Definition of "backswing" [backswing]

• The initial part of a stroke, in which one moves a racket or club, for instance, to the position from which forward motion begins. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He closed with a par, getting a break when given relief on his second shot because his backswing was affected by a tree stake."
• "Duffers like me know you can't ground your club in a hazard, but knowing that brushing a reed on your backswing is a penalty, with no effect on the outcome of the swing, is to have a sturdy grip on the Rules of Golf."
• "When slicing the golf ball, it is likely that you will experience trouble with the initial stages of the backswing, which is you are leaving the correct plane early."