Back Swing

At the beginning of the swing, extend the club head and your arms.

A solid swing starts with a good back swing. Most golfers have a tendency to ignore this part of the swing, but it is as important as the downswing. Too tight a grip and a little bit of nervousness often causes the abrupt and quick movements that can ruin a back swing.

Before positioning the body for the back swing, the hands should be relaxed. The swing is initiated by displacing the triangle (the extension of the arms in relation to the shoulders). This will force the shoulders to react correctly from the start.

At the beginning of the back swing, the club head follows a straight line behind the ball and veers lightly towards the interior - this is perfectly normal. This method uses the strongest muscles in the body and maintains the maximum extension of the right or left arm, (for a right-or left-handed player respectively). 

Once the maximum extension is reached, the shoulders continue to rotate because the hips and then the knee continue to move (left knee for a right handed player and right knee for a left-handed player). It is normal if the heel lifts off the ground a little bit at the end of the back swing. This takes some of the pressure off the back and helps rotate the hips better.

The lifting of the heel is not compulsory. Golfers who are naturally agile may never feel the need to do so and it is generally better to keep the heel on the ground.

Overall, the most important part of a back swing is the maximum rotation of the shoulders. This allows the hips to rotate and displaces most of the weight to the back leg (the leg furthest from the target) without lifting the back.

During the middle of the swing, rotate your shoulders - your hips follow them.

At the end of the swing, your back is to the target and your weight is on the back foot.