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 methods to make the “right” one.
The perception got here through a current publish on the Golf Academics App Instagram web page, and you may watch the total video beneath. Beneath that, we’ll break it down.
3 ‘unhealthy habits’ gamers commit on the backswing, in response to Lee Trevino
1. Wrists ‘break too quickly’
“One of many unhealthy habits that you’ve is that you simply break too quickly away from the ball,” Trevino stated. On the video, in demonstrating the purpose, he cocked his wrists earlier than another backswing motion.
2. Membership goes ‘too far outdoors’
“The opposite one,” Trevino stated, “is that you simply choose the membership up and you’re taking it too far outdoors.” On the video, with the digicam dealing with him, Trevino lifted the membership, and it pointed at a few 7 o’clock angle.
3. The elbow breaks
“The third one,” Trevino stated, “is you break the best 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 “right” backswing?
He suggested to match a righty’s left shoulder with the clubhead and to be cognizant of hip motion.
“The proper backswing is definitely it really works from the left shoulder to the clubhead,” Trevino stated 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 somewhat outdoors the road on the best way again, you open up your stance and also you go somewhat outdoors.”
From there, Trevino hit his tee ball and laughed.
Let’s preserve the Trevino tip dialog going. In 2021, GOLF.com wrote an article headlined “Why your ball place is hurting your golf swing, in response to Lee Trevino,” and you may learn that story by clicking right here or by scrolling beneath. (Notably, the recommendation given is a few of this writer’s favourite.)
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What do you ask golf legend Lee Trevino, who doubles as probably the most effective 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 fearful 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. “It’s important 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 backwards and forwards.”
The analogy is a helpful one as a result of it describes one thing plenty of execs take into consideration: The ‘radius’ of their golf swing. Your arms are going to straighten as you swing, Trevino says, which implies it is advisable to monitor the literal house 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 backwards and forwards across the trunk of the tree. As your arms do that, there’s a degree the place they start transferring up and round your physique, away from the golf ball. Because of this, 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 pictures, 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 assume. 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 beneath.
Nick Piastowski
Golf.com Editor
Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Journal. In his position, he’s chargeable for modifying, writing and creating tales throughout the golf house. 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 quick, and consuming a chilly beer to scrub away his rating. You possibly can attain out to him about any of those matters — his tales, his recreation or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.