Golf Swing Positions Simplified: The P Classification System Explained

The golf swing is often referred to in pieces such as the takeaway, backswing, downswing, and impact. Some players even throw in the follow-through position. However, there is more to the swing than just these positions.

The P Classification system breaks the swing into 10 parts, making it much easier to zero in on certain areas of your game that may need some work.

Here’s a brief overview of the positions and what you should know about each one.

Understanding Golf Swing Positions in the P Classification System

P1: Address

The address position is the starting position before the swing begins. This is the setup.

When you are in the proper setup, you’ll have to pay attention to grip alignment, posture, and even balancing your weight appropriately between your feet.

Here are a few key checkpoints to remember as you change clubs:

• Driver: Position the ball off your front heel. Your stance should be wider than shoulder-width, with more weight on your back foot. Tilt your spine slightly away from the target.
• Irons: Place the ball in the middle of your stance. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, with weight evenly distributed. Ensure a straight spine and slightly more forward shaft lean.
• Wedges: Position the ball slightly back in your stance or just behind the middle. Your feet should be closer together, with more weight on your front foot. Maintain a more upright posture with a steeper shaft angle.

P2: Takeaway

The takeaway position starts as soon as you begin to take the club back and stops when the club is parallel to the ground.

During this part of the golf swing, it’s imperative to avoid excessive wrist movement.

Some golfers focus on the triangle formed by their shoulders and arms and try to maintain it during the first part of the takeaway. During the takeaway, some weight may transfer back to the trail leg, but the lower body turn will also initiate during this time.

P3: Halfway Back

The P3 position is when the lead arm is parallel to the ground. At this point, your key focus is to keep the golf club on plane. In addition, most players will notice that this halfway back position is where the wrist starts to hinge naturally.

As the golf club is halfway back, pay close attention to the extension in the lead wrist. Many golfers start to add extension in the lead wrist here, and it catches up to them at the top of the backswing.

In addition, make sure that your body and arms are still working together. At the halfway point, you don’t want the lower body to stop rotating and the arms to take off independently.

Using a ball between the forearms is a good drill to stay connected.

P4: Top of the Backswing

The top of the backswing is the highest point of the backswing. For most golfers, this position has the club in a position that is parallel to the ground.

At the top of the backswing, you’ll have a full shoulder turn, weight shift, and hip rotation. You want to make sure the club has not traveled too far. Overswinging only makes it harder to square the clubface at impact.