Golf Tip
Presented by Jeff Ritter, Nike Golf Camp National Director
Three Step Plan to a Better Backswing
Building a better backswing with Golf Channel Academy Coach and NJGC National Director of Instruction, Jeff Ritter.
Having a solid backswing is often over looked, however it plays a crucial role in being able to consistently and effectively make quality contact on the ball. Players of any age and skill level can benefit from working on this.
At Nike Junior Golf Camps, in Pebble Beach California, Jeff Ritter helps campers learn how to optimize their backswing in just 3 simple steps. Below is the progression that each camper takes to improve their backswing.
Step 1: SWING – The swing plane is created by the basic conditions of the game, the first being the ball on the ground, and the second being the placement of your stance to the side of the ball. The club must swing at a certain degree for it to get over the trailing shoulder, and that degree is determined by the lead arm swinging away from the target. Set up as you normally would, club in your lead hand, and place your trailing hand right behind your lead wrist. Practice pulling your lead arm back across your chest like a pendulum.
Step 2: HINGE- Hinging assists the club head in traveling up off the ground. With the club in your lead hand and your trail hand still on your lead wrist, practice lifting your wrist up and down. Feel your wrist hinge and then work to incorporate both the swing and hinge together. When done properly, the club head is outside of the hands, rather than already traveling around the body.
Step 3: ROTATE- The rotation comes from the hips and from the lead forearm. After you swing and hinge, you are first going to rotate your hips and then rotate your lead forearm over. This allows your lead wrist to flatten, which gives the club and the lead arm the degree they need to reach the trailing shoulder.
The perfect swing plane for a better backswing is the perfect combination of SWING, HINGE and ROTATE!
About Nike junior Golf Camps
Nike Junior Golf Camps is a division of US Sports Camps, Inc (USSC). Headquartered in San Rafael, California, USSC is America’s largest sports camp network and the licensed operator of Nike Sports Camps. The company has offered summer camps in the U.S. since 1975 with the same mission that defines it today: to shape a lifelong enjoyment of athletics through high quality sports education and skill enhancement. Nike Junior Golf Camps offers junior overnight and day camps, as well as advanced player camps at over 150 locations nationwide. Since 1994, more than 200,000 junior golfers have participated in the camps.