Backswing Help Keep your club in the alleyway on your takeaway. By Gerald McCullagh | Photos by Peter Wong N ext to putting yourself into a fundamentally correct setup, the starting direction of the club in your backswing is the most important link in your swing. I like to describe this part of the swing as the onepiece takeaway. Remember: s ! PROPER START TO YOUR BACKSWING WILL PRO mote arm width and extension of the club. You also will achieve weight transfer as you initiate the turn of the shoulders and hips. s ! WONDERFUL DRILL IS TO SET TWO CLUBS DOWN along your toe line and heel line (see photo). This will allow you to keep the shaft of the club along your toe line in the takeaway. s ! COMMON ERROR IN THE TAKEAWAY IS TO INDEPENDENTLY MOVE the hands, which causes the clubhead to go behind the body and outside your alleyway (see inset below). This usually results in a pulled shot or slicing action in your ball fl ight. s )N ADDITION IF THE CLUB IS LIFTED OUTSIDE THE ALLEYWAY WITH THE hands, it usually leads to a steep downswing that causes you to hit either in front of the ball or behind it. Gerald McCullagh is a member of the British PGA and one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 instructors. Inside takeaway www.mngolf.org Summer 2009 MINNESOTAGOLFER 13http://www.mngolf.org