Don't Lift the Hands in the Backswing 

Man you just nailed it. Everyone always talks about the inside takeaway but no one really talks about the outside takeaway caused by lifting!! This helps a ton

Larry absolutely one the best informative golf channels on RU-vid. Keep working hard! 👍👍👍👍👍

Apparently this was my issue as well. People that I play with always commented that it seems impossible that I can stripe every fairway at 270-280 yards with a driver and somehow keep chunking wedges or 9 irons. I never figured it out until yesterday. Your video confirmed what I thought. My driver is a very accurate rotational swing and with my irons I was trying to do what I thought the pros were doing, so I was lifting my hands trying to get power and height. To give you an example of how bad it was, I played Legacy Pines golf course in South Carolina last weekend. I hit 13 fairways and had no more than a 9 iron down into any par 4. I shot a 99. It was maddening! Thanks so much for the confirmation. I will definitely work on this.

Wow. I've been purposefully adding the lift to feel like I have more room in the downswing to come inside out (not very successful obviously). Crazy that what I was trying to add to my swing has been the reason ive been chunking and shanking my shots! Great video Larry!

Loving the sound of that last one..!

I've been golfing for over 30 years and always fought a slice. A couple years ago i "remade" my swing. I shortened it and made it rotational. Making sure my left hand is slightly bowed completed it. Your video confirms the work I have done. I only wish I would have discovered this when I was young. Thanks Larry!

Great video and simply explained, exactly what I do wrong, very helpful for me. Cheers.

This is a good explanation, helps understanding what and why things are happening. Old tilting habits take time to train away.

Thank you!! that is definitely something I do, I’m already in the backyard working on it 👍

A light bulb just lit on. Much thanks LC! On another note, that 5k number is fast approaching. Congrats! Keep up the good work!

Hi Larry revisted your lesson here I slowed down the video and noticed you have an early wrist set with some bowing which elevates the arms like it a lot all the best j

I struggled with this for YEARS because a golf “instructor” literally made me do drills lifting my hands to keep in plane. He literally had me doing the worst possible motion and then wanted me to bring it back in the slot Once I started paying attention to my hand path and arm height instead of the where the club head was, it was life changing. After getting that on track I had to work on not flattening the club out. I had to do that before to keep the club on plane while lifting so now it’s not needed. Unbelievable for a 30 yr vet teacher to be teaching the way he does

Love the vids. I've been stuck in mid 80s and youve helped me lower that handicap. Will let you know when im consistently in the 70s. Thank u

Correct, in that feel and real are not the same. The hands need to lift in the backswing. How you feel and perform that is up to the golfer.

Easy when you know how! But thanks I’ll certainly stop “lifting” the hands. Cheers for the tip👍

I believe lifting of the arms while turning is okay and more helpful if someone is too deep and can not neutralize their club path to get more left for a fade or straighter ball flight. Have to still shallow it though. Sometimes being too deep means you’re gonna come down too far from the inside.

This is definitely different strokes for different folks. My "feel" is completely opposite right now. As someone who has had a flat deep backswing for a long time I have been working on getting the arms more upright. From a flat deep position I would drop the sweetspot below the plane, from the inside and it made it very tough to get back to the ball without sliding a lot. Hands higher now I have tons of room to take the hand path down while rotating so the sweetspot tips out onto the plane much more efficiently. This is good for a lot of folks though, do not disagree.

If you begin to turn with your upper body from the top of the back swing you will come over the top. The lower body (hips) move toward the target while rotating while the shoulders stay closed for as long as they can. That allows the lower body to "clear" and the hands then fall down instead of out in front.

Totally agree with your advice

Wellp. Im screwed. Im shooting in the 70s, but my swing is dog poopie. I lift, tilt, slide, & flip to square the face up. Basically, if I am in perfect tempo, I can play well, but if my timing is a little off I will start hooking the ball, or blocking it from day to day.

Good video. There is a lot relevant to me here. Thanks.

Another good video, my miss is a pull left that goes right to left. Any tips?

WOW! I think this video may have save my life. I defiantly life the hands in the back swing. Seeing Pro golfers at the top of their golf swing made me think that was the right position to be in. Im pretty flexible but not lifting the hands feels tighter on the muscles but maybe that has something to do with lifting hands as well. Right away not lifting the hands I feel Like I can turn again. THANKS

If I "feel" like I don't lift my hands/arms, I'm suuuper flat at the top. Any advice?? Then again... I don't think I struggled with hands being too high.

Very well done! Thanks!

I'll have to work on this. I have an issue with over drawing which I'm working on from one of your other videos. I feel like this will make the over draw worse. I have to lift more straight and even try to hit a fade shape just to hit straight balls.

I don’t get how one gets the club up if you don’t lift the club? I never understood this comment? If I don’t lift the club will stay close to the ground? Looks like you are lifting to me..what am I missing?

Hi Larry if you don't lift but just turn and let your hands stay low as you advocate here in the takeaway should the club still stay outside the hands ?

Doesn't Matt lift his hands up high? Thank you so much for all your awesome videos!

Nice vid Larry. Could you do a lesson on playing out of a divot?

Thanks for the tip! I'll try it!!

Sliding is actually a power move and classic as long as there is rotation...

This totally answered my questions that I had on the other video. thank you. NO LIFT!!

Another top class video

On my backswing the lead arm gets lower than my shoulders and feels like a can’t do a full backswing any help

Good tip Larry

Thanks, Larry! :) Great Stuff!

I mean, I know the right-thing-to-do is to tell my friends about you and your youtube channel because it's so awesome..... but....

There are plenty of great ballstrikers who have high hands and lift their arms on the backswing. Why not allow someone to use their comfortable backswing and work with them on their transition if it's problematic? Look at Wilco Nienaber. That guy has really high hands and he rotates and crushes the ball as well as anyone.

The best way I’ve found to do this is to pretend you are holding an apple basket facing away at address. And on backswing, try to show the bottom of basket as long as possible to somebody facing you. Chris O’Connell idea.

What iron are you hitting

This seems to contradict your former video on the full backswing which talks about lifting the hands after going through the half swing. Have you changed your teaching approach on this?

Sometimes the lift can happen due to the body rotating too fast during the takeaway. Most people aren’t consciously lifting their arms. Just out of sync

Percy Boomer 'On Learning Golf' 1942

If you don't lift the hands, your backswing will be absolutely flat, which is no good.