2026-09-13 · Birdia Blog

Is Overswinging Past Parallel Bad in Golf?

What overswinging really is

We call it an overswing when the club travels past parallel to the ground at the top of the backswing. It's one of golf's most misunderstood "faults": length on its own isn't the flaw. The problem shows up when you find that extra length by collapsing your structure\u2014bending the lead arm, loosening your grip at the top, or letting the wrists throw the club.

Jack Nicklaus, in Golf My Way, describes how his swing clearly went past horizontal and he never saw it as a mistake: he kept a wide pivot and full control of the face. David Leadbetter, in The Golf Swing, makes the same point: repeatable power comes from arc width and the connection between arms and body, not from how many degrees you go past parallel.

The number that matters isn't the angle\u2014it's the tempo

Backswing length only turns destructive when it wrecks the sequencing of the downswing. Here there is a measured figure: John Novosel, timing hundreds of pro swings on video for Tour Tempo, found a backswing-to-downswing ratio of 3:1\u2014three units of time going back for every one coming down.

A "bad" overswing almost always breaks that 3:1: when you go too long you tend to rush the transition to "catch up," and the ratio blows out. A "good" overswing (Nicklaus's) holds the same tempo despite the length. That's why Birdia measures your swing phases on-device and calculates your tempo ratio: it tells you whether your long backswing still lands at 3:1 or whether you're rushing the way down.

When shortening it does help

Shorten the backswing if going past parallel repeatably costs you face control (balls flying left and right with no pattern) or if you feel the club release at the top. Harvey Penick, in Little Red Book, summed up his favorite fix for many students: feel that the swing is shorter and slower than you think, because nearly everyone overdoes the backswing chasing distance that never comes.

If overswinging causes back or wrist pain, that isn't fixed with a swing tip: see a physio or doctor before you keep grinding away.

Fuentes

• Jack Nicklaus \u2014 Golf My Way.
• David Leadbetter \u2014 The Golf Swing.
• John Novosel \u2014 Tour Tempo.
• Harvey Penick \u2014 Little Red Book.

Frequently asked questions

Does going past parallel cost me distance?

Not on its own. If the club goes past horizontal but you keep your arc width and a 3:1 tempo ratio, you can actually gain speed. You lose distance when the overswing comes from a bent arm and a released club, because that de-syncs the downswing and dumps energy before impact.

How do I know if my overswing is a bad one?

Check two signals: your lead-arm structure and your tempo. If the arm bends noticeably and you loosen your grip at the top, it's structural and worth shortening. If you keep a firm arm and a 3:1 downswing, it's just length. Birdia detects your backswing phase and ratio to tell one from the other.

Should I shorten my swing to gain consistency?

Yes\u2014but only if your dispersion grows at the end of the backswing. Many golfers improve by feeling it "shorter and slower," as Harvey Penick advises, because it curbs the rush. If your face arrives square and your tempo holds, leave the length alone: you'd be changing something that already works.