Golf Tips, Lessons, Instruction & Drills - The Takeaway

[Darrendeans1]

great vid mate is this same for driver

[MsRobro23]

Hi Steve, it's now 2011 and I've just caught your video in Australia . I am looking forward to spending some quality time at the driving range with the anticipation that I will now be able introduce the one piece takeaway to my golf swing. I fully concur with the comments made by Spadecat a little while ago. I'm looking forward to never ever taking the club back with with my hands and an early cocking of the wrist again. I hope my current muscle memory will forget my previous swing!

[MrCatlover10]

is this same for woods and driver thanks

[NikeGolf118]

dude please get a better quality camera this is torture

[catak74]

Steve,

Brilliant video! It has improved my swing tremendously. A couple thoughts; how do I know when to begin my downswing? I seem to be over swinging. Also, I’m making descent contact, but not creating any divots. Thanks in advance.

[dissidentmakenz]

You are really pretty, thanks for your video. it can be unfortunate i live within Friendship Village considering that i can't end up getting very good makeup, however i get hold of cost-free samples of make-up through 'Gratis Makeup Samples'. i absolutely adore MAC cosmetics!

[Dreama40]

Hi Steve, great video there !! Excellent presentation of the one piece on plane takeaway. Could you take this one step further and tell me your thoughts on completing the swing from the toe up half way back position. Thanks in Advance...

[RingerDaMan]

@Dreama40 Thank you for the kind words Dreama. The rest of the backswing is pretty simple really. Continue turning the shoulders until your left shoulder is out over your right leg. You should then feel like you are going to touch your right shoulder with the shaft of the club. You cannot actually accomplish this unless you let go of the club, but the thought helps to put the club in the best spot for the forward swing.

[danic18]

Hi Steve! a question. In my stance I have the tendency to forward-press the club so the grip(with every club) is in front of my left leg (the inner part). I would like to know your opinion, maybe I'm doing a big mistake and I don't know. If not, should my clubface be open as consequence of the forward press or it should still be square, what for my look like quite shut position? Thanks a lot

[RingerDaMan]

@danic18

This really depends on your grip. A stronger grip will require that your hands be more forward of the ball at impact. Weaker grips require the hands to be only slightly ahead of the ball at impact.

Impact is much more important than setup, but setup can help you make adjustments to GET into the impact you want.

[danic18]

Hi Steve! a question. In my stance I have the tendency to forward-press the club so the grip(with every club) is in front of my left leg (the inner part). I would like to know your opinion, maybe I'm doing a big mistake and I don't know. If not, should my clubface be open as consequence of the forward press or it should still be square, what for my look like quite shut position? Thanks a lot

[607777777]

I play off a low handicap, looking to become more consistant have had lessons but still not happy with my swing. Tried this new take away and it worked, hitting the ball longer and straighter.....Thanks

[thefightbeginswithu]

thank you thank you , ive been turning the club inside as youve shown here , it leads to over the top horrible swings

[Rumrunner7777]

I believe that most golf instructions never teaches one what they need to know to really come to peace with a swing. I know that my back swing and takeaway has changed constantly. It has gone from each of the first three you described many times over. I feel that a positional back swing leads to a compulsion that causes me go to an extreme with any one position I am trying to reach. This leads to the ultimate failure of the technique in a short time. You have helped my game so much thanks.

[nicewave1]

Unlike so many other instructors , you have explained so clearly how to achieve a perfect takeaway to get the club on plane....brilliant stuff , will take a look at your site to see what other little gems you have up your sleeve .

[maddawgzzzz]

once piece takeaway really does the same thing youre explaining

[pileitup1]

super tip steve. almost impossible to hit a really bad shot with this move.

[chumpglows]

really good stuff. you clearly have a really good grasp of how a good golf swing should work and you do a great job of explaining it. thanks dude.

[ruud76]

Really solid advice. I was waiting to see it demonstrated and that swing was just pure.

[renoir353]

Thank you Steve, this is the most helpful and very clear instuctions for a golfer like me who makes a lot of mistakes you mentioned. Honestly I hardly ever sliced or hooked the ball on a couple of rounds I had after watching this video. Thanks heaps mate!!!!!!!!Well done, you are the man..

[jdaog]

steve, i love you man your the greatest, no homo

[spadecat]

This tip has flat out invigorated my golf game. I have been playing for over 30 years, spent thousands of dollars on clubs, swing aides and studied the game for countless hours. Yet, this one, nine minute instruction has produced more consistently solid shots than all the foregoing combined.

Where do I send my check? I would love to kiss your feet but I think it would be best for both of us if I just rewarded you handsomely with a big, fat check.

I kid you not.

[RingerDaMan]

I am glad to hear it has helped you so much. It's a very easy concept to understand and perform which I think makes it so useful.

[spadecat]

Excellent advise. Results in a one-piece takeawy, which is what one wants.

Swing is absolute money.

[WhiteNacho]

I'm a one piece takeaway kinda guy.

[reckoner19]

gotta admit, you sorta sound geeky, but tip is good and swing looks great

[chrisfarm32]

I totally agree with the takeaways. Good info!

[fabianforti]

steve great drill and thought...but would this fall under the umbrella of a one piece takeaway?

[mtrimboli]

this video is spot on.

[robb1031]

that's a nasty ass looking driving range

[juicyfruitzy]

I rather have a nasty ass looking driving range and great instruction than a nice looking driving range with crap advice which there is a lot of on youtube!!!!

[robb1031]

if your in the golf business you need to know how to grow grass

[jdaog]

word

[viola128]

great info on the take away, great lesson. also, what a beautiful swing you've got..

thx

[hac1964]

great tips mate.

[OldSmellyCrotch]

Great tutorial!

P.S Take the 's' out of esspecially, it's especially. ;D

[peeweesmellyrat]

Thanks.....It all makes sense....now to implement it on my spastic swing!

[hellviscool]

Thanks Steve - what a wonderful and simple explanation of the takeaway! I love it. Cheers Jan - downunder.

[justjames1111]

Pretty nice swing, thanks for the instruction!!

[BobKy12]

Great looking swing!

[no2pump]

best on site very good

[coolroy34]

Thanks "RingerDaMan" for posting this video,

very simple instructions for something that

can help my swing. u da man.

[pat52007]

This is basically what I have been trying to convey. Don't get flippy with the hands.Try to take it away in ONE piece and square(to the ball) for the first several inches(about a foot to 16 inches or so. This allows you to get square at the top!!

[he1enaward]

Steve, in your opinion, at what point should the right elbow start to break on the backswing? I reckon at about eight o clock position. Any earlier and the club will go on an inside path causing all sorts of problems. Also having watched your clip on the grip I have switched from an interlocking to an overlapping grip. My right hand tended to be dominant causing me to hit at the ball and have no release. Its a difficult change after 7 years of interlock but I can see good results already. Thanks

[GINIGUFF]

steve you are da man.been tryin to play golf for about 5 years had a couple of leasons in the beginning,occasionally broke 100.last year nearly put my clubs on ebay but thought better of it, so i had a lesson a month over the winter, guess what i have been hitting the ball much better but my scores havent improved.last week i discovered this lesson practiced at the range a couple of times and been for a round tonight, steve i went around in 88 thanks steve you really are da man.

[RdSoxFan618]

Hi Steve, great video. I went to the range and tried this out yesterday, and I was very much hitting it straighter. I just have a few questions:

1) I was hitting VERY low trajectory shots. Should I move my stance back (move the ball up?)

2) What happens after the takeaway? I took it as you bend your left arm in? (I'm a lefty, right arm for you I believe)

3) What is the correct plane? You could be bringing the club up at too high or you could be bringing the club up too low.

Thanks

[pat52007]

RdSoxFan618;On the driver, the ball should be aligned with you left heal. As you go to the irons you should be inside the left heal.(2)Your left arm are should naturally bend;right arm relitively straight!(3)The plane of the swing should be just above the shoulder blades..not below or even..somewhere toward the upper part of the shoulders. Remember..keep your head and feet still..in other words-don't do the up and down and up again motion!! Keep the club head low and square-first few inches!!

[clnorris82]

It is imperative that on your driver your swing plane is low and flat on the takeaway. The wrists will naturally hinge on the backswing and this promotes the sweeping motion on the downswing. This lesson does a great job in teaching the first motion to ensure a successful swing. The steeper the swing with the driver on the takeaway the greater chance the golfer will slice the shot. 30 minutes on the range after watching this video my slice is gone and I am hitting the ball 240 again. Thanks!!!

[ESSBANJO]

I have had a number of lessons to cure my inside/over the top swing but nothing has got my backswing into the correct path until I found your video! Less is more! you are a very natural, informative teacher, thanks

[Ogameone]

for me this guy is a teacher by nature. i´m a beginner at golf and try to add his tips to establish my swing. actualy yesterday on the range i found out me tending to bent the left arm on backswing. so i tried to hold it more stiff but this caused a lot of tension. the fullswing method feels like to fix this. only i help a bit with my left knee turning towards the ball for a better turn. is this okay? or is this might caused by a wrong setup?

[brightphil1]

I really enjoyed these videos. It's so different from all the glitzy guys with their know-it-all attitude and showbiz gloss that you see jockeying for attention on Golflink.

This is a young, talented, articulate guy imbued with the spirit of golf showing us how to improve our play and talking to us from some dry, dusty course in the desert. Keep the pearls of wisdom coming Steve until you get snapped up by the golf Establishment and thanks for sharing.

[juicyfruitzy]

that was an awesome lesson. Wish all golfers could see this.

Thank you!

[karmye]

You have a gift. I would like to see you put some more videos up. Keep up the great work.

[parquest72]

Great information! Definitely helps with the full swing. Question: What about short game take away where you have to set wrists quickly? Example: Sand shots, flop shots, and less than full swings shots where less than a full swing is needed? Any help is appreciated.

[allaboutgolf]

Great instructional vid :)

[speedofsoundllc]

Just dropping in to say hello and update my progress since finding this video.

Worked on "grooving" this feeling over the winter months. As the golf season/weather is now "open" for me, I'm very pleased.

I'm going to shoot some video and post it up, and would like to also send it to you, Steve (per your website).

Thanks again for the great instruction! Going to try a few pointers from the setup video now...

[tomaskroky]

yeah great video, great instruction...you really helped me to improve my golf swing, you are right, i must stop thinking about body, shoulders, arms....and just move the club naturally

[martinpklehmann]

Last weekend I played my best golf ever. All because of this great instruction! One thing I noticed during our friendly sunday morning foursome, is the importance of a good position at address. If you press your hands slightly to the left before taking the club back and maintain that position during the back swing, it becomes more easy to keep the club on plane. Never hit my irons as solidly as last sunday! Thank you once more Steve!

[srixon16]

Thanks for the instruction.Very simple and I can relate to it better than any other method.

Cheers and all the best!!!

[nj2190]

Ok thanks for the help. So after the takeaway do I just let the club momentum take me to the top of the swing?

[RingerDaMan]

Yup, that's it exactly. You started the club back together and on plane with the whole club takeaway, so now just let the club continue to the top. You have to be much more patient than you are probably used to.

[nj2190]

Thanks for the vid. Are you doing the takeaway with your arms or shoulders?

[RingerDaMan]

The point of the entire video is to stop thinking that it's with the arms or shoulders. MOVE THE CLUB. Forget about the body.

[taylorwigg22]

this is my favorite of all of your videos ... i don't have everything else to say, u should do something for the Golf Channel lol

[bmarrow630]

This is the best golf instruction I have ever seen, heard or tried. Thanks -- you are a great teacher.

[gustavo2007666]

dude you rock!

you helped me improve my swing real good,

with the 8 iron I used to hit 145 yards now I can hit up to 170 yards thanks.

[martinpklehmann]

As I wrote before, this instruction is very good. One remark though: if you focus on taking the club back as a whole to much, there is a risk that you start picking up the club and reduce the turning action of the upper body. Obviously that is not a good thing. For me, the combination of the one piece takeaway with taking back the club as a whole works very well. Whatever you do with your swing, don't break it down in to many seperate pieces! It realy should feel as an easy, effortless motion.

[fabiobernardo22]

Great tip....

doing this i cured my hook!!!!!! toe club pointing to sky....

Thanks man!!!!!!!!

[speedofsoundllc]

Been working on this concept for several weeks now, and I'm very pleased with the results. Easy takeaway allows me to focus more upon my swing through the ball, so far with very solid shots.

Great advice, thanks again!

[eehbahgum]

Congratulations, Steve ... your swing thoughts have made it Down Under to Western Australia. Easy to understand ... and best of all, it works!

Dave Wilson, Perth.

[RingerDaMan]

Glad to hear it. I can't take all the credit, this comes from Manuel de la Torre. I just reiterate it.

[grubstewart]

Nice Instruction as always Steve. I totally agree with what your saying. Something that helped me create the same takeaway as what you are demonstrating is what Annika Sorrenstam does to stop her picking the club up or taking it inside. She just tries to keep her right arm fairly straight going back (no tension of course). If you try this its virtually impossible to take it inside too early.

[guitarlix]

Easily one of the best instructors on the web. Like Jetedz mention, you've clearly thought about this a lot and have a very logical approach.

[tsrawal]

great video. Thanks for sharing.

Bobby Rawal, India

[RockfordRNaylor]

Nicely done.

[hmspompey]

Steve is one of THE best instrucctors.

[62redog]

This is the eaist change I have tried. I first tried it with wiffle balls and the next day I played in a tournament. I did not have to give it up during the tournament. I had a great day. Thanks

Redog

[GPOLARIS67]

great vid! Should I cock my wrists at the top of my swing with this method?

[sessien]

Great videos! Thank you.

[Amarshall999]

5 star!

[JetEdz]

Great video Steve. You have clearly thought about this a lot and I really like your logical approach. I probably suffer from the wrist cocking problem you describe. Can't wait to work on it tonight.

[martinpklehmann]

A month ago I wrote about winning the matchplay championship at my club using this swing thought. Last weekend I won the strokeplay championship too (after 72 holes and a 4 holes play off). Thanks again Steve!

[RingerDaMan]

Good job martin. I am really proud to hear that this advice has given you so much success.

[Sviolinist]

Steve - I understand the beauty of advocating things that "work" - but what works for you? Surely, you have found techniques that work and ones that don't. All I'm saying is that comments like that put your playing ability in question. Please don't take this the wrong way - I just think that golfers should advocate what works for them. That's what being a pro is all about.

[RingerDaMan]

I don't recall saying any one of them is "bad". I'm advocating the way I illustrate because it accomplishes the goal of the others. It is the one I use.

[acob101]

sweet i shall rule all my friends bwhahaha but serously thanks ill start working on it

[speedofsoundllc]

I must say, this is a fantastic concept. Just found the video, and have only swung a 6 iron. A 20 year player, the "position to position" thought process is what I've always used.

Mr. Bishop, this video completely freed my thought towards a proper takeaway. So far, every time I've made a swing it is remarkably comfortable.

Headed to the range/course tomorrow, I'll report how it works.

[pecky1234]

good advice, i just believe that neither of the three you showed first time are exactly wrong. thers nothing wrong with an "early wrist set". vijay singh sets his wrist very early. so whereas all 3 are different, all 3 work for each independent player, and some players prefers different mind-sets in ther swing. i dont see how a early wrsi set, a one piece, or a left arm takeaway are bad in any way, just different

[azahidi]

good advice i think i am going to follow

[RingerDaMan]

Good job martinpklehmann. I'm glad it helped you.

[martinpklehmann]

This swing thought realy works. I used it two weeks ago during the matchplay championship at my club (Zuid Limburgse Golfclub in The Netherlands, near the city of Maastricht). And guess what? I won! Thanks a lot Steve!

[cr1541]

Good description of how most amateurs mis-use and over-use the arms throughout the swing. The arms and hands react to what your torso and shoulders do. The proper wrist position and hinging is a by product of a proper shoulder turn. I would try to practice a one-piece takeaway as the default though. Try to maintain the triangle between the arms and shoulders throughout the backswing while keeping arms and wrist relaxed and not tense.

Very good advice here through.

[RingerDaMan]

Idhio - it will look the same but the INTENTION is different. It also looks similar to the left shoulder takeaway. If I propped my hands up a bit at setup then it would look a lot like the right forearm takeaway.

[ldhio]

what exactly is the difference between this take away idea and the "one-piece" take away? Looks the same to me.

[RingerDaMan]

I advocate whatever works. Although I do have my own personal preferences I would rather see someone produce quality repeatable shots than to say they that their swing fits in a category.

[leonar66]

Hi steve are you advocating a one swing plane? which to me anyway seems more natural.

[xnnxnnx]

hey bro, i must say that this really was a helpful video, i know already its gonna take some strokes off the score card. thx.

[johnson232]

this is really very good advice I have only hit one ball but it worked in that if felt like a swing more than going from one position to the next thanks

[westbrazos]

I thought it was a very good lesson. The repeats of the wrong way and the right way proved over and again the swingthought of moving the club,not the wrist or other mechanics. Very good lesson .Will go out in the back and try it.Thank you again for this great lesson. bayhawk/ in Texas

[jking55607]

Early Wrist Cock... hehehehee.. make it butt head proof in your lingo

[crimn]

i like this video, but you keep showing the wrong way to take the club back, over and over and over as opposed to the proper way. if you could show more of taking it back on plane, then our minds will remember that.