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This concept video, we're going to discuss two factors that limit your backswing.

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So I had a question come in from a member about length of backswing, specifically kind

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of getting this arm height.

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So a lot of longer hitters when they make their backswing and they go up to the top,

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this left arm looks like it's almost vertical compared to the horizon and a lot of

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older golfers tend to look kind of more like this where the arm is well down and

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it's a lot harder to hit it far from that short position compared to a longer position.

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You've got more time and space muscles are typically on a bigger stretch.

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There's lots of advantages to having that arm height.

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But some golfers struggle with trying to get the arm height.

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So I'm going to talk about the two main things that you want to look at physically if you're

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working on that arm height.

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So one is necrotation and two is spine extension.

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So those are going to have a big impact.

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I have another video where we talk about the actual like lat flexibility or shoulder movement.

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But the two other pieces that I just highlighted are necrotation and spine extension.

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So let's discuss them in that order.

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So necrotation first.

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If I'm sitting in a chair kind of like this so that it makes sure that my lower body is

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not moving and it takes a club and place it across my shoulders.

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And I just go ahead and try to look over my shoulder.

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I've got the club here so that I'm not making sure that I'm not doing this.

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I'd say facing a mirror kind of like this.

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I want to see if I can get my chin in line with my shoulder or if I were to rotate and

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then flex down it should be able to touch kind of the mid collar bone.

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So here's your collar bone.

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I should be able to touch right around there with my chin.

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In both directions but for the backswing the one that really matters is your lead shoulder.

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So when I make a backswing if I'm going to make a full turn the shoulder if I now stand

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up.

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I'm in that full neck range of motion.

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If I'm going to make a full turn a lot of golfers describe it as the shoulder turning

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under the chin that's kind of a sign that I fully turn my ribcage my shoulder blade but

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my head is stayed looking at the ball.

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I've had a number of golfers especially older golfers who tend to get limited in their

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backswing because of this neck range of motion.

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Where I'll test them and they can rotate their body but they do it like this and so they're

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like look when I do these practice swings I can make a full turn but their head is no

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longer looking even close to the golf ball.

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If that's the case if you find that that's what you're doing you either have to train

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yourself to be able to spot the ball out of the corner of your eye kind of like this

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and then refocus so you'll learn to feel solid contact more by feeling where your body

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is instead of visually seeing it or you would have to work with a therapist of some kind

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of people who are doing this to clean up and work on that neck range motion.

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There's too many factors that limit the neck range motion for me to just say hey do this stretch

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but if you work with somebody you should be able to get a little bit more neck range motion

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and that can help clean up the backswing that way.

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So neck rotation that's physical factor number one physical factor number two is looking

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at this spine extension.

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So a lot of golfers stay in this kind of rounded position like this and then they'll turn

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their body and their chest will be pointing kind of down at the ground here.

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So now if I go and try to raise my arms or keep my arms out in front of my chest that's

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about as high as I can lift them before I start to feel either a little pinch in the top

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of the shoulder or a stretch in the the lat.

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So the difference between there and then if I were to extend my spine now I can if I extend

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that upper spine that points my chest higher up that now moves where my shoulders would be

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if they stay in front of my chest from down here to up here.

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So this is usually an easier one.

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I have some drills on here to to feel that spine extension.

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Most of the time this is more of a habit and a coordination pattern where in order to try

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to make solid contact a lot of golfers have kind of locked their chest in a certain position

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and they just kind of make an arm swing and make a little hip turn but they don't really get any

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upper spine rotation and movement kind of like this.

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So that one I tend to find is less of a of a pure physical factor that's more of a coordination

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pattern where the neck rotation I tend to find is a more of a physical factor.

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So if you're breaking down this back swing you can check your neck rotation you can check your spine

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upper body rotation and you can make sure that you're extending the spine kind of like this.

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If you combine them I've got one classic drill that I use is you're going to reach that right arm

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away. This kind of gets this rotation in extension of the spine. So I'm reaching this away from the golf ball

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and then bringing that left arm up to the right. Now if my neck rotation is good I should be able to

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look over that left shoulder if it's limited then usually what'll happen is let's say I can only turn

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it 40-50 degrees like this. I will usually stop my rotation when I get to that end-end range

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motion you can see how much that would shorten my swing. So double check these two factors if you

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analyze your video and you don't like the the height or the length of the backswing but if you do

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find that you have either a limitation in your neck rotation or your spine extension then you want to

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adjust kind of your mental model of what you think the top of your backswing should look like.

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You might have to get a little bit more movement from the hips or a little bit more movement from

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the wrist because if you really running into a physical barrier it's going to be hard to overcome that

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for lengthening your backswing. So hopefully this helps clean up why you might not look exactly

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like Dustin Johnson at the top of the swing and how you could work a little bit more in that

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direction either with some exercises or with some drills.