A Paul Wilson Backswing Golf Tip

Trying to perfect your golf backswing? Surprisingly, one of the best things you can do is forget what probably heard a millions times... to keep your head still... and, instead, purposely move your head a little on the way back.

Moving your head on the way back is one of the best golf backswing fundamentals you can learn.

Why move your head as you take the club back during the golf backswing? You want to move your head because in order to backswing in a circular motion you need an axis to swing around. An axis has a top and a bottom. When you set up to the golf ball, you have 1 top to an axis (your head) and 2 bottoms (your legs and feet) to an axis.

An axis is something to swing around. So on the way back your head - the top axis - should move three to five inches to the right to create this first critical axis point. On the way down, your head will stay there and even fall further back as you complete this golf backswing technique. And it is only after the ball is hit that your head will automatically move forward over the top of your left leg and create the second point of the axis - allowing you to complete the swing and follow through.

Your head should float, not stay stationary. Your head should float like the top axis of a spinning top. This allows your golf backswing be a circular motion, though not a perfect circle. It's slight egg-shaped oval. Which is why you will never hit the ball with 100% accuracy each and every time.

Only a one-legged golfer will naturally keep their head still during a golf backswing. The reason is if you only had one leg you would only have two beginning axis points... your head and one leg. So if you moved your head, ever so slightly, you would effectively elimate the axis completely and, ultimately, lose all the power in your swing.

Most people trying to learn a better golf backswing techique try to move their head back when I tell them to but they have a hard time actually doing it because it feels so uncomfortable for them to move their head.

To get the proper feeling, you must feel like your head is moving about 1 foot to the right. If you feel like your head is moving 1 foot to the right on the way back, it will actually only move a few inches. One good tip is to try swinging regularly towards a mirror.

As you watch your backswing, you can clearly see if your head is moving back 3-5 inches. As your head moves back, feel how your weight loads into the right leg. This is the tell tale sign that you have created your first axis in the golf backswing. If you don't have a loaded, powerful feeling in your right leg, you will have to move your head a little more as you go back.

Wearing a hat while you practice is also a great golf backswing technique. What you are looking for is to keep the brim of your hat level to the ground as you start the backswing. If the brim tilts to the left you are moving your head back, you are tilting your head back. Strive to keep your head level to the ground.

As a final check just ask a friend to watch your head to see if it moves back a few inches or use a video camera to see for yourself. If your head is too still then constantly remind yourself to move it back or have someone constantly remind you to move your head.

There is one caveat, however. When you move your head to the right this may cause you to hit behind the ball. This is a good clue you are moving your head back properly but what's happening is you are loading your leg too much during impact. To remedy this situation just shift a little more weight off your right leg as you complete your swing and follow through. Pull it off and you'll not only create the perfect golf backswing axis, you'll hit the ball on the sweet spot every time and with much more power and speed off the face than ever before.