How to Stop Hanging Back in the Golf Swing: Tips & Drills for Better Weight Transfer

Hanging back in the golf swing is when your weight is not correctly transferred forward through the ball.

Almost everyone does at some point in their career. Better players will remedy this early and enjoy more consistency, cleaner contact, and lower scores. But for those of you still struggling with hanging back, here is your solution.

You’re probably sick of hitting chunk shots or seeing your ball balloon in the air only to drop well short of your intended target. These are classic symptoms of a golfer who hangs back in the swing.

Since the golf swing is such an individual action, there are multiple tips and drills below to offer the best option to all types of golfers.

Key Takeaways

At the end of this article, you’ll have a deep understanding of why you hang back and how to fix it. But if you’re short on time, study these key takeaways and try to apply them during your next practice or warm-up session.

• Your focus should be on rotating your body, not swaying it.
• Use a downhill slope to give your body the proper feeling.
• Monitor wrist hinge and release with Hackmotion to avoid casting, which can cause hanging back.
• Use your back leg to start the downswing.
• Focus on reaching a perfect follow-through to encourage your weight to shift through the ball and not hang back.
• Check your lead wrist extension in your golf swing. At times, players will hang back to give themselves time to “flip” or square the clubface.

What Hanging Back Looks Like

If you’re a baseball fan and know what a good hitter looks like when swinging for the fences, then you know what hanging back looks like.

A hanging back swing in golf is often called a ‘baseball’ swing because of the lack of weight transfer.

• Hips not fully rotated.
• Club swinging up instead of down the target line.
• Off balance.
• Huge divots.

Golfers who hang back will have most of their weight on the back foot long after the ball has been struck.

In many cases, this causes huge chunk shots that will make your greenskeeper cringe. Correcting this is absolutely necessary for any golfer who wants to improve the consistency of their ball striking and shoot lower scores.

How to Fix Hanging Back in the Golf Swing

Hanging back in the golf swing is easily identifiable but can be a nuisance to fix. Only with proper rotation, a square club face, and downhill slope drills can this problem be solved.

These tips will help you focus on what you should be doing, instead of trying to stop what you shouldn’t.

Use Rotation Instead of Shifting

Only very flexible players can rotate and shift in their golf swing; most golfers implement either one or the other. If you’re shifting your weight too much to generate power, then it’s very easy to hang back in the swing.

However, if you’re rotating your body and coiling your torso, then your chances of making good contact increase exponentially.

• Concentrate on rotating your shirt buttons and belt buckle simultaneously.
• Keep your head still.
• Never let your weight get outside of your back foot.
• Only go back as far as what is comfortable for you.
• Start the downswing with your lower body.

Practice on Downhill Slopes

Next time you’re at the practice range or even in your backyard, find a small hill or slope to stand on.

You can use gravity to help you stop hanging back in your swing and get a good feeling of swinging through the ball.

• Take your normal stance but facing downhill (one foot lower than the other).
• Start with practice swings to gain the feeling of weight moving forward instead of hanging back.
• Hit balls but with a 7-iron or higher.
• Be sure your follow-through is past the ball, down the hill.
• The swing should never end on your back foot.

Maintain Wrist Hinge Longer

Golfers who hang back in their swing often release the club too early as well.

This ‘casting’ motion throws off the timing and consistency of the golf swing. Monitoring and optimizing your wrist hinge will help encourage efficient weight transfer through the ball, creating better contact.

During your warm-up routine, take slow and deliberate downswings, holding your wrist hinge until the impact zone.

Located in the HackMotion app is a casting drill that lets you see in real time if you are casting the club. It’s the quickest way to improve your ball striking.

Start Downswing with Back Leg

Channeling your efforts to the lower body will make the upper body follow along more naturally. When you’re at the top of your backswing, start your downswing by pushing with your right leg.

Be sure to practice this move before taking it to the course, as it can take a bit of getting used to.

There are a few ways to implement this new move into your swing.

• Ball under foot – Place a golf ball under the outside part of your right foot. This will keep your weight from sitting back and help you effectively push on the downswing and through the impact zone.
• Tie your right shoe tight – This may not make a huge difference physically, but it should serve as a reminder to always stay strong over your back foot and push off. The feeling of tightness will hopefully assist with getting the weight off that foot.
• Take off left shoe – Take a few swings while only wearing a shoe on your right foot. It will make it feel more powerful and assist with pushing off and getting your weight shifted properly.

Focus on Reaching a Balanced Follow Through

If your end goal is always to reach a full finishing position, then you won’t be able to hang back during the swing.

Focus on this right from the start of your swing, and you can shift weight smoothly without forcing it.

Here is a checklist of what all great follow-throughs have.

• All weight is on the front foot.
• The back foot should be up on the toe, like a ballerina.
• Chest and hips should be facing the target.

Shorten Backswing

This isn’t a long-term solution, but if you find yourself struggling through a round and hanging back a lot, this could help you grind out a good score.

Shortening your backswing also means you won’t be shifting your weight as much, which makes it harder to hang back.

You may lose some distance with this tip, but your ball flight and direction will be more predictable and reduce the chances of chunked shots.

Learn to Square the Clubface

Shifting your focus to the point of impact and squaring the club face can also help keep you from falling back.

A common issue among amateurs is flipping their wrists at impact to adjust for hanging back too much.

Learning how to square the clubface will automatically encourage your body to swing through the impact zone.

Golfers who regularly hit thin or topped shots are most likely flipping their wrists. To stop flipping wrists in your golf swing, you can use Hackmotion drills or practice yourself by learning what causes it and then using wrist hinge drills to improve.

Click here to access our free Stop Flipping Wrists at Impact video course.

Drills to Train Proper Weight Shift

Addressing this issue takes patience and time on the practice tee. It’s tough to make this change quickly, and even tougher if you try to fix it during a round.

Use these drills to efficiently stop hanging back in your swing and start hitting the ball further and more crisply.

Front Foot Pressure

If it’s best not to have your weight on your back foot, then there’s only one other foot it can go on. This is not a complicated drill, but it’s effective due to its simplicity.

It teaches your body to be strong on your entire left side. It will strengthen your left leg and give you more confidence when swinging.

For extreme cases of hanging back, you can use this drill with short pitches and stand only on your front foot. This will help with your balance through impact and improve your ball contact.

• Video Timestamp – 3:10 – 4:30

Towel Compression Drill

Hanging back in your swing is the leading cause of chunked shots among amateurs.

Giving yourself a visual aid is a good way to encourage your body to shift forward more. Using a small towel will instruct your body to shift forward earlier so you can make better contact.

You can also use a headcover or even an alignment stick. Just make sure whichever object you use is far enough behind the ball so that you won’t hit it. That’s why a towel is the best choice: you can get it close to your ball, and if you hit it, no damage will be caused.

• Video Timestamp – 1:16 – 3:44

Combined Top Drill

Use this drill for a more technical approach to stop hanging back in your swing. This allows you time to see and feel the changes being made so they stay with you long-term.

It’s straightforward and can be done at home as well. This drill also gives you a chance to monitor your wrist flexion/extension and release during the swing.

Using Hackmotion is the most detailed tool for tracking wrist movement, but this drill is a good substitute for anyone still waiting for their Hackmotion to arrive in the mail. It’s also a drill that comes preloaded on your Hackmotion, as it’s very important when trying to improve your swing.

Hit Hard Stop Quick Drill

The Hit Hard Stop Quick Drill forces you to get your weight forward at impact. You can do it with a ball or practice swings to the same effect.

After trying this drill a few times, take some swings where you work on your full follow-through to incorporate this feel more naturally into your game.

• Video Timestamp – 3:11 – 4:55

Final Thoughts

You’ll never see a successful golfer hanging back in their swing due to the inconsistency it causes. If you do hang back, you’ve probably experienced some bad shots, but now, with the drills and tips listed above, you can kick this bad habit quickly.

You can also use this practice time to monitor your wrist hinge and flexion/extension with Hackmotion.

By efficiently shifting your weight forward and releasing your wrists correctly through impact, you can make drastic strides toward shooting lower scores.