Lengthening backswing

[Dutchy1401]

Does anybody have any good drills for lengthening my backswing? I have a very short backswing and am trying to lengthen it but am struggling a bit with the right way to do it. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

Can’t give and advice, tips, drills on what to do to increase backswing length without seeing the swing.

Short can mean different things. John Rahm or Tony Finau short which isn’t a bad thing but takes more work to shift pressure and get into position.

Then there’s short somewhere between someone like Colin morikawa and the two above, which for many is still a full backswing. Where the club is around 10 o’clock 

Something I learned from Gankas’ course is that rotation should match swing length. So 10 o’clock could be a full swing for some who lack the flexibility and mobility to get past that point. It’s still a great position to play golf in.

[russtopherb]

To echo along with what @RickyBobby_PR posted, most amateurs usually have backswings that are too long - the arms keep going after the shoulders stop rotating, the elbows bend and everything gets out of sync, etc. For many people (and I was one of them), a shorter in sync backswing is more consistent and better than a long broken-down backswing.

What is the thinking behind needing a longer backswing? Is it something that was pointed out in lessons? Do you feel you are losing distance? A video would definitely be helpful.

[Kenny B]

Good responses above.  Need videos... down the line and face-on.  

I have a short backswing.  I've had lessons with Monte Scheinblum over the past few years and he always says that I need to rotate more to get a longer backswing.  I've been working on it but I came from the Moe Norman single plane swing where the feet stayed on the ground.  It limited my rotation.  By letting the lead heel come off the ground, I can rotate more.  It does lengthen my backswing, but I don't really gain any more speed.  My fastest speeds come when my sequencing is better and a full followthrough.

Practice swinging in front of a mirror or use video; let your lead knee bend and heel lift during the takeaway and get the hands as high and as deep as you can.  Shift pressure to your front foot during transition before you complete the backswing; and start your arms down in your downswing before your rotate through the ball... see Justin Rose drill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXGSFxOf-Iw

Follow through to a full finish with trail heel off the ground.  Making a bigger backswing can adversely impact ball striking, and it will take time to get the swing synced up.  I would tend to lose my balance.  I can make 100's of swings with full rotation, but put a ball in front of me and my swing gets shorter, both in the backswing and through swing.  

[Goober]

Instead of length. Think width and turn. Just lifting hands up and swinging longer can be a huge power loss point. 
 

 longer isn’t always better. Knowing how to use it will always win over the ladies 

Edited June 12, 2023 by Goober

[RickyBobby_PR]

46 minutes ago, Goober said:

Instead of length. Think width and turn. Just lifting hands up and swinging longer can be a huge power loss point. 
 

 longer isn’t always better. Knowing how to use it will always win over the ladies 

While this could be what the issue is, it could be something else. Rahm has width yet has a short backswing 

[Goober]

2 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

While this could be what the issue is, it could be something else. Rahm has width yet has a short backswing 

Perfect example of Monty’s no turn cast drill. Rahm is utilizing as much width as his body will allow. And gives him all the room in the world to slot it. A wide to wide feeling. No wonder why he is on top of the leaderboard week to week 

[Wmyoungiv]

you could look at biomechanics first, seeing if there is a reason that you struggle to get length in your backswing. Like Rahm, he has an inability to dorsiflex his right foot due to a congenital conformity (club foot). The main areas that I look at with new clients is lat length, thoracic extension and rotation, hip internal and external rotation, and then squat depth. These will tell you a lot about how a player possibly swings.