from about 1937 on through the rest of my career, I didn’t think about much while making a shot. I had developed a style of play which I used all through this period. It became pretty automatic and effortless. I had a target in mind and I just visualized the line on which I wanted to take the club away from the ball, and the line on which I wanted to return it. That was the thought the triggered my swing.” Sam Snead.
“If he executes his backswing properly, as his arms are approaching hip level, they should be parallel with the plane and they should remain parallel with the plane, just beneath the glass….” Ben Hogan.
“To accomplish an efficient swing we have to build a mental picture of the path we want the clubhead to follow, from address to the top of the backswing and down again—sort of a road map of the swing. And to put the clubhead on this path we have to start by taking it back low and along a perfectly straight line for at least a full foot. Why? Because you want to bring the clubhead back along the same track when you hit the ball. Remember those two points above all: Picture the path of the swing in your mind, and start the club back along that path. These are the keystones in the structure of the swing. Start the club back smooth and silky.” Tony Lema.
One-piece takeaway versus angle setting . . . in these three photos the shoulders have turned about the same, the hands are slightly above hip level; however, the shaft angle to the ground is different.
Staying on Plane throughout the Backswing
“Timing and hesitation at the top of the swing.” Walter Hagen.
“When your forward shoulder hits your chin, you’re pretty much done with the backswing. Don’t try for more than this. It’s been said that Ben Hogan used to wear out his shirt at the point of the left shoulder because his backswing was so consistent that the same spot always hit his chin. He must have had a tough beard! Of course, he hit an awful lot of balls, too. The trigger for me was pinning that left shoulder up against the chin. Once I got there, I knew I was done with my backswing. Anything else after that was a wasted motion that bred inconsistency.” Johnny Miller.
“Turning the left shoulder underneath your chin on the backswing. Get a feel of getting your left shoulder underneath your chin. Once your shoulders stop—your hands stop.” John McMullen.
“Visualize the backswing plane as a large pane of glass that rests on the shoulders as it inclines upward for the ball. As the arms approach hip level on the backswing, they should be moving parallel with the plane and should remain parallel with the plane (just below the glass) to the top of the backswing. It would be ideal if the arms could be swung back parallel to the plane from the very start of the swing, but because of the way we human beings are constructed, a man gripping a club can’t get his arm onto the plane until they are nearly hip high.” Ben Hogan.
“The center of gravity of the body must stay in one place throughout the swing. That is, if a line is drawn through the nose or head to the ground, the head must stay in that position throughout the swing.” Ben Hogan.
“By simply trying to turn the top of my left shoulder underneath my chin on the backswing I was finally able to achieve a sensation at the top of my backswing.” I. B. Nobody.
A checkpoint for a proper shoulder turn is that you should feel the left shoulder brushing your chin at the top of the backswing.
Initiating the Downswing
“The trunk muscles are the most powerful muscles of the body.” Bobby Jones.
“The only one who has a chance to achieve a rhythmic, well-timed stroke is the man who, in spite of all else, yet swings his clubhead, and the crucial area is where the swing changes direction at the top. If the backswing can be made to flow back leisurely, and to an ample length, from where the start downward can be made without the feeling that there may not be enough time left, there is a good chance of success.” Bobby Jones.
“It is the leisurely start downward which provides for a gradual increase of speed without disturbing the balance and the timing of the swing.” Bobby Jones.
“As the downswing begins, one should have the feeling of leaving the clubhead at the top.” Bobby Jones.
“I should say the most important movement of the swing would be to start the downswing by beginning the unwinding of the hips. . . there can be no power, and very little accuracy or reliability, in a swing in which the left hip does not lead the down stroke.” Bobby Jones.
“No matter how perfect the backswing may have been, if the hands, or the arms, or the shoulders start the downward movement, the club immediately loses the guidance of the body movement, and the benefit of the power the muscles of the waist and back could have contributed. When this happens, the turn of the body during the backswing becomes entirely useless, and the club finds itself in midair, actuated by a pair of hands and arms having no effective connection with anything solid. I think we may well call this the most important movement of the swing.” Bobby Jones.
“And we will fail to drive the ball far and straight as soon as we fail to take control of the club from the top of the swing with feet, calves, and thighs.” Percy Boomer.
“So we must incorporate into our swings a hip movement which we can recognize and control by a definite feel, so that by feel we may control the degree and direction of power in our swings. The clutch in the golfer’s mechanism is the hips . . . .” Percy Boomer.
“The power is largely produced by the feet and legs, but it is the force-center (somewhere in the pit of the back), which collects it and is responsible for its transfer to the arms and then out to the clubhead.” Percy Boomer.
“The left hip, with the right immediately joining it, leads me into the downswing.” Sam Snead.
“It slowed me down, and this time I remembered, on my downswing, to let my left side and hips lead my arms into the ball—rather than rushing out of my pivot with a fast arm action—and to uncock my wrists smoothly.” Sam Snead.
“It is important that this be a well-timed sequence. You should have the feeling that the left foot, left knee, left hip and left shoulder all start the downswing together. This leading left side then carries the left arm and hands down into the hitting area. The clubhead is being returned to its original position, ready to be released by the hands and wrists at the proper time.” Byron Nelson.
“Feeling leisurely is a thought that worked. In my earlier days, I developed what felt like a complete hesitation. It was very brief, and I probably never did come to a full stop at the top. So the smoother and slower you can be at the very top of the swing, and then starting down, the better you’ll strike the ball.” Byron Nelson.
“The hips initiate the downswing. They are the pivotal element in the chain action. Starting them first and moving them correctly—this action practically makes the downswing. It creates early speed. It transfers the weight from the right foot to the left foot. It takes the hips out of the way and gives your arms plenty of room to pass. It funnels your force forward toward your objective. It puts you in a strong hitting position where the big muscles in the back and the muscles in the shoulders, arms and hands are properly delayed that they can produce their maximum performance at the right time and place. To begin the downswing, Turn your
