Tour pros do it by focusing on this body part.
You hear a lot about making a full turn on the backswing, but many average golfers mistakenly focus on their shoulder movement instead of rotating their entire trunk. If you look at the centre of their chest at the top of the swing, you’ll see it hasn’t moved much. It’s a fake turn, and those who do it really struggle to produce good power.
Instead of focusing on your shoulders, let’s get you making a bigger backswing by copying how the pros do it- – by turning their rib cage [above]. The centre of the chest is the engine that drives the second half of the backswing, with the entire torso moving away from the target.
Some golfers get too active with their hips in the backswing. The hips should turn going back, but it’s the result of the rib cage moving, which pulls them along for the ride. If you over-rotate your hips, you’ll get the club too far around and behind your body, requiring you to re-route the club on the downswing to get it back to the ball.
To correctly rotate going back, think about your shirt buttons. Try to turn them away from the target. Imagine you’re on TV and the camera is filming your swing from behind. Show the lens your shirt buttons by coiling and turning your rib cage to the top. Your hips and shoulders will automatically move with it, and you’ll have created a good amount of energy you can transfer to your shot.
Mark Blackburn, No.1 on Golf Digest’s 50 Best Teachers in America list, teaches at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama.
