BEST Takeaway Feel - The Tour Pro Takeaway Move You’re Not Using!

If you struggle with inconsistent contact, slices, or feeling like you have to manipulate the clubface through impact, you may be rotating your forearms too much and too early in the backswing. Getting the forearm rotation right can help keep your arms connected, control the clubface, and make the downswing much easier.

In this post, we’ll break down how the forearms should move during the backswing, what the clubface should look like, and how forearm rotation influences your release through impact.

Why Too Much Forearm Rotation Causes Problems

One of the most common mistakes in the early backswing is immediately rotating the forearms.

When this happens, you will often see the clubhead move behind the hands while the lead arm begins separating from the body. A noticeable gap can also appear between the arms.

More importantly, excessive forearm rotation can open the clubface.

This matters because much of what happens later in the swing is a reaction to the position of the clubface. If the face gets too open early, you may have to stand up, flip the hands, scoop, or release the club early just to square it before impact.

Rather than trying to fix those compensations in the downswing, improving the first part of the backswing can make the rest of the swing much simpler.

How the Forearms Should Move Early in the Backswing

During approximately the first third of the backswing, you do not need much conscious forearm rotation.

Instead, allow the bigger muscles of your torso and trunk to start moving the arms and club away from the ball.

As your chest turns, the arms should remain relatively connected to your body while the wrists begin to add a small amount of hinge.

The important part is that you are not deliberately rolling the forearms to move the club behind you.

Think of your chest as the engine of the backswing rather than using your hands and forearms to drag the club away.

A Simple Backswing Checkpoint

A useful checkpoint occurs when the club reaches approximately parallel to the ground during the takeaway.

At this point:

• The clubhead and hands should be roughly in line.

• The arms should remain connected to the torso.

• The clubhead should not be excessively behind the hands.

• The clubface should roughly match your spine angle.
  
  

The clubface checkpoint becomes easier to understand if you stand upright.

Hold the club in front of you and rotate your torso without deliberately rotating your forearms. The leading edge of the clubface will roughly match the angle of your torso.

When you bend forward into your normal golf posture, the relationship remains similar. The clubface now appears more angled toward the ground because your torso is also tilted forward.

What Happens as You Swing to the Top?

Once you have established a good takeaway, you do not need to consciously prevent all forearm rotation for the rest of the backswing.

Some rotation will naturally occur as you continue turning, loading your body, and allowing the club to travel to the top.

This natural movement helps the club work into an appropriate position without requiring you to deliberately roll the clubface open.

The key distinction is between natural forearm rotation and intentionally twisting the forearms early in the takeaway.

If you establish a good position early, the remainder of the backswing can happen much more naturally.

Forearm Rotation in the Downswing and Release

Forearm rotation also plays a role as the club approaches impact.

During the downswing, you want to retain some energy in the club rather than releasing everything immediately from the top. As the club accelerates toward the ball, that stored energy needs to unload.

Some forearm rotation will occur as part of this process and can help square the clubface.

How much you need can depend on your tendencies.

Golfers who regularly fade or slice the ball may benefit from understanding how the forearms rotate through the strike. Golfers who already rotate the forearms excessively may need to feel less rotation.

However, the release should not be viewed in isolation. What happens through impact is heavily influenced by how you positioned the clubface earlier in the swing.

If you have already rolled the face wide open during the takeaway, you may need a large compensation to square it later.

The Clubface Control Drill

Setup: Take your normal address position and begin with small swings rather than making a full backswing.

Execution: Use the rotation of your chest to move the club away from the ball. Avoid deliberately rolling your forearms during the first part of the takeaway.

Checkpoint: Stop when the club is approximately parallel to the ground. Check that the clubhead and hands are roughly in line and that the clubface is matching your spine angle.

Continue: From this position, make small swings back and through while maintaining the feeling that your torso is controlling the movement rather than your hands.

Tip: If the clubhead immediately disappears behind your hands or your lead arm separates from your body, you may be adding too much forearm rotation too early.

Conclusion

Good forearm rotation in the golf swing is not about consciously rolling the club open in the backswing and then aggressively slamming it shut through impact.

During the early backswing, focus on using your chest and torso to move the club while keeping the arms connected. When the club reaches parallel to the ground, the clubhead and hands should be roughly in line, with the clubface matching your spine angle.

From there, allow the necessary forearm rotation to occur naturally as you complete the backswing and move through the ball.

Improving this one early checkpoint can simplify your downswing, reduce the need for last-second compensations, and help you produce more consistent contact and clubface control.