If you’ve heard of golfers talking about P1, P2, P3…and wondered what on earth they were on about then this is the article for you. We cover the ten swing positions initially popularised by Mac O’Grady, a very well-regarded teaching professional.
We explain each position, the fundamentals and the extra things that differentiate elite players from amateurs. We wrap up by considering how useful swing positions are, and some of their limitations when trying to improve your ball striking.
- P1 – Address
- P2 – Takeaway
- P3 – Mid Backswing
- P4 – Top of Swing
- P5 – Transition
- P6 – Pre-Impact
- P7 – Impact
- P8 – Release
- P9 – Follow-through
- P10 – Finish
Golf Swing Positions Explained
Address (P1)
P1, the address position, is where the golfer sets up before beginning the swing. Your golf stance (P1) sets the foundation for everything that follows. A good address involves consistent aim, a good grip and some great posture angles, ready to make a dynamic swing.
Elite players are super consistent in how they set up to the golf ball, they are balanced and relaxed, yet ready to make a powerful golf swing.
Amateurs tend to struggle with a poor grip and/or a poor posture. These two aspects affect everything that follows, so small differences here can make a big difference to the subsequent swing positions.
Takeaway (P2)
P2, the takeaway, is marked by when the golf club reaches parallel to the ground in your takeaway. This movement sets the tone for the rest of the backswing.
Elite players are known for their consistency in the takeaway, keeping the clubface square and maintaining a good connection between their body and arms. The toe of the golf club should be pointing towards the sky or mirroring the spine angle, depending on swing preferences. The club head should also be covering your hands when filmed down the target line.
For beginners, a good cue is to keep the clubhead low to the ground to avoid excessive wrist movement. Another common issue for higher handicappers is keeping the arms and body connected. This can be improved by tucking a small headcover under your right armpit to help it fold correctly.
Mid Backswing (P3)
P3, the mid-backswing position, occurs when the lead arm is parallel to the ground, serving as a checkpoint for the golfer’s relationship between their body, arms and club.
Elite players typically display a strong and stable lower body, with their upper body coiling effectively. The wrists are almost fully set, and down the line, we can see the hands are covering the chest and the golf shaft is just under the right shoulder. These are pointers that we are in good positions for a textbook top-of-backswing position.
At this point, elite golfers have almost fully loaded their trail side, ready to shift towards the target as they start down. Most amateurs incorrectly believe this should happen at the top of the swing, however, at the top of the swing, elite players are already driving their weight forward.
Beginners can struggle with setting the club well at this point in the swing. However, this is nearly always a result of issues at P1 (set up) and P2 (take away).
Top of Swing (P4)
P4, the top of the swing, is characterised as when the club reaches its furthest point before transitioning into the downswing. Golf coaches often use this position as a marker for how open/closed a player’s club face is and their swing plane.
Textbook notes suggest the club face should be parallel to the left forearm and the club should point to the target, but you’ll see a lot of valence even in tour players. Mac O’Grady was keen to see the trail elbow tucked in and under the golf club, as this provides good stability for the club as we make a powerful transition.
Elite players are all in powerful positions at P4 and before the club reaches the top of their swing you’ll see their weight shifting forward and their lower body starting to unwind towards the target.
Beginners and high handicappers often focus on trying to get the club as far as possible to complete their backswing. However, a powerful rotation of the body is more important than how far the club has travelled when it comes to generating distance – just check out the length of Jon Rahm and Tony Finau’s backswings.
Transition (P5)
P5, the transition, marked by the lead arm reaching parallel to the ground in the downswing. We should see the hands back in front of the chest and the club shaft below the trail shoulder when looking down the target line. These are both good markers that you will deliver the club on a neutral path into impact.
Elite golfers often look very smooth here. The club hasn’t travelled too far, but they have made a good weight shift forward and are squat, ready to push against the ground and apply maximum force to the golf club.
High handicappers, tend to move the club quicker, and further, and do less work to move their bodies into a dynamic position. Rushing this movement can lead to a lack of control.
Pre-Impact (P6)
P6, the pre-impact position is defined as when the club shaft reaches parallel to the ground (apologies this was just in between frames when filming at 60/fps). The club head covering the hands provides a good sign for a square swing path through impact and the club face should be between toe up and matching the angle of the spine – this is a good indicator that the club face will be square at impact.
Elite players typically have their hips open toward the target while their shoulders remain square and have their right elbow tucked into their body, creating a powerful position and that mystical ‘lag’ that many golfers chase.
Beginners try to create lag, with none of the above in place, they are often disjointed with their arms and club head away from their body as a result of trying to move the club quickly between P4 (top of the backswing) and P5 (transition).
Impact (P7)
P7, the impact position, is the critical moment when the club-face meets the ball, determining the shot’s trajectory and distance.
There are many different-looking swings on tour, but if you freeze players at impact you will see the most commonalities. In great golf swings, the golf ball just gets in the way as the club moves through the impact zone.
Elite players demonstrate a dynamic impact position, with their hips and chest facing the target, and as a result, hands leading the clubhead.
For beginners, who want to know what a great impact position feels like, take a mid-iron and find the inside of a door frame to set up against. With no backswing press your club head into the door frame, as you try to apply more force you’ll notice all of the above happens quite naturally.
As mentioned in the previous stages, impact is a result of what comes before. Mastering a great set-up and working on what you do between P4 and P6 is the best way to generate a great impact position.
Release (P8)
P8, the release, follows impact, where the club is parallel to the ground post-impact. The golf ball has gone, but P8 gives us a good insight into the forces that were applied through impact and the subsequent movements of the golf club that are now visible. This is why improving a player’s position at P8 can still affect performance.
Elite players achieve a fluid, controlled release, with their arms fully extending.
Beginners often show compensations at P8 for what they were trying to do through impact to make good contact, and/or square their cub face and swing path.
Follow-through (P9)
P9, in the follow-through, is defined as when the trailing arm is parallel to the ground. This is the continuation of the release. Elite players often balanced on their lead foot, and show a composed follow-through, reflecting the stability and control that characterized their entire swing.
Beginners are often rebalancing and dealing with the consequences of the manipulations they have been making into impact.
Finish (P10)
P10, the finish, is the final position in the golf swing, where the golfer ends after completing the follow-through.
Elite players usually exhibit a composed and balanced finish, with their weight fully on the front foot and their body facing the target, signalling a successful shot.
Beginners are often still unbalanced and struggle to hold this follow-through until the golf ball lands. For beginners and high handicap players, trying to hold your follow-through until the golf ball lands and stops rolling can be a really effect way to become more consistent. If you can be balanced in your finish position you are far more likely to be balanced at impact.
Why are swing positions useful?
Swing positions are a useful framework and guide for golfers to better understand the golf swing. They provide a structured approach to mastering the complex movements involved in a golf swing, making it easier to diagnose issues and improve overall performance.
It is also helpful for coaches to be able to refer to, “P3”, for example, when speaking with other coaches and those that are aware of the framework, as they will know where in the swing they are talking about.
What are some limitations of the swing positions framework?
Forces move the golf ball, not positions.
Golf swing positions and changes between positions (P4 to P4…P5 to P6) give us an insight into what forces are at play, but having perfect looking position is not the answer to an effective golf swing (trust me, millions of golfers fail for this very reason).
The most important part of the swing is impact, P7, as this is where the forces actually act upon the ball. The ball only cares about forces, not how perfect you look at the top of the swing, P4.
A modern approach to swing positions
Swing positions are still useful as we can use them to give us an idea of what forces are at play and what is likely to happen next.
We want to understand what is happening at impact and then work backwards through a player’s swing positions to focus on what needs to change and when – not trying to perfect every swing position because they don’t look right.
When we watch the best players in the world on the PGA and LPGA Tours, we see lots of variability in technique and swing positions through the backswing and downswing, but players all start to funnel to similar positions as they reach P5 (transition), P6 (pre-impact) and impact (impact).
The graphic below provides a visual of what we tend to see in elite players, with a hypothetical scale for variance.
Summary
In this article, we’ve covered the key swing positions from P1 to P10. You should now understand each swing position, the traits of elite players and some of the common faults we see in amateur golfers.
We’ve ended this article by providing some more modern ideas on how to use swing positions to optimise your golf performance. Understanding swing positions is really useful, but trying to master positions for the sake of it is a great way to waste time and not get better at golf.
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