When we look at the Rotary Hitter versus the Rotary Swinger, a lot of the difference can be found in the golf backswing.
Setup for the two swings is very, very similar, but once the club leaves the ground there are some key concepts that differentiate the two styles. Understanding these differences is essential for any golfer looking to improve their swing mechanics.
One big difference is the role of the trail arm in the backswing.
Passive vs. Dominant Trail Arm in Golf Backswing
The Rotary Swinger keeps the trail arm fairly passive. Going back to the Rotary Drill, one of the key things we discuss is just using the trail arm for support. You don't stick your trail arm way back behind the body or out in front of the hip — it's just there to support the club and keep it level.
As you can see in the photo, the trail hand keeps the club on plane as you tilt.
From here, a lot of golfers get across the line, and that's all due to the trail hand. If you're in a decent golf backswing position to begin with, getting across the line is almost always a result of allowing the trail hand to be too dominant in the golf swing. Using an AI swing analyzer can help you instantly identify whether your trail arm is contributing to this common fault.
The majority of golfers are trail-hand dominant. Unfortunately, that's actually a disadvantage here. We tend to over-use the trail hand, but the golf swing is more balanced than that. The lead hand has a bigger role in the swing than most golfers think.
The trail arm stays relatively passive in the Rotary Swing, and the trail hand needs to remain relaxed. If it tenses up, you end up over the line like in the photo below.
You want to keep the trail arm in a fairly passive position so the club stays on plane.
For the Hitter, the exact opposite is true.
The trail arm is a more dominant part of the golf swing because the Hitter is making a much more compact, aggressive move going back.
With a shorter, more compact backswing and turn, the Hitter has to actively use the trail arm in order to accelerate the club and get any speed. The trail arm has to thrust down and extend.
That's why the Hitter's arms get back out more in front of the body.
Hitter Example: Stuart Appleby
Stuart Appleby is a perfect example of the Rotary Hitter backswing.
A lot of times with the 5 iron, his club head is almost directly above his head at the top of the swing, while a Swinger would go much farther back.
With the shorter backswing, he doesn't have a great deal of distance to accelerate the golf club. He's coming down on a very direct path to impact so he has to extend that trail arm.
To understand this movement, you need to realize that the Hitter is making a very compact golf swing. There's not a lot of hip movement or rotation. It's all very compact.
Swinger Example: Vijay Singh
The Swinger, meanwhile, is taking the club back with a very big shoulder turn, almost like Vijay Singh.
Not quite that big — Vijay is an extreme example — but if you think about the difference between Vijay and Stuart you'll understand the difference between the Hitter and Swinger backswings.
Vijay's swing is more long and loose, and he gets a lot more turn coming back through.
Likewise, the Swinger takes the trail arm back into that supportive position and then the lead arm pushes it a little bit back behind.
Stuart has a much shorter, more compact and aggressive swing, so his hips have to stay pretty quiet as he goes back.
Like Throwing a Ball
For the Hitter, once that trail arm is fully set, the backswing is done.
The Rotary Hitter swing is like throwing a ball. When you throw a ball, you cock your arm and that's it, you're done. There's no reason to take it farther back.
The same is true for the Hitter. As soon as that trail arm reaches its full 90-degree angle, it's in the fully cocked position and you're ready to go back down. The GOAT Drill system trains you to recognize and feel this exact position with real-time biomechanical feedback.
All you're trying to do is cock the trail arm enough to get enough leverage to "throw" the club.
In fact, that's the whole purpose of the Throw the Ball Drill — to learn the feeling of the downswing by throwing a ball down at your golf ball or just in front of the ball.
For the backswing, then, the Rotary Hitter cocks the trail arm then fires it down. That's the key. The Hitter should develop a sense of the trail arm dominating the golf swing. It goes up, cocks, then fires down. It's a very different feeling from the Rotary Swing.
That's why the Hitter doesn't make a big turn. It doesn't take much to get the trail arm back and fully set.
The Swinger goes a little bit farther back and gets a bigger, smoother turn, without such an aggressive acceleration.
That's the first thing to understand about the Rotary Hitter motion. As soon as the trail arm is fully set, the backswing is done. There's no need to go back any farther. Learn how to fire that trail arm down and you'll get a feel for the Rotary Hitter swing.
Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
The right arm provides support
Over-dominant right hand gets the club over the line
Appleby's club may only be over his head at the top
Singh's swing is long & loose
Swinger backswing (above) vs Hitter (below)
