As mentioned in our last lesson regarding the swing plane, it is our goal to swing the club on the proper swing plane throughout the golf swing. The illustrations included here indicate the positions throughout the back swing we want to attain, which will allow us to keep the club on plane.

However, it is quite possible to hit the ball long and straight even if you deviate somewhat from this swing plane angle as long as you do the following in your backswing:

Takeaway of Back Swing

The takeaway ends when the club is parallel to the ground. As the club reaches parallel to the ground, it should be parallel to the target line. The initial part of the back swing, i.e., takeaway, starts with the shoulders turning and a modest hinge of the wrists. At this point, the lower body is not yet active.

As the backswing continues, we try to keep the club on a swing plane angle that is parallel to the shaft angle at address. The club swings a little inside and a little up. The shoulders continue turning and the hips resist turning as much.

Notice how the club shaft half way back is parallel to the green line, my original shaft angle at address. In the top photo to the right, my weight has shifted to the back foot a bit, but the body stays relatively centered.  There is no major lateral shift.  Also notice how the club has begun to lean toward the target in the photo to the right. This is a result of the cocking, or hinging in my wrists.

At the top of my swing, since I am short of parallel, the club should still point off to the left. The club shaft is still nearly parallel to the original shaft angle at address. I normally do not get the club to parallel at the top of my swing with an iron.

Notice in the top photo that my shoulders have turned just about 90 degrees, and my hips about half that much. My right leg acts as a brace in the back swing. The weight is loaded into my right heel, inside my right thigh and in my right glute.

My left foot remains flat on the ground, but the left knee has moved toward the right. This leaves me in a more balanced position, and my swing is leveraged.

Many amateurs may shift the weight and turn the shoulders and hips, but they like to lift the left heel far off the ground. This causes them to not have proper balance in the swing, they may lose their spine angle, and they lose leverage, which results in limited power.

An athletic golfer can certainly lift the front heel and achieve a well balanced swing.  This was common among many tour players prior to the current generation.

At the top of my swing, my left wrist has a similar angle as the clubface. I also have decent extension with my arms. Finally, my spine is tilted slightly away from the target.

When the shoulders are done turning, the backswing is complete. If my club shaft were parallel to the ground, it would be parallel to the target line. If the club goes past parallel, it will cross the target line, but that is ok, I would still be on plane.

Ultimately, I would not regard this as a perfect back swing, as I would prefer to have a more shallow swing plane. In other words, I swing the arms a little too high for my liking. However, I do a lot of things well, particularly with the body, and that is why I can hit the ball consistently well.

I view the body movement as more important than what the arms and hands are doing at this point.
My philosophy is that if I have a good neutral grip, good balance, and move the body well, I will hit the ball consistently well, and this has definitely been the case.

In fact, the photos presented are not of my actual swing. The body movement is the same, however, my takeaway is too much inside. This is because I rotate my forearms at the start of the takeaway. But that is ok. All I do then is lift the arms up, and let my wrists do the rest of the work at the top of the swing,
and that gets me where I want to be, or close at least.

It is not how you get the clubin the right position at the top, as long as you can get there. Keep in mind, I actually pay very little attention to what my arms and wrists are doing in the golf swing. It just happens.

In the video below I present a discussion of the back swing.