a list of some of those benefits.

Consistency

When a golfer addresses the ball with his weight slightly forward, it ensures that a proper weight transfer will take place during the downswing. 

This results in more consistent contact since the weight forward swing is less reliant on timing. Consistency means everything in the game of golf.

Perhaps the most important factor to playing better golf is being able to hit the ground in front of the ball at the same spot every time. This ensures that the golfer will hit the ball first and then the ground. This leads to more powerful, more accurate shots on a more consistent basis. 

Limits Head Movement

Do you know what will throw off a golf swing worse than anything else? Having too much head movement during the backswing! Starting with your weight slightly forward helps the golfer keep his head still during the entire swing.

Folks that start with a 50-50 weight distribution at address often shift lots of weight to their back leg during the backswing. This makes the head move too much and causes the eyes to bounce. 

All that movement makes hitting the golf ball flush much more difficult.

Helps Cure Slices

The majority of amateur golfers struggle with a wicked banana slice, especially with the longer clubs in the bag. Many things contribute to a slice. One of which is an improper weight transfer (hanging back).

Starting with the weight slightly forward makes it easier for the golfer to take an inside-out golf swing. This type of swing path will turn that nasty slice into a slick-looking baby draw. A draw will come in handy on most golf courses.

Cons of the Weight Forward Golf Swing

As most golfers know, there are positives and negatives to every type of golf swing. Here are some of the cons of adopting a weight-forward golf swing.

Feels Weird

Most folks do not want to try the weight-forward swing simply because it feels weird. Many golfers played other sports as kids and were taught the weight must go back and then forward. As we all know, old habits are hard to break. 

For example, most baseball hitters start with their weight tilted toward their back leg and then explode that weight toward their front leg during their swing. While this works great in baseball, it’s not the best approach for most golfers. 

Nevertheless, lots of golfers do not wish to change this approach because it feels so natural to them.  

Lower Trajectory

Some golfers who have tried out the weight forward golf swing say that it lowered their ball flight. 

While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially with the longer clubs like the driver, it can be detrimental when hitting your wedges. Most golfers want to hit the ball as high as possible with their wedges to increase their chances of landing (and staying) on the green. 

A common fix is to play around with your ball position in your setup to see if that gives you a higher ball flight. Lots of golfers find that if they move the ball back just a little in their stance, it helps improve the trajectory of their shots.

Common Golf Swing Weight Shift Problems

Hanging Back

We already mentioned this one a few times but we’ll list it here as well. This is when the golfer shifts their weight to their back leg during the backswing but never shifts it to their front leg during the downswing. 

This robs the golfer of lots of precious clubhead speed and limits their distance quite a bit.

No Weight Transfer

This problem is not as common as hanging back but it still plagues some golfers. This happens when the golfer starts with a 50-50 weight distribution and the weight doesn’t shift at all before, during, or after the swing. 

Again, this leads to a decrease in power and a golf swing that just looks painful and stiff.

Swaying

Swaying is another common weight transfer problem and is usually caused by overswinging. This is when the golfer rares back (usually with the driver) and tries to kill the golf ball. 

When the swaying occurs, the weight transfer is so severe that the front foot may even come off the ground for a split second. This makes consistent contact with the golf ball nearly impossible.

Here’s who should give the weight forward golf swing a try:

• Golfers who struggle to make consistently solid contact
• Folks who are constantly fighting a slice
• Golfers that have a hard time completing a proper weight transfer
• Golfers who tend to sway, hang back, or make no weight transfer
• Newer golfers who want to simplify the golf swing

 

Drills to Help You Practice Weight Transfer During Your Swing

Toe Tap Drill

Here’s a fun drill that doesn’t require any special items. When practicing your swing at the driving range, try to do a toe tap with your back foot while completing your follow-through. This is a great drill to do as part of your warm-up before a round of golf. 

If you can complete this move without losing your balance, you’ve got the proper amount of your weight forward at impact. If it takes you longer than a second or two to complete the toe tap, you probably have too much weight on your back leg at impact.  

Sand Wedge Drill

This drill can feel a little bit weird at first, but it’s an excellent one to do to make sure you’re transferring your weight at the right time. The nice thing about this drill is it provides you with some immediate feedback on your weight transfer. Here’s how it works:

• Place a sand wedge underneath the heel of your back foot with the shaft pointing toward the sky
• Hit a normal shot with a different golf club
• The sand wedge should start to fall to the ground before you even make contact with the ball. This is because, during a proper weight transfer, your back heel will lift slightly.
• If the sand wedge is hitting the ground a couple of seconds after impact, you are just a tad bit late in completing your weight transfer

Medicine Ball Throws

For this drill, you’ll need a small medicine ball that weighs anywhere from 5 to 10 pounds. One like this will work just fine. Here’s a brief step-by-step guide to this drill.

• Line up as if you are addressing the golf ball
• Instead of a golf club, hold the medicine ball and pretend it is a golf club
• Complete a normal golf swing
• Release the medicine ball at the impact point of where the golf ball would be
• Study how far the medicine ball goes
• If it goes quite a long distance, you are transferring your weight properly. If it doesn’t travel very far, your weight transfer needs more work

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

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When I was 17, I tore my ACL, which kept me out of golf for nine months. When I returned, I found it challenging to rotate my hips, which led to me swinging outside-in and slicing most of my shots. After a lesson or five with my golf instructor, I regained my regular inside out golf swing and improved my distance and accuracy.

In this post, I will explain how to go about employing it in your game. Conversely, I will advise which golfers should avoid using this swing path. 

But before I guide you through the steps of how to pull off an inside out golf swing, let me explain what it actually is.

What is an Inside Out Golf Swing?

In layman’s terms, it means that your clubhead goes inside on your takeaway and outside on your downswing. Trackman explains that it helps produce a closed clubface at impact to induce a controlled draw. 

According to Top 100 instructor Jimmie Ballard, the inside out golf swing is ideal for combatting slice shots. Taking the clubhead inside on your backswing prevents you from coming over the top and forcing an inside downswing. When you induce an out swing path, it causes you to slice your shot.  

How to Swing Inside-Out

Step 1 – Alignment

The first step is to prepare yourself for the shot and ensure you are aiming correctly. Your feet should be pointing towards your target, and your clubhead a 3 to 5-yards outside your landing area. In other words, if you are a right-hander aim to the right of your target.

Step 2 – Turn Your Trail Foot

Golf Digest suggests that angling your trail foot in the opposite direction of your target enables optimal upper body rotation. Plus, it promotes the shift of your front knee inwards on your backswing. To achieve supreme power and clubhead speed, you need to maximize your shoulder and hip rotation.

Step 3 – Shoulder Rotation

Tests conducted by GolfTEC found that tour professionals rotate their shoulders up to 60-degrees before they tilt their front shoulder and bring the clubhead parallel to the ground. That means they rotate 30-degrees more than the average casual golfer.

As a result, the superior players among us, build up immense energy on their backswing to prompt rapid clubhead speed on the downswing.

Low handicappers and professionals often tilt their left shoulder towards the ground, enabling them to shallow out their swing. Therefore they bring the shaft parallel to the turf, which helps them position the clubface for impact.

Shoulder rotation is only part of the package. To enhance power and speed, you also need to work on your hip rotation and leg drive.

Step 4 – Hip Rotation

GolfTEC further found that amateur golfers turn 10 to 15-degrees less than professionals, leaving several yards on the table. When we combine hip and shoulder rotation it equips us with tremendous energy to release on our downswing.

On your backswing your hip rotation will place weight on your trail leg. However, on your downswing it helps you transition that weight to your front leg for an optimal power drive.

Step 5 – The Takeaway

Once you are aligned in the proper position your next task is to start your backswing. If you take away your club on the incorrect line, it ruins your shot from the start. 

This setup sees your clubhead glide inside at the top of your backswing. Let the rotation of your shoulders take the club back and send it on an inside line.

Step 6 – Shallow Your Swing

Ballard recommends that you shallow the shaft at the top of your backswing to get the clubface into the desired position at impact. This promotes the ideal path for your clubhead to close slightly and generate a draw.

If you do not flatten your shaft, you risk leaving your clubface open, which will cause you to gain excessive side spin and fade your shot.

Step 7 – Downswing and Impact

To complete your inside-out golf swing, you need to follow an outside path through impact to start your ball right of the target. If your clubface is not marginally closed, you could hit your ball directly right. However, if you close it excessively, you will hook your shot.

Benefits of Using an Inside Out Swing

Shape

Golf Coach Clay Ballard explains that successfully pulling off an inside- out swing results in a straight shot, with a couple yards of draw. As a result, you enjoy more control from your woods and irons, ensuring superior distance control and accuracy.

Accuracy

When you produce an inside swing path, it helps you improve your accuracy by connecting your golf ball with a square face. As a result, you hit straighter shots to keep your ball on its target line.

Carry Distance

Clay Ballard demonstrates that he achieved 90-yards of extra carry with an inside-out swing path compared to outside-in. 

The opposite occurs when you take your clubhead outside on your backswing and bring it through inside. Your clubface cuts across the ball and generates a sidespin that encourages a fade or a slice. That means that your ball flies several yards from left to right instead of straight, reducing your carry distance.

Total Distance

When your ball flies predominantly straight, it promotes forward roll upon landing. The distance of your roll depends on the conditions and the type of turf used on the fairways. If you slice your ball, it is likely to kick right when it lands, resulting in a loss of distance.

Reduces Slices

Jimmie states that an inside out golf swing is ideal for amateur golfers who consistently slice their wood and iron strikes. This golf swing path helps you square your face at impact to produce straighter ball flight for superior accuracy and distance.

Cons of Using an Inside Out Swing

Hook

Since an inside-out golf swing promotes a draw, it can lead you into trouble if your rhythm is off. If your clubface angle is too closed at impact, you can generate excess right to left sidespin, which can cause a hook.

Aim

The other challenge that amateurs have with the inside out full swing is their aim. As Trackman mentions, the swing promotes a draw, which means you need to aim right of the target line and draw the ball back in. 

If you do not close your face slightly at impact, your ball will travel directly where you were aiming. Resulting in an inaccurate shot.

Open Face

Swinging inside out can leave you susceptible to connecting the ball with an open clubface. That means that you will fade or slice your shot. Considering that you are aiming right of your target, it can send you catastrophically off line. 

That is why you need to work on shallowing your swing and squaring your face at impact. Otherwise, the advantages of the inside out approach are not worth it.

Pro Players Who Use an Inside Out Golf Swing

It is common to see Tour Pros employing an inside out golf swing, to maximize clubhead speed and induce a draw. However, it depends on the shape they are looking to achieve on a shot.

The more pertinent question is which pros swing out to in. Golf WRX suggests that Craig Parry and Craig Stadler had great success with this setup.

Deciding if The Inside Out Swing Is Right For You

Are You Slicing Your Shots?

The biggest reason amateurs should consider the inside out golf swing is the obstacle of slices. You may be swinging from out to in, causing you to cut across the ball at impact and impart left to right sidespin on it. 

Those who face this struggle can overcome it by employing inside out golf swings that promote a draw bias launch. If you find yourself in this conundrum I recommend giving this swing path a go on the driving range.

Is Your Clubhead Speed Slow?

If you struggle to generate sufficient clubhead speed on your downswing, it reduces your ability to generate explosive ball speed. Therefore you lose distance. 

Swinging inside out with optimal rotation can generate sufficient energy to accelerate the clubhead on your downswing. The faster your clubhead speed is, the higher the chance of transferring that speed and power to the ball at impact.

Therefore, if clubhead speed is an issue in your game, you may want to test this swing path.

Do You Lack Power?

The challenge many amateur golfers face is the loss of energy at impact. That reduces your coefficient of restitution (COR) which means you impart less speed on the ball. As a result, you deliver a weak launch and a significant loss of carry and total distance.

Achieving superior ball speed and distance requires your hips, shoulders, and club to work in unison. If your left or right arm takes over from the rest of your body, you lose power and the ability to transfer energy to the ball at impact.

By swinging inside out, you encourage optimal torso and hip rotation. That means that you maximize power and energy when the clubface connects with the ball, producing superb speed and superior distance.

Increasing your power and speed allows you to unlock consistent distance. So long as you do not strike the ball in the heel or toe. 

Ultimately, the inside out golf swing can assist you in generating extra power to maximize COR and ball speed.

Do You Hook The Ball?

Although there are several excellent reasons why you should consider an inside out golf swing, it has its drawbacks. Since you need to close the clubface at impact, it leaves you vulnerable to hooking the ball.

With that said, if you struggle with the hook shot, then I would suggest staying away from an inside out golf swing for the time being. You may find a single plane more suitable for your game.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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The beauty of golf is that there are many ways to get the job done. Previously, I focused on the inside out swing, designed to induce a right-to-left shot shape. However,  in this review, my mission is to eliminate your slice by teaching you how to tell if you have a flat golf swing.

In addition, I will outline the pros and cons of swinging this way to help you decide if it suits your game. While it can keep you straight and help maximize ball speed and distance, you rely heavily on timing, which is a lot to fathom as a beginner.

What is a Flat Golf Swing?

Below, golf coach Mark Crossfield describes a flat golf swing as your hands working around your body. Effectively, the clubhead finishes behind your lead shoulder instead of above it. 

In this next video, the PGA Tour showcases Sergio Garcia’s swing, providing a prime example of a player who flattens the plane as he commences his downswing. However, his posture, hip, and shoulder rotation help him get the ball back on plane. A 2014 CBS report quoted Geoff Ogilvy saying that Sergio’s ball-striking skills are in the league of Ben Hogan.

However, that doesn’t mean you should emulate the Spaniard. Because there are severe risks associated with this setup.

If a flatter swing backswing is working for you, and you get the club parallel to your target on the downswing, then stick with it. Just be careful not to lower the shaft on the way down as it is increasingly difficult to keep the club on plane for solid contact. 

You need to extend your shoulders and hips to get the clubface rotation to get the clubface square at impact. That can lead to you leaving the club face open and prompting a slice or pushing it right.

Ultimately, a flat backswing is not an issue. It is how you go about bringing your club shaft parallel with your target on the downswing.

How to Tell if You Have a Flat Swing

Following the advice of Crossfield, we know that we have a flat plane if the clubhead is behind your left shoulder for right-handers.

Furthermore, Me And My Golf suggest that your swing is flat if the top of your right arm elbow sits against your torso. That may restrict your arms and makes it difficult to free them up and enable them to guide the club back on plane. Failure to do this leads to an in-to-out path and leaves you susceptible to fade or slice.

The third way to identify if you have a flatter plane is to video your left arm movement during your backswing. Master Instructor Anne Cain recommends that you pull your left arm across your shirt and swing back instead of up.

The best way to identify these points is to attend a few coaching sessions with an expert. But, if you prefer the DIY approach, you can video yourself while practicing and look for the above clues.

Pros of a Flat Golf Swing

Clubhead Speed

Cain explains that swinging your golf club along a flatter plane causes your club to travel further than on a steep angle of attack. That enables you to generate optimal velocity on your downswing and connect the ball cleanly, producing a high coefficient of restitution (COR). As a result, you enjoy rapid ball speed and increased distance.

In addition to the travel distance of the club head, optimal rotation is necessary to get the clubhead on the path adds to the energy production.

Coefficient Of Restitution (COR)

COR refers to the energy transferred from the clubface to the ball at impact. If your clubhead speed is slow, you will struggle to maintain COR, leading to less ball speed, a weak launch, and reduced distance.

Thanks to the increased velocity prompted by a flat golf swing, it helps you accelerate clubhead speed for optimal COR at impact. Therefore, you produce increased distance compared to a steep swing plane.

Ball Speed

As a result of the energy transferred from the clubface to the golf ball at impact, you enjoy explosive speed. The rapid velocity of the ball promotes maximum distance in your game.

Distance

When you achieve optimal clubhead and ball speed, you enjoy sublime distance. That results in more mid to short irons into the green and improves your chance of carding more pars or birdies in a round.

Cons of a Flat Golf Swing

Slices

There is no doubt that the ultimate advantage of a flat golf swing plane is its COR, ball speed, and distance abilities. However, if your shot flies far and lands in the woods, it defeats the purpose of distance.

One struggle that players with flat golf swings suffer is a slice or fade ball flight. This is caused by the player not getting the shaft on plane during the downswing due to insufficient rotation. As a result, you swing from in to out and leave the face open at impact.

If you can optimize hip and shoulder turn and get the club back parallel to the target on the backswing, you will overcome this.

Hooks

Contrary to players suffering a slice, Mark Crossfield exhibits how some flat swings lead to a closed clubface at impact, prompting a hook. If you have a flat backswing and cast the club from the top of your downswing, you will not get the clubhead or shaft on path, and it can cause you to strike the ball from outside in.

Topped Shots

The final risk of a flat swing is that you top your shots. When you feel uncomfortable on your downswing and feel that you may not strike it cleanly, it causes amateurs to lean back out of the shot and come up on it. That means that your clubhead can strike the turf before the ball and bounce up, catching the top of the dimples.

Pro Players Who Have Flat Swings

Cain suggests that Matt Kuchar is the professional player who epitomizes a flat or diagonal swing, as she calls it. As I explained, Kuch moves his left arm around the body significantly, leading to the clubhead dipping lower than his trailing shoulder at the top of the downswing.

Chad Campbell is another player who operates with a flatter swing, as Golf Digest explains.

Sergio Garcia has a steeper backswing compared to Kuchar. However, he lowers the club at the top of his swing to shallow it out. He then follows this plane all the way down to the ball.

What to Do if You Want to Fix a Flat Golf Swing

Step 1 – Takeaway

Although your takeaway has little bearing on the impact of your shot, it can help you produce a favorable swing path for solid contact. Most golfers with shallow swings rotate their hands around their body, which puts your clubhead in an awkward position to get it back on plane during the downswing.

I suggest focusing on taking your club back and then up to fix a flat swing. That will encourage a slightly upright swing. This will enable you to freely move your arms to bring your shaft and clubhead pointing at the target when your club is parallel to the ground.

When you rotate your right and left wrist around your body, you need to compensate during your downswing. This is achieved by twisting your upper and lower body extensively. 

As a result, it helps you position your clubhead and shaft in line with the target when the club is parallel to the turf.

Step 2 – Downswing

The downswing is vital to crack the modern fundamentals of golf. If your shaft and clubhead are not pointing at your target when parallel to the tee box or fairway, you risk opening or closing the face at impact.

When your takeaway is along a steeper path, it is easier for amateurs to bring the club back on plane from the top of the downswing.

Instead of rotating your hands back around your body, use the momentum from your leg drive and upper body rotation to bring the club down. 

Ensure that when your shaft is parallel to the ground, the clubhead faces along your target line, otherwise, you will not have enough time to get the face square at impact.

Step 3 – Impact

Once you have steps 1 and 2 waxed, the final stage is to strike the ball. Even if the first two steps are executed to perfection, your clubface position at impact determines the accuracy and distance of your shot.

If your clubhead is facing the target when the shaft is parallel to the ground, you are on track to square your club up for impact. If you leave your face open or swing from in to out, you risk slicing your shot. 

Conversely, should you over-rotate your arms around your body, the club will follow an out-to-in path and cause you to hook your ball.

Following the above 3 steps will help you reduce shallowing of your club and the risk of slicing and hooking your shots. Therefore it is easier for the average golfer to swing more upright than flat. Plus, it encourages superior accuracy.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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