Back Swing Issue... Any Advice Welcomed

[elbow65]

After a brain injury I have developed a problem which lessons has not been able to address. ANY advice would be greatly appreciated.
I will only take the club back (approx) 50-75% of where it needs to be.
Obviously I am losing a ton of distance. Physically I am able to complete a full back swing but mentally I just WILL NOT do it.
I am looking for a "trigger" or anything that will get me to do a complete the back swing.

 

[SteveJay]

I have a short backswing.

My pro recommended not worrying about it and that it won't mean the loss of distance you refer to. There are several pros including Rahm, that have shorter backswings and it doesn't seem to do them any harm. As a senior, approaching 60, I can hit as far as the vast majority of my peers, and longer than an awful lot. Just focus on hitting the middle of the club face.

 

[chrisd]

I agree with Steve Jay, I'm now playing with the Pete Cowan swing, where the right elbow stays much closer to the body and restricts the length of the back swing. I've also slowed down my overall swing and yesterday, in quite horrible conditions was hitting the ball at least the same distance as I've done in the past, simply, I think because the strike is better. In terms of distance I was hitting a 7 iron around 160 yards, a 19° rescue club 200 yards and driver as far as my much younger playing partners.

Slowed and shorter with a better connection I think is the way to go for a lot of golfers

 

[Crow]

Can you think of your backswing as not being a backswing but an action where you use the club as a pointer to show someone behind you where the green is, ie club pointing down the line.

 

[jim8flog]

Quite a few really good players only have/had three quarter back swings.

I had a really bad back for a couple of years and still played to my handicap of 6 at the time with a severely restricted back swing.

One advantage is that you do not overswing with it. It is just about the timing of the impact through the ball.

 

[clubchamp98]

Do you think you will hurt yourself if you fully swing?

Trying to just shorten your swing isn’t the answer imo.
You need to find out why “ I will just not do it”
The brain is a very complex thing that we will never fully understand.

Trigger is a good term but I would think permission is better .
Good luck but if lessons can’t fix it , it’s one of those things that might get better over time.

 

[Bratty]

It may totally ruin your swing but you could try putting a tee peg in the butt grip of the club and as you swing back, tell yourself to make the tee peg not point at the ground and move your head along with the club on the backswing to watch the tee peg. You're trying to get the tee peg pointing at the horizon.
A half swing will have the tee peg pointing more at the ground than the horizon.
You're not telling your brain to complete the backswing, you're giving it a completely new instruction, but it's one that might allow the swing to complete.
The brain needs to be rewired but with a different set of instructions for now.
I sincerely hope this helps, or helps you find another way of succeeding.
Sorry to hear you had a brain injury and all the very best for your recovery.

 

[bobmac]

Try and film your swing and see if you have a full hinge of your wrists like Rory below.



An incomplete hinge of the wrist can give the impression of a short swing

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

My head thinks I’m doing a full swing when I’m not. It’s quite hard for me to extend it - though to be honest I don't really need to. So even although I might only hit my 7i 145yds…that doesn't really bother me…as it’s the quality of the strike that I am more focussed on. If slightly lengthening my backswing enables me to strike the ball better then great, if I get additional distance as a result then double great. But I’m looking for consistency of strike and accuracy of shot rather than increased distance.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

As someone who historically over swung and now paying the price with back issues I am more conscious of keeping it compact. Danny Maude has a good video in it

 

[garyinderry]

Try and film your swing and see if you have a full hinge of your wrists like Rory below.

View attachment 51361

An incomplete hinge of the wrist can give the impression of a short swing

The longer the club the longer the swing tends to be.
Rory has a driver here and full back swing. Check out his iron swings. He stays short of parallel at the top. He creates a good wrist angle and takes it to the top of his swing. Maintains good width while not getting to parallel.

The majority of amateurs long swings is a symptom of arms breaking down and right elbow sucking in or flying behind them.

 

[bobmac]

The OP was complaining about his swing being too short

 

[Bratty]

The OP was complaining about his swing being too short

Yeah, but almost everyone on here hasn't understood that, sadly! It's become a "short is good" thread rather than a "brain injury causing undesired short swing" thread.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Sorry guys and gals. But if I read and tried to take on the swing advice posted on this thread and most, if not all, other similar ‘swing technique’ threads, my head would be frazzled and my golf seing totally jiggered (for sake of a less acceptable word that would more accurately describe what would happen to my swing and my game).

And the same goes for the vast acres of printed page and libraries of videos and streaming content doing same. I really don’t get why golf tuition as provided and taught by so many has to be so complex - or at least so complex sounding and appearing.

Thing is…it really doesn’t have to be so. And my own experience with my own pro confirms to me just that. I know little if anything of what my swing is like and the mechanics of what I am doing. My pro simply has explained to me what happens when a ball is hit in any particular way, and has me trying out ways of hitting the ball to make it do what I’d like it to do. And when I manage that I manage it without knowing about my swing, other than the swing path I am trying to swing the club head along at impact.

But hey…I know plenty love technique tuition - and each to his own.

 

[garyinderry]

A simple tip to free up the mind would be to think about left shoulder.

Simply think about getting that left shoulder under your chin on the backswing. It will take away the thoughts of the club behind you and can focus on something else.

 

[SocketRocket]

At address lift the club up and rest it over your trail shoulder. Turn you shoulders into a backswing and then put your arms away from you. You will be in a perfect backswing position.