Five steps for a solid takeaway

The takeaway is the second most important part of the dynamic golf swing (besides impact). If your takeaway is wrong, the entire rest of your swing will be a compensation for being out of position in the first six inches of your swing. 

By far, the most common thing I see with amateur golfers is taking the club too far inside or too vertical within the first millisecond of the golf swing. Here are five easy keys I use to help me take the club away perfectly and allow the golf swing to flow from the start:

Set yourself up for success – Nothing will hurt your golf swing more than improper Grip, Aim, or Setup Position. Be sure your grip on the club is perfect for you! Palms should be parallel to each other, the club should feel in the pads of your hands, and you should have a solid connection to the club, and the Vs created between your thumb and index fingers should be pointing to the right of the center of your body line. This is the only place your body touches the club, so ensure this is solid every time.

Aim yourself to where you want the ball to start. Feet, shoulders, and hips should be in parallel lines, parallel to your start line. Keep all of these lines parallel, regardless of the ball position, or which club you are hitting. If any of these lines become crossed, your first move will be a compensation, and it will be hard to consistently recover to a good hitting position.

Setup is more personal based on height and shape, but here are some thoughts. A good solid knee bend where you feel bouncy. You should feel like you are about to jump with your lower body. This allows a solid, but athletic base, which is ready for a dynamic movement. The upper body should feel over the center of your shoes. Not on heels or toes, and you should feel “planted” into the ground. The core is engaged, and the head is being held high, not slumping forward or down towards the ball. Take a club and press it against the front of your body when standing up straight. The butt of the club should be under your chin, with the head of the club below your waist. Then bend forward and push the head of the club behind your tailbone. This will give you a good starting point!

Feel the First Move in Lead Shoulder – The first movement of the backswing should feel like a push with the shoulder closest to the target. This will keep your backswing connected. The moment you start to feel your trailing side rotating or picking up the club, reset and try again. Really focus on the leading arm and shoulder working under your chin and down the line behind the ball. DO NOT FEEL your leading arm rotating back behind your target line, it should stay on your target line for as long as possible. The goal of this feeling and movement is to keep the club in front of your body and start an on-plane rotation. If you feel your lead arm working back to the inside of the target-line, you need to work hard on the drill provided at the end of this article.

Trail Arm Feels High – With the leading arm pushing back, your trailing arm and shoulder might feel a bit like they are going more vertical. This is what you want! This means your shoulders are turning on plane. If your trailing shoulder drops, then your shoulders are turning too flat, and your arms will have to compensate to adjust for the plane change. You need your trailing side to be pushed the opposite of your leading side, so as your leading arm turns under your chin, your trailing side will start to be pushed upwards. Allow this to happen, and it may even feel like your trailing arm wants to fold into a position where it can naturally act like a piston into the ball. This is the feeling we want in our downswing. Remember, anything which happens in the backswing needs to be exactly undone in the downswing to return to the same position, or else a compensation has been made.

Wrists load, not rotate – Feel the wrists work together to begin to raise the club vertically as the club moves back. The golf swing is an artful dance, so allow this to happen at a natural time for you. As your shoulders rotate on-plane and begin to load into your trail side, your wrists will keep the club moving on-plane by hinging. If you feel rotation at this point (i.e., your trailing arm feels as if it is turning towards the sky), the club is getting behind you, and you will need to compensate for this movement, usually with a chase of the trail hand at impact, commonly called “flipping the club.” At this point in the swing, the club has begun its vertical motion to get to a solid, loaded position where your trail side can unload into the golf ball with control and power. See in the image below how you can still see the logo of the glove. If you are halfway through your backswing and the logo is pointed up, you have rotated your forearms too much!

Keep some flex in your trail knee – This is the technical end of the takeaway. Assuming you have made all the proper moves to this point, and you are aligned to the target, your trailing arm will begin to fold, which will keep it on the plane line into the final point of the backswing. Be sure as this folding of your arm begins, your trail leg does not straighten and tilt your body towards the target. Feel some flex in your trailing knee to ensure your spine angle remains consistent, and the plane of your swing does not shift as you take the club away. This will make you feel some load on the inside of your trail foot (arch and ball of your big toe). This is the beginning of the dynamic load and using the ground properly in your swing. If you feel the pressure on the inside of your trailing foot, and you remain on balance, you have successfully taken the club away and are prepared to get the club into a strong delivery position.

DRILLS:

1. Place a tee approximately 2-3ft behind the ball at address in line with your ball and the intended target.
2. On your backswing, hit the tee with your club. The goal is to knock it straight back.
3. If you miss the tee, start again.
4. If the club hits the tee, continue the swing to the finish.
5. Continue to hit balls until you can do this consistently.

Advanced: 

1. Place tee approximately  more than 3ft behind the ball at address in line with your ball and the intended target.Place a ball behind the back of your club (preferably an iron).
2. On your takeaway, try to roll the ball into the tee.
3. If you miss the tee, start again.
4. If the ball hits the tee, continue the swing to the finish.
5. Continue to hit balls until you can do this consistently.

Find the feel with these movements which work for you. Feel is not always real, so take my feelings and make them your own. The goal of this article is to give you a starting point for a solid takeaway, so you can get the club into a position where you can consistently deliver it to the golf ball. What you need to feel to find that position may not be the same as mine, but the goal is to know what you should not be feeling. I hope this allows you to go out and enjoy the game!