While today was a downswing day at PKU I really learned something with the backswing. With my right side feeling hollow and the tendon in my lower right back being tight or stretched I had a great takeaway. After the takeaway Patrick stopped me and basically forced my chest to puff out by pulling back on both shoulders and pushing in the middle of my back. I basically need to “peacock” and feel my upper body falling slightly backward after the takeaway. I can then turn with my upper thoracic and not have to use my arms.
After we established this, Patrick worked on getting me to “close the gap” by using my lower right side. He got very aggressive by spinning my lower right side to and through impact and then I use my right glute to finish the swing at the bottom. Using the right glute gives me space to then finish with my upper body turning around my lower body.
I am still a work in progress, but I have the flexibility I need; now I just need the patience to let it all happen. I feel as if my backswing is very good until the very top and then I don’t really know what to do. It is also the case that I feel like I am in a much different spot at the top of my backswing because my back is towards the target.
A few more downswing days and I should be hitting the ball pretty well. We shall see.
UPDATE: Ah, the joys of the golf swing. I am now over 280 lessons in and still learning the importance of the crease on the right side of the backswing and the crease of the left side on the downswing. Without these, the swing doesn’t stay on plane and I change my axis. Easy enough, right?
