Nick Piastowski
Getty Photographs
Lee Trevino, in a candy slow-motion video, rockets a tee shot down a fairway. He laughs.
“Now there’s an ideal backswing,” he says.
Certainly. There’s a much bigger level right here, although. Moments earlier, the legendary ball-striker, all-time talker and six-time main winner had dished on a trio of “unhealthy habits” gamers commit on their backswing.
And Trevino talked about how one can make the “appropriate” one.
The perception got here through a latest submit on the Golf Lecturers App Instagram web page, and you’ll watch the total video under. Under that, we’ll break it down.
3 ‘unhealthy habits’ gamers commit on the backswing, in keeping with Lee Trevino
1. Wrists ‘break too quickly’
“One of many unhealthy habits that you’ve got is that you just break too quickly away from the ball,” Trevino mentioned. On the video, in demonstrating the purpose, he cocked his wrists earlier than every other backswing motion.
2. Membership goes ‘too far exterior’
“The opposite one,” Trevino mentioned, “is that you just decide the membership up and you are taking it too far exterior.” On the video, with the digital camera going through him, Trevino lifted the membership, and it pointed at a couple of 7 o’clock angle.
3. The elbow breaks
“The third one,” Trevino mentioned, “is you break the fitting elbow and pull the membership again approach inside.” On the video, the right-handed Trevino pulled his proper arm backward.
So what was Trevino’s thought on the “appropriate” backswing?
He suggested to match a righty’s left shoulder with the clubhead and to be cognizant of hip motion.
“The right backswing is definitely it really works from the left shoulder to the clubhead,” Trevino mentioned on the video. “It really works away from the ball multi functional movement.
“Now, if you wish to take the membership again inside, it’s a must to shut your hips as a result of the membership will solely observe the alignment of the hips, so it’ll come inside. If you wish to go straight down the road, you sq. up your stance and also you go straight again. If you wish to go slightly exterior the road on the way in which again, you open up your stance and also you go slightly exterior.”
From there, Trevino hit his tee ball and laughed.
Let’s maintain the Trevino tip dialog going. In 2021, GOLF.com wrote an article headlined “Why your ball place is hurting your golf swing, in keeping with Lee Trevino,” and you’ll learn that story by clicking right here or by scrolling under. (Notably, the recommendation given is a few of this creator’s favourite.)
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What do you ask golf legend Lee Trevino, who doubles as doubtlessly one of the best ball-striker of all time, when the chance presents itself? With a seemingly infinite quantity of golf knowledge at his disposal, I made a decision to maintain it easy:
“What’s some recommendation for golfers who battle to hit the ball solidly?”
For a second, I used to be anxious the query was too broad, however The Merry Mex, talking on the 2021 Berenberg Invitational, didn’t miss a beat.
“Your arms are solely so lengthy,” he says. “You need to perceive that your arms are just like the limbs connected to the trunk of a tree. My physique is the trunk, and my arms are the limbs. They swing forwards and backwards.”
The analogy is a helpful one as a result of it describes one thing a lot of execs take into consideration: The ‘radius’ of their golf swing. Your arms are going to straighten as you swing, Trevino says, which suggests it’s good to monitor the literal area between your self and the golf ball you’re making an attempt to hit.
And in that regard, there’s nothing extra vital than your ball place.
Let’s return to Trevino’s tree limb analogy. Your arms — the limbs — swing forwards and backwards across the trunk of the tree. As your arms do that, there’s some extent the place they start shifting up and round your physique, away from the golf ball. That is why, Trevino says, a typical mistake happens when golfers play the ball too far ahead of their stance: Their arms start arising, which brings the membership with them, which leads to skinny photographs, whiffs and different mishits.
“They’re arising earlier than they’re hitting the golf ball,” Trevino says. “The ball goes low, it’s going left, and also you’re catching the ball skinny.”
It’s why Trevino tells golfers to play the ball extra again of their stance than they suppose. It’ll assist them make a compressed strike on the golf ball and ship the ball straighter.
You possibly can watch Trevino in his personal phrases under.
Nick Piastowski
Golf.com Editor
Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Journal. In his position, he’s liable for enhancing, writing and growing tales throughout the golf area. And when he’s not writing about methods to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native might be taking part in the sport, hitting the ball left, proper and brief, and consuming a chilly beer to clean away his rating. You possibly can attain out to him about any of those matters — his tales, his sport or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.