Return Depth: Prepare Sooner, Shorten Backswing, Weight Forward

Summary

Ty Butson’s Road Back to 5.0 focuses on returns that were landing too short in tournament play, letting opponents get to the kitchen too easily.

The fix is depth without a slap: prepare sooner, shorten a backswing that was getting too big, use a firmer grip, and keep weight forward through contact. Aim deeper so you buy time to move up — you don’t need to crush the return, you need it deep enough to take away their easy approach.

Key takeaways

• Depth over slap — deep returns buy time to get forward
• Prepare sooner and shorten an oversized backswing
• Firmer grip + weight forward through contact

Action items

• Feed 30 FH returns: only count ones that land past mid-court
• Film 10 returns — mark early prep vs late, big vs short backswing