Position of Hands at Top of Backswing

[hackzaw]

I'm either confused (and possibly dazed), or I've actually heard conflicting advice. I was watching Gary Player on "Playing with the Pros" last night, and he mentioned that at the top of the backswing, you DO NOT want your hands laid off such that your right palm (speaking for the rightie golfer), is facing the sky.

I'm sure I've heard Leadbetter say that the desired position for the hands at the top of the backswing is such that you could hold a tray of beers in your right hand.

What's the concensus?

[leftylucas]

Well from my point of view it seems if you have your hands cupped so that your right palm is not facing upwards then the club face will be wide open. Dustin Johnson has an exagerated bow of the left hand facing the ground. Maybe what you heard Player talking about was for a fade shot?

[nokids]

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/f..._sequence.html

http://helpmygolfswing.com/Complete-your-backswing.html

[jvincent]

At the top of your swing your hands should be attached to your arms.

One of the reasons I hate Leadbetter is that he gets super technical and the vast majority of people get analysis paralysis thinking about hand/arm positions.

[byerxa]

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/f..._sequence.html

http://helpmygolfswing.com/Complete-your-backswing.html

Although everyone will have variations, the Tiger sequence in the first link IMO is pretty solid. Everything is in line with the arms including the clubface. Your grip will have an influence here - the left wrist may need to cup or bow a bit to keep the clubface in line if your grip is not "neutral".

I know when I am swinging well I do not even think about the hands and they naturally get into this position. To me hand position is a result of a good setup and basic swing dynamics, not something you explicitly make happen.

[Shivas Irons]

One of the reasons I hate Leadbetter is that he gets super technical and the vast majority of people get analysis paralysis thinking about hand/arm positions.

aka Lead-poisoning