Lesson 5

---

The Down Swing. (Changed - 02/02/2012)

---

Please Note.

The down swing movement and the follow through movement is performed whilst the shoulders and the arms are held together as a very compact one piece unit - whilst the hips control the movement of the upper body unit.
But importantly, the movement of the hips must ensure that whole body remains in the fully twisted condition throughout the down swing, with the left arm held as closely to the right shoulder for as long as possible.

The down swing movement is a flowing sequence of movements which begins with the movement of the hips, which triggers the rotational movement of the upper body which in turn triggers the swinging of the arms.

However the ultimate aim is to ensure that the club head strikes the ball at the precise moment the hands return to the original address position, therefore it is absolutely vital that you learn to perform this part of the golf swing with precision.
As soon as the club head strikes the ball, the whole body turns to fully face the target area at the same speed that the club head moves through the contact area

However, it is very important that you watch the back edge of the golf ball until the precise moment the club head strikes the ball.

---

As a practice movement, after making a three-quarter back swing movement, simply use the rotational movement of the hips to force the whole twisted body to rotate into the down swing, but ensure that the hips do not sway towards the target area.

---

Video.

Watch this video of Adam Scott playing the 3rd hole at Augusta and notice how the arms/hands go past the centre line of the body with an "out to in" swing plane before the club head strikes the ball, but importantly, notice how the lower part of the body practically facing the target area and the upper body is already forcing the right shoulder under the chin, before the ball is struck.

What you cannot see from this video is that his head remains firmly held in the original address position throughout the down swing and into the follow through movement.

Exercise.
Look at this Video of a overhead view of the golf swing and notice how the rotational movement of the hips and the upper body unit is well advanced before the ball is struck, thereby allowing the arms to swing past the body with a slicing action.
This is how the golf swing should be performed.

---

As the shoulders approach the very end of the back swing movement you must create a slight pause in the back swing movement whilst the down swing movement begins, thus creating a slight overlap of the back swing movement and the down swing movement,
( You must create a slight pause in the movement of the upper body unit at the end of the back swing movement, no matter how small)

Down swing movement.

Therefore at the end of the back swing movement the whole body has been formed into a fully twisted condition, therefore at the precise moment the weight of the body is moved very slightly onto the left foot, the hips and the very compact upper body unit, (which includes the arms), begin to rotate back to the ball position whilst held as a firmly bonded one piece unit and whilst also very held in the fully twisted condition.
(I cannot stress too strongly that as the the hips rotate during the down swing movement, they must not sway towards the target area, they must remain centralised over the centre of your stance.)

But most important of all is that the hips or the head must not be allowed to sway away from the original address position.

As the hips and the compact upper body unit rotate into the down swing movement, it is vital that the whole body remains in this fully twisted condition whilst the upper body angles are maintained but with the movement of the hips controlling the sequence of movements..

Therefore during the down swing movement, the hips control the movement of the upper body unit and the movement of the upper body unit control the swinging action of the arms.

(From the beginning of the down swing movement you must hold the right elbow against the body and keep the right wrist fully cocked so that the golf club is held at the same angle as achieved at the end of the back swing movement - you must try to hold the wrist in the fully cocked position for as long as possible.)

Continue to concentrate on using the rotation of the hips to control the rotation of the whole twisted body so that the right shoulder begins to rotate under the chin just before the club head strikes the ball but whilst continuing to maintain the upper body angles.
(From the moment the hips begin to rotate towards the target area, the rotational speed of the hips is a gradually increasing motion.)

The ultimate aim is to ensure that the club head strikes the ball at the precise moment the hands return to the original address position and once this position is achieved, the whole body turns to fully face the target area.

Continue to force the hips to rotate towards the target area as the club head swings through the contact area - but you must ensure that the hands also continue to move towards the target area at the same speed that the club head swings through the contact area - do not allow the hands to stop moving.

When you have mastered the basic movement, you can begin to think about performing the Key Movement at the precise moment the club head strikes the ball.

For this action to be successful, you must watch the back edge of the golf ball until the precise moment the club head strikes the ball.
But in addition, you must continue to hold the whole body in the fully twisted condition until well after the ball has been struck and also maintain the upper body angles until well after the ball has been struck, but importantly, you must not try to swing the arms into the contact area, keep the arms firmly held in the same position as achieved at the end of the back swing movement and therefore as part of the solid one piece unit.
( The longer you are able to stop the club head from releasing the better the strike will be.
Centrifugal force will eventually force the club head to release.)

(At this point the top class golfers physically force the right arm into the fully straightened position but for now simply perform the down swing as described.)

But all this must be performed without allowing the hips or the head to sway away from the original address position.

 

You must practice the Key Movement in slow motion at first without trying to hit a ball. Get the movement right before trying to strike a ball.

---

Video.

See another Video of Adam Scott in slow motion and notice how the hips and the upper body has already begun to turn to face the target area and the hands are slightly ahead of the body - before the club head strikes the ball.

This indicates the the lower part of the body is turning the fully face the target area before the club head strikes the ball.
But also notice that the right elbow is tucked into the waist at the point of impact and the upper body angle is maintained.

---

Rotational movement of the upper body and the hips whilst bonded together during the down swing movement.

The upper body rotates around the central core of the spine whilst held at the same angle that the upper body is positioned at the address position, which is about 45 degrees from the perpendicular.

Similarly, the hips must rotate on the same angle that the hips are set at the address position, which is only a slight angle, but importantly, the hips must not sway away from the address position as they rotate towards the target area.

Imagine the upper body and the lower part of the body as two component of a universal coupling with the waist line acting as the universal joint but both turning at the same speed whilst held at different angles as they rotate into the down swing movement.

(Definition of a Universal coupling - One transmitting power by a shaft at any selected angle.)

---

The weight of the body moves slightly from left to right during the back swing movement and then from right to the left during the down swing movement.

However although the weight of the body moves slightly during the golf swing, you must not allow the hips to sway back and forth - the hips must never sway away from the centralised position, they must only rotate around a central point which is directly under the hips.

Similarly, your head must not be allowed to move away from the original address position especially as the club head swings through the contact area.
Do not allow your head to sway back and forth with any lateral movement during the down swing.

---

It is vital to understand that most of what you learn in this website will be absolutely wasted unless you learn to watch the ball until the club head makes contact with the ball with every shot,
So the first thing you must do is to learn this basic principle.

---

Advertising.

If you have a website you would like to broadcast to the world, click on one of the links at the top of the page to sign up and designate which page/lesson would suit your needs.

There are discounts available for multiple entries.

---

 

---

Contact - Site Map