Which back swing is better?

Which backswing is better, an upright, a flat or a neutral one?

I’m sure many of you will decide that an ‘on plane’, neutral backswing is best, but this is not necessarily the case. The critical thing about a backswing is that it must match a player’s transition move and downswing.

Jim Furyk has probably the most unorthodox on tour. Furyk has a backswing that is very upright, but he matches this with a transitional move where the club drops to the inside and he then swings down into the ball with a perfectly repeatable neutral swing path and he is one of the straightest hitters on tour.Miguel Angel Jimenez on the other hand has a backswing that is very flat around his body, but again he matches this with a transitional over the top movement which also returns him onto the desired swing path at impact.

Would Furyk or Jiminez become better players if we changed their backswings to a neutral ‘on plane’ one?No, they would not.In the amateur game there are many ‘over the top’ Jiminez style swingers, so unless you’re going to give up work and start practicing all day to re model your swing, you’d better make sure that your backswing matches your downswing!

Niall McGillPGA Professional

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