The term the turn in golf actually has two different meanings, one referring to your place on the golf course and the other describing a fundamental movement in your swing. Understanding both is part of getting better at the game and learning how to think your way around the course. This article will break down both definitions, explaining what it means to make the turn from the front to the back nine and, more importantly, how to use the powerful turn of your body to hit better, more consistent golf shots.
If you hear a golfer say, "I shot three-over on the front, let's see what happens on the turn," they're talking about the transition from hole #9 to hole #10. This is the halfway point of a standard 18-hole round. Courses are designed with two sets of nine holes, the front nine (holes 1-9) is called the "out" nine because it typically leads you away from the clubhouse, and the back nine (holes 10-18) is the "in" nine because it brings you back.
Making "the turn" is both a physical and mental break in the round.
Most golf courses have a snack bar or small restaurant located near the 9th green and 10th tee box, conveniently called the "halfway house." This is your chance to grab a drink, use the restroom, and refuel for the final nine holes. A two-plus hour walk while swinging a club burns more calories than you might think.
What you choose to eat here matters. While a hot dog and a beer might sound tempting, they can often lead to a mid-round energy crash. Your best bets are options that provide sustained energy:
The turn is arguably more important mentally than it is physically. It’s a perfect opportunity to reset. Whether you had a fantastic front nine or a complete meltdown, the back nine is a fresh start. Use this 5-10 minute break to your advantage.
This breather is a strategic pause. Use it wisely, and you can often perform better on the back nine than you did on the front.
While the first turn is about course geography, the second - and more technical - turn is about the powerful rotation of your body during the golf swing. Most beginner golfers try to generate power by swinging their arms hard, but true power and consistency come from the body. The golf swing is a rotational action that moves the club around your body in an orbit, controlled primarily by the turning of your hips and shoulders.
Let's break down how this powerful rotation works in the backswing and downswing.
The backswing isn't about lifting the club, it's about coiling your body to store energy. Think of it like a spring: the more you wind it up, the more powerfully it can uncoil. The goal of the backswing turn is to create this "coil" by rotating your upper body against the resistance of your lower body.
1. It's a Rotation, Not a Sway: A common mistake is swaying the body from side to side. Imagine you are standing inside a tight cylinder or barrel. Your goal is to turn your body within the confines of that cylinder, not shift your weight outside of its walls. As you start the swing, feel your chest and hips rotate away from the target.
2. Shoulders and Hips Work Together (But Differently): The backswing is initiated by the turning of your shoulders and hips. However, they don’t turn the same amount. To create that powerful coil, you want your shoulders to turn more than your hips - ideally a 90-degree shoulder turn and about a 45-degree hip turn. This separation is what creates torque and stores power.
3. Keep Your Posture: As you turn, maintain the spine angle you established at address. You don't want to stand up or crouch down during the backswing. You are simply rotating your torso around a fixed point.
Your backswing turn is complete when you’ve rotated to a comfortable limit. Don't feel like you need to have a massive PGA Tour-style turn. A comfortable, controlled rotation is far better than over-rotating and losing balance. You are now at the top of your swing, fully loaded and ready to release that stored energy.
You’ve wound up the spring a perfectly. How do you release it? The downswing turn is where amateur golfers often get it wrong. They try to initiate the downswing with their arms and shoulders, which causes all sorts of problems like slices and hooks. The correct sequence is for the lower body to lead the turn.
1. The Lower Body Starts First: The very first move from the top of the swing should be a slight-yet-immediate shift of your weight to your lead foot and then an unwinding of your hips. Before your arms or shoulders even think about moving down, your lead hip should start rotating back toward the target. This creates lag and puts the club on the correct path to the ball.
2. The Body Unwinds: Once the hips start turning, the rest of the body follows in a powerful chain reaction. The torso unwinds, then the shoulders, then the arms, and finally the club. This sequence maximizes speed exactly where you want it: at impact. As you unwind, gravity helps the club drop into the slot, allowing you to hit the ball from the inside - the source of a powerful draw.
3. Turn All the Way Through to the Finish: Don’t stop your turn at impact! The rotation must continue. A great swing ends with a great finish. Keep rotating your body until your chest and belt buckle are facing the target. Almost all of your weight (around 90%) should be on your lead foot, with your back foot gently balanced on its toe. If you can hold this finish position calmly, it’s a strong sign that you stayed in balance and completed your turn.
Understanding these concepts is one thing, but feeling them is another. Here are a couple of straightforward drills you can do anywhere to improve your turn.
Mastering the body’s turn - loading in the backswing and firing in the downswing - is what separates inconsistent hitters from great ball-strikers. It's the move that provides effortless power and repeatibility.
The "turn" in golf is both a welcome mid-round break and the very core of a powerful swing. Learning to use the physical and mental pause between nines can help you stay strategic and energized, while mastering the rotation of your body unlocks the consistency and distance every golfer wants.
We know these swing concepts can feel complex, which is why we created Caddie AI to give you personalized guidance whenever you need it. When you're standing on the course unsure of your strategy or struggling with a technical part of your swing, you can get instant, expert-level feedback right from your phone. Our app provides smart on-the-spot strategy for navigating the course, and you can even snap a photo of a tricky lie to get clear advice on how to play the shot, taking the guesswork out of difficult situations.
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