Why Does My Backswing Get Too Far Inside?

Explore the opposite direction

If the club keeps getting pulled behind you early, can you make it travel more up and out?

That is an exaggeration I use with some players. It gives them a different direction to explore.

First, check the setup. Look at the space between your hands and thighs. Make sure you are balanced and have enough room to move the club without immediately pulling it around yourself.

Then make a short opening movement and stop. Where did the club go?

Use the camera as your friend

Use a consistently positioned down-the-line camera so you can compare the attempts. The feeling by itself may be misleading.

Make your normal opening movement. Then rehearse one that feels much more up and out. Compare the recordings.

You might feel like the club is going dramatically away from you and discover that it is simply staying more in front. That is useful feedback.

The hands and clubhead also do not have to follow identical paths. In lessons, I have used a shaft-line reference to help a player see the hands working slightly inward while the club gains height. We are giving the club room to continue the backswing.

Avoid forcing everything straight back for as long as possible. Let the body’s turn carry the motion around once you have experienced a different beginning.

Check whether the shot improves

At The Tips, we can add short shots and use TrackMan to see whether the change improves contact or the delivery pattern. Video shows us whether you changed the opening movement; the shot tells us whether it helped.

If you are getting better contact and a more manageable flight, build from there.

You do not need to guess how unusual the new movement looks. Make the opposite rehearsal, record it, and find out how much change you actually produced.