The power backswing: 3 musts for longer drives

The game’s longest hitters do a tremendous job loading and storing energy in the backswing, which they then unleash into the ball. The result? Mammoth blasts. The modern power player doesn’t hurry on the way back—it’s a smooth, gradual accumulation of power. Here are three power backswing moves you can make to help you launch your biggest drives ever.

1. TRACE A WIDE SWING ARC

As you swing back, try to keep your left arm as straight as possible without locking it in place. The goal is to get your hands as far away from your right ear as possible at the top of the backswing. This creates width—and the wider your swing arc, the more time the clubhead has to travel and accumulate power-generating speed.

Make your backswing arc as wide as you can, for more stored energy in the downswing. A simple way to do this is to focus on keeping your hands as far from your right ear as possible without locking your left elbow.

2. KEEP THE RIGHT KNEE FLEXED

Few backswings are longer than John Daly’s, yet he never loses his balance or posture. That’s because he keeps the flex in his right knee. This creates a stable platform for your hips to turn around, and it shifts your weight onto the inside of your right foot, making it easier to rotate your hips and shift your weight forward on the downswing.

Don’t lock your right knee in the backswing. Maintaining some flex here helps you load a max amount of energy into your right leg, fueling bigger hits.

3. MAKE A FULL SHOULDER TURN

Make the biggest shoulder turn you can in your backswing while still maintaining your posture. This creates more energy and perfectly positions you to swing down on a powerful "inside-out" path. To promote a full shoulder turn, place a shaft on the ground just inside your right foot, and, with a driver lodged across your chest, turn until the butt end of the grip points behind the shaft on the ground.

To get a feel for a full shoulder turn, hold a driver across your chest and swing back until the butt end points at a clubshaft on the ground near your back foot