There is no one right answer to what is the “best swing”. An upright golf swing isn’t for everyone, but it has its advantages on the downswing.
Key Takeaways
- If you suffer from back pain then the upright swing is perfect.
- Upright swings are slightly less “normal” than other swings.
- The downswing is intended to fast-track the clubhead to a high speed at impact from your upright swing
Upright Golf Swing Explained
An upright golf swing references how your arms and club are placed on your backswing. An upright swing sets the club in a spot on the backswing that’s more perpendicular to the surface than usual. Your arms will also be directed a lot more toward the sky.
Most other swings result in your arms being wrapped rather than wrapping around the back. The important part for golfers with an upright swing is letting the lower body to start the downswing. If you start your downswing with your shoulders, the club will swing over the top immediately. We’ll get to what makes a good downswing a little later.
The Advantages of an Upright Golf Swing
If you suffer from sort of back pain then you should give the upright swing a shot. You won’t need to twist and turn as you would with other swings. This is mainly because your arms and club are manoeuvring in the air. This swing can undoubtedly save you a lot of strain on your back. It also reduces tension in the shoulders, and neck. Lankier players occasionally favor an upright golf swing. This saves them from the trouble of bending over more than they should during a swing.
With an upright swing you will have a square clubface location when it hits the ball. Here the club will move at an even path during the swing when compared to something like a flat swing. If you’re struggling with hitting the ball at unwanted viewpoints as the club changes positions, you could benefit from an upright swing.
There Are a Few Problems
An upright swing may not be suited for every player who tries it. Upright swings are slightly less normal than other swings. Also there’s a big risk involved if it’s not done correctly. You may suffer excruciating back pain or injury due to its strange aligning.
As a final cautionary point, you might not get as much power out of an upright swing, either. Also, upright golf swings tend to let the ball go higher in the air than other swings. Yep, this isn’t ideal for all shots. This swing also come with a little more spin on the ball.
Trying It Out
You might be itching to grab your clubs and try it out just to see if it will advance your game. Hold on for a second. There’s a specific way of doing an upright golf swing. Read our guide below and, when you’re done here, go watch a few videos of pros who have achieved this swing correctly.
Learning how to have the correct stance and setup before you test-drive your swing has its perks. You won’t just improve your swing, but you will prevent injuries to your body such as your hips, shoulders, neck, and other areas of the body concerning your golf swing.
The Method
Learning how to swing upright will take some time and practice. You should also spend enough time becoming familiar with this swing. You perhaps decide that it’s not right for you. The upright golf swing does cause some discomfort for a few golfers. Don’t risk hurting yourself and actively listen to your body’s physical responses. Should this swing cause any pain or discomfort at all, then it’s best to retrace your steps to your normal swing. If you’re comfortable with the swing, let’s move on to mastering the upright golf swing.
It’s time to focus on increased accuracy and control during the game, as well as preventing injuries.
Keep Knees Bent Slightly
Gentle bending of your knees is important to any golf stance you take. Sometimes, players confuse the upright swing with an upright stance. Standing too straight is generally a bad idea when it comes to golf.
A firm posture won’t let your body be as flexible as you need it to be. You also won’t have the right amount of weight distribution required for a powerful swing.
Your knees need a bit of stretchiness in them, and your upper body needs to be somewhat bent at your hips. Your bottom needs to be slightly outward when you’re bending over at the hips. Posture is crucial so remember to keep your spine upright instead of huddled over.
Let Loose Your Shoulders
When it comes to the upright swing, your shoulders are probably the most significant element here. If you want to get this swing right, you should be flexible in the parallel and perpendicular planes of your shoulders. Your back shoulder will move up on your backswing while your front shoulder shifts downward.
Stretching your shoulders gives you more movement with a mixture of exercises.
Once such exercise involves holding a broom handle in front of you. Keep your hands wide and separate from your shoulders. Take the handle up over your head and move it as far behind you as possible. Do this exercise on a regular basis. Focus on slowly moving the broom far behind you and downward to give you the best movements in your shoulders.
Align Your Balance
If you’re not use to balancing your weight in an upright golf swing, it can be a bit tricky at first. An upright swing doesn’t fold around your body. Instead, the club moves over your head.
In order to balance your body, shift some of your weight to the foot nearest to the target to your downward swing. This will keep your feet lodged firmly while you move the club down. Allowing more power over your swing.
Keep Your Back Sturdy
A massive advantage about the upright golf swing is that it has very little effect on your spine, shoulders, and back. This is mainly reliant on whether you do it properly or not. Consequently, it is important for you to learn how to hold your back as firm as possible with a decent stroke.
Your aim should be to improve your swing and always avoid injury.
A good upright swing is built on where your arms and shoulders are placed and moved. Just ensure that you are turning marginally through the hips while lifting your club, instead of bending your back.
That pretty much covers the upright golf wing. Now to the next part; the downswing
The Downswing Explained
As your club moves the top of your upright swing, it reduces speed to the point where your club is motionless. The downswing’s job is to fast-track the clubhead to a high speed at impact. The main mission is to create the perfect launch settings for hitting the golf ball toward your projected target.
Dividing the downswing into easy-to-understand segments is tough. So, let’s discuss the core dynamics of the downswing sequence first. Then we can look at the kinetics needed for an excellent strike.
After that, we can talk about your arms, hands and club head and their effect on swing path and club face angle.
Starting Your Downswing
So first look at how you should start the downswing. Many new golfers use a lot more of their upper body and hands than they’re supposed to. They tend to get in the habit of neglecting the role of their lower body. Many of these golfers need to feel that they excessively emphasize their weight shift and lower body movement.
Nevertheless, when golfers enhance their skills, they frequently experience the opposite problem. This is when they slide and rotate the lower body too much. Here your downswing needs to feel as though you’re adding effort to your upper body and arms.
Using Your Arms, Hands and Club
Body dynamics are important for producing momentum and the elements needed for a terrific impact position. Think about it like this for a second; see your arms, hands and clubhead as the controls that tweak how your club moves into impact. These are extremely prominent aspects in establishing your swing path and club face in impact. Intrinsically, they are important for delivering precise golf shots.
Moreover, your hands and arms commonly react and follow your body action. That’s why you should crack down on developing your body action before you even think about adjusting what your arms and hands should do.
Probing Your Downswing Path
As you activate your downswing, be sure to hold your position at the top with your head and upper body. You’ll stop stumbling forward when doing this.
That is, you will hit the ball farther without slicing if you swing your club down on the correct plane.
You will begin the downswing with your lower body while maintaining a still head and upper body.
This enables you to lower your arms and hands and place your club on the right downswing path. Your hands will naturally move swiftly in the direction of the ball. Simply strike the ball with your right hand at full force after properly initiating the downswing. Don’t focus on your hip shift, leg drive, wrist hinge, late hit, forearm rotation, or weight shift.
Drop the clubhead “down” and toward the ball, then swing the club back.
Keep in mind that you are executing your “down” swing. You’ll have more control over the clubhead if you concentrate on swinging the club down. Your body will also respond appropriately to your hand motion.
Refining Your Golf Downswing Plane
Now, it is quite unlikely every person reading this would become an upright swing pro. In any case, here’s some overall good advice for your downswing.
Your clubhead is likely to develop an out-to-in club head path during impact if it enters impact from the outside. Use the following tips throughout your downswing to enhance your swing path:
- Sense more weight shift and lower body rotation.
- Feel as though your right elbow stays close to your side.
- Keep your clubhead pointing behind you throughout your downswing.
To avoid swings that result in pushes, draws, hooks and so on there’s a few things you can do to improve your swing path. Make use of the following reminders all through your downswing:
- Check that your lower body is static or that it doesn’t unwind.
- Make sure that you only turn your chest as you start down and move through.
- Check that you keep the club head pointing (upright in this case) towards the sky during your downswing.
Completing an upright golf swing as well as getting the hang of the downswing has their own independent rules.
An upright swing for golf is a better choice for some players as far as simplicity, ease and precision is concerned.
In case you have no experience using this swing, you can conduct a few tests with it. Be sure to use the correct stance for your upright swing to avoid injuries and also supercharge the power in your swing.
The upright golf swing can be a superior choice for golfers who suffer from back injuries. This is mostly because it produces a less tortuous position when you swing. If you give yourself time with this swing and practice it regularly but decide you still don’t like it, then don’t worry. You can try your swings on a flat or more neutral plane.
The purpose of a great downswing is to get the club to impact at speed and with a square path and club face. There is no shortcut here that will be suited for every golfer, but where your club is placed, half-way down is a really good sign of what your swing will end up like.
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