Golf Downswing Tips

By on Monday, January 19th, 2009 | No Comments

golf instruction

 
Starting the Downswing

As the right arm begins to unfold and the left hip moves one or two inches towards the target before it begins to turn out of the way, the downswing is in full swing mode. In other words the game is on. No holding back, no stopping and no bailing out. There is no turning back.

As the force of the arms swinging down the lower part of the body is moving out of the way. There are some very important moves that have to take place for a solid shot with maximum clubhead speed.

The speed of the arms and hands and the tension in the lower body is what creates the clubhead speed you are in search of.

1. When the hands pass your belt buckle the right knee will begin to move down the intended line and the right heel will come up off of the ground. At the same time, the body is moving parallel to the target line and the left knee is about to become involved.

Body is Moving Parallel to the Target Line

1. Body is Moving Parallel to the Target Line

2. The purpose of the left knee at this moment is to distribute the force from the downswing and maintain a strong foundation for a solid finish. The left leg must straighten out 90% of its maximum, it can not over extend.

Left Knee Returns to Address Position

2. Left Knee Returns to Address Position

Snapping the left knee or overextending it can cause injury. If you snap the knee too soon it will also weaken the foundation and the downswing will not have any stability.

As the golf club starts down it must remain on the same path it went back on. The path is a slight arc going back down into the back of the golf ball. The only way you can remain on this path is to start the right arm first and then the rest of the body can follow. If the right shoulder starts first in the downswing the golf club will have a tendency to swing outside the arc too much and if the left hip starts first in the downswing the golf club will have a tendency to start inside the arc too much.

The golf club has to stay on this correct path until impact. The combination of the left hip turning back out of the way and the right shoulder following the arms will enable the golf club to stay on the correct path. At any time if there is a change in direction of the body, the club will come off of the path.

At impact the left arm is long, the left arm has turned out of way, and your bottom half has moved back towards the address position. The right arm is now long (speed of downswing has made the right arm longer than at address), the right shoulder and head are slightly behind the golf ball, and your right heel is off of the ground.

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How To Start The Golf Downswing

By on Monday, January 19th, 2009 | No Comments

how to start the golf downswing

The Secret of the Golf Swing is the First Move Down

Now you are ready to start the downswing. You have arrived safely at the top and now you need to return to the bottom in one piece.

1. When you are ready to start the downswing, the very first move is for the right arm to begin to straighten out and return to the exact same position it started in. The right arm has to start to come unhinged as soon as you begin the downswing.

Right Arm Begins to Straighten
1a. Right Arm Begins to Straighten		 Right Arm Unhinges
1b. Right Arm Unhinges

 

Right Arm Straight
1c. Right Arm Straight

Many people have written about this topic. As a matter of fact, it seems like every time anyone goes near this subject, the entire golf world throws the four letter word “cast” at you. The terms “cast” or “casting the golf club” were used in the 60’s and have escalated to the point where if you mention any other way of swinging the golf club down other than “pulling on the handle” or creating drag and creating a tight angle with your arms, the golf world is ready to pounce on you.

The good news, bad news is the terms “pulling on the handle” and “creating a tight angle” have kept me very busy for the past 25 years. If you are trying to practice the above mentioned phrases, I feel very confident you’ll end up hitting too many shots to the right. The ability to hit a golf ball squarely with the correct timing has more to do with how many hours you can dedicate to the game than it does with how hard you can pull on the handle of the golf club.

Your ability to create clubhead speed lies in the speed you can swing your hands, arms and golf club not in how fast you can pull the grip end of the golf club. Clubhead speed is created from you generating width in the right arm on its journey back to the golf ball.

Swinging just the hands, arms and golf club back to the golf ball with maximum clubhead speed independent of the lower and upper body is not the answer either. Swinging the golf club back to the golf ball on the correct path with maximum clubhead speed is the combination of the hands, arms and golf club swinging in conjunction with the lower body moving out of the way and the upper body turning back towards the target. The upper and lower body CANNOT swing independent of each other.

As the right arm begins to unhinge:

2. The left hip moves one or two inches towards the target

Left Hip Moves Towards Target

2. Left Hip Moves Towards Target

3. Then the left hip should start to turn out of the way so the hands, arms, and golf club can have a place to swing to after impact.

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