How to perform a correct down swing movement by the Basic Steps to Perfect Golf

You must create a very slight pause at the end of the back swing movement whilst you press the left foot to the ground -- thus setting up the correct down swing sequence of movements.

(As a guide to the swing action, if you can visualise the old fashion way of cutting grass with a large double handed scythe is very similar to the way the down swing and the follow through movement is performed.)

The main objective of the down swing movement is use the rotational/pivotal movement of the hips to force the compact upper body to rotate about its axis and ultimately achieve the ideal impact position as follows:-

2) The shoulders are parallel to the target line ( and must remain in this position for a nanosecond whilst the arms interact.)

3) The hands exactly in the original address position which is slightly ahead of the centre line of the stance.

4) The head firmly positioned so that the left eye is slightly behind the ball.

5) The club head and the hands have moved past the position on the ground that the left eye is directly above, thus striking the ball.

Assuming that you have rotated the shoulders and the arms to the end of the back swing movement whilst held firmly together as a very compact upper body unit, thus literally using the movement of the upper body unit to push the passive arms to the end of the back swing movement, the torsion of the muscles between the upper body and the lower body will be at their maximum and the whole body will have been formed into a fully twisted condition.

(If it was possible to complete the back swing movement without the right arm folding, the club face would remain in the same position relative to the shoulders throughout the back swing movement, however because the right arm gradually folds during the full back swing movement it causes the alignment of the club face to become slightly open to the relevant position of the shoulders, but this slightly open position of the club face is automatically corrected during the down swing movement as the right arm automatically returns to the original address position of being slightly bent.)

However in order for the down swing movement to be performed successfully it is vital that you do not physically assist in rotating the shoulders back to the original address position -- this action will be automatically performed by the rotational/pivotal action of the hips.

Down Swing.
Whilst holding the shoulders at the end of the back swing movement, the down swing movement is initiated by pressing the left foot to the ground and simultaneously forcing the hips to rotate /pivot towards the target area.
( As the torsion of the muscles between the lower part of the body and the upper part of the body reaches it absolute maximum, the danger is that you will allow the shoulders to twist away from the parallel to the target line - so concentrate on holding the shoulders parallel to the target line whilst the torsion builds up.)

As soon as the hips begin to rotate/pivot towards the target area, the high torsion of the muscles between the upper part of the body and the lower part of the body will force the passive compact upper body unit to automatically follow the movement of the hips and begin to rotate around the central core of the spine, but importantly, the movement of the hips must remain in over-all control whilst the upper body unit remains in a totally passive condition.

It is also important to understand that as soon the shoulders begin to rotate into the down swing movement, the inertia effect will force the passive arms to slightly lag behind the movement of the shoulders, so you simply allow the arms to remain in this slightly lagged condition until the very last stages of the down swing movement.

However at the later stages of the down swing movement you will find that the high torsion of the muscles will force the passive arms to begin to accelerate into the contact area and at that point the left shoulder/left arm also begin to pull the passive arms/golf club into the contact area.

Therefore it is the skill of the golfer to use the movement of the hips to force the compact upper body unit to rotate about its axis and as the shoulders get very close to the original address position use a combination of the torsion of the muscles and the pulling action of the left arm/left shoulder muscles to ensure that the club head makes contact with the golf ball at the precise moment the shoulders return to the parallel to the target line.

It is absolutely vital that the shoulders and the arms continue to be tightly held together as a solid compact one piece unit as the shoulders rotate back to the original address position, but you must ensure that the hands do not return to the original address position until the precise moment the club head strike the ball.
( From the moment the shoulders begin to rotate into the down swing movement the inertia effect will cause the passive arms to immediately lag behind the movement of the shoulders and it is the skill of the golfer to use the left arm/left shoulder muscles correctly, to anticipate and use this inertia effect to generate the required high velocity of the club head as it swings into the contact area. )

However it is absolutely vital that you focus your eyes on the back section of the ball as the club head is flailed into the contact area and actually see the club head strike the ball, but importantly the hands and the club head must go past the centre line of your stance whilst the shoulders are parallel to the target line, before the club head strikes the ball.

Although at the point when the club head makes contact with the ball and the shoulders stop rotating, the professional golfer will also aggressively straighten the right arm.
However any attempt at this stage by a high handicapper to try to apply extra power with the right arm will simply cause the muscles of the forearms to become tense or cause the elbows to spread apart thus causing a sliced shot, so introduce this movement gradually . - but this is all covered in the next lesson - The "Follow Through"

The down swing movement is initiated by pressing down on the ground with the left foot and simultaneously forcing the hips to rotate/pivot towards the target area.
(You must hold the shoulders at the end of the back swing position for a milli-second whilst the hips rotate/pivot towards the target area so that the torsion of the muscles reach their absolute limit.)

As soon as the hips begin to rotate/pivot towards the target area, the high torsion of the muscles between the upper part of the body and the lower part of the body will almost immediately force the passive compact upper body unit to follow the movement of the hips and thereby begin to rotate around the central core of the spine.

From the very beginning of the down swing movement I am concentrating very hard to ensure that the right arm remains fully bent for as long as possible whilst also ensuring that the left eye remains slightly behind the ball and fully focused on the back edge of the golf ball.

In this second photograph, the rotational/pivotal movement of the hips continue to force the passive compact upper body unit to follow the movement of the hips thus automatically rotating the shoulders into the impact position.

However I continue to concentrating very hard to ensure that the left eye remains slightly behind the ball and I am fully focused on the back edge of the golf ball.

At this stage the high torsion of the muscles are unable to be contained any longer and the passive arms begin to accelerate into the contact area so at this point I also activate the left arm/left shoulder muscles to pull the passive arms/golf club into the contact area

You will note that a impact the left shoulder is much higher than the right shoulder but the shoulders are still parallel to the target line.

In this third photograph the shoulders have returned to the original address position by simply using the powerful movement of the hips whilst the left arm/left shoulder muscles have completed the task of pulling the passive arms/golf club into the contact area, thus flailing the club head into the contact area.

But importantly, throughout the complete down swing movement I have ensured that left eye has remained slightly behind the ball and I have watched the back edge of the golf ball so that at impact I will see the club head make contact with the ball.

If you look at this photo, you will notice that if you drop a line from my left eye down to the centre of my stance, the left eye in slightly behind the ball position. You will also notice that the hands and the club head has gone past this point prior to the club head making contact with the ball.

Therefore in order to achieve the perfect impact position, the hands and the club head must pass the centre line of your stance before the club head strikes the ball.

Notice how the hands do not return to the original address position until the club head makes contact with the ball.

Down Swing Movement animation.
The down swing movement is initiated by pressing the left foot to the ground and simultaneously rotating/pivoting the hips towards the target area.

As the hips begin to rotate/pivot towards the target area, the high torsion of the muscles between the upper part of the body and the lower part of the body will force the passive compact upper body unit to follow the movement of the hips and begin to rotate around the central core of the spine.
Therefore from the moment the shoulder reach to absolute end of the back swing movement, the movement of the hips assume total control over the rotational movement of the shoulders - and must continue to do so to the completion of the golf swing movement

However from the very beginning of the down swing movement I have concentrated very hard to ensure that the left eye remains slightly behind the ball and I am fully focused on the back edge of the golf ball and will continue with this concentration until I see the contact between the club head and the golf ball.

As the shoulders rotate back to the original address position a combination of the release of the torsion of the muscles around the shoulder region and the pulling action by the left arm/left shoulder muscles will accelerate the passive arms/golf club into the contact area.

In this animation you will notice that the hands and the club head go past the centre line of the body before the club head strikes the ball, which is the impact position that you must strive to achieve.
(At the precise moment the club head strikes the ball, the shoulders stop rotating, albeit for only a nanosecond, whilst the left shoulder muscles pull the passive arms through the contact area thus performing the Key Movement.)

(If the picture does not have an active element, click the mouse whilst it is over the picture and refresh the page.)

If you want to increase the velocity of the club head, simply increase the over-all speed of the hip movement but continue to keep the compact upper body unit held tightly together as a very compact unit and ensure that the unit remains in a totally passive condition.
However do not attempt to increase the hips movement until you master the basic movement.

This is an article by Jim McLean in Golf World about the down swing movement, which reinforces my interpretation of the golf swing.

By Jim McLean with Pete McDaniel
Illustrations By Jim Luft And Jason Lee
Photos By Stephen Szurlej

One of the biggest misconceptions about the X-Factor is that it maxes out at the top of the backswing. The truth is, the gap between your shoulder turn and hip turn should increase during the early part of the downswing. Because the X-Factor measures the amount of coil between the shoulders and the hips, the X-Factor stretch is how much that coil increases from the top to the first move down.

Here's how it works: When you coil into your right side during the backswing (above left), energy is transferred and stored into that side. You release it properly through the correct sequence of body motion at the transition, starting with a substantial lateral move of the hips toward the target. Your shoulders and arms follow. That's right: The upper body and lower body should work independently. The hips and legs separate from the upper body and start forward (above right). That's when the X-Factor peaks.

To maximise your stretch, learn to start the downswing with your lower body. Place your left hand on your left-front pocket and simulate a backswing with your right arm. Then shift your hips toward the target, feeling your front-left pocket move forward before you start your right arm down. That's the X-Factor stretch -- the primary reason an average-size tour player can drive the ball so far.

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