Best Way to Perfect Your Downswing in Golf

The changeover from the backswing to the downswing is probably the most discussed and least understood part of the full swing. For the majority of us there is no halt at the top of the backswing, so there can be no real start of the downswing – I think that it is best to regard the downswing as simply a change of direction.

All those who have been taught golf properly have learned that they should feel that they change direction during the swing by pulling the club down on the inside of the target line with both arms, the left arm leading and dominating.

This will move the pressure over to the left foot automatically. Only now will the hips turn towards the target, bringing the weight of the left leg on to the left heel, leaving plenty of room for the arms to continue unhindered forwards, before returning the club head to the inside of the target line and up to the finish position.

Swinging down with the arms helps to prevent the body from getting in front of the ball, from which position it is impossible to strike the ball correctly. A free and purposeful arm swing down to the ball will allow the legs to move in unison with the arms, thus keeping the upper body behind the ball at impact.

WARNING! Your natural reaction to a perfectly performed backswing is to start the downswing from the lower limbs. High-handicap players often swing the club head down to the ball too late, so any conscious effort to start the downswing with the legs will then leave the club head so far behind it will never catch up, result­ing in a tremendous slice. Concentrate instead on swinging the arms down, so that you instinctively move the left hip out of the way, allowing the club to do its work.

It the backswing is performed 100% correctly, then a number of things occur quite naturally. The legs, having resisted the turn on the backswing, start towards the target automatically, causing a natural weight shift which returns the left heel to the ground and turns the hips to the left. Wonderful, you might think. But how many of us have a perfect backswing? With our backswings, most of us would do best to think only of swinging the club down to the ball with the arms and letting the weight transference occur ‘by itself. The transference of pressure from the right foot to the left heel should be a result of the left arm swinging first down and then from the inside to along the target line.

For most beginners, any conscious attempt to shift the weight first or to turn the hips to the left early will usually bring the club head to the ball very late and from the outside of the target line. This is the cause of many a sliced or topped shot, because the club head arrives at the ball after the upper body has turned to the left. Your partner will usually tell you that you looked up, but how can you stop your head from turning to the target if your shoul­ders are already turned towards it and the club head has still not reached the ball?

The strike position in a perfectly ex­ecuted golf swing should differ only a little from the address position. The lower body will be slightly further forwards and more to the left; the head and right shoulder will be slightly lower and further back.

Your natural flexibility will allow you to swing the club head down with your arms, causing rising speed that maximises just before you hit the ball. If you swing the arms down first, before turning the shoul­ders, the release will occur quite naturally, with the pent-up energy coming from the full use of the club, sending the ball a long way with what you feel was a free and effortless swing.

REMEMBER! The club must be swung down first and must approach the ball from the inside of the target line, while the upper body is held back in order to allow the club to do the work. In itself, this will help prevent that most common error of the club approaching the ball too steeply, too late and from the outside. Leaving the club head a long way behind is only worthwhile if you can make it catch up with the swing before the ball is struck, and that is something best left to the top golfers. If the club head comes too early to the ball, you may lose some of the effect; if it comes too late, you lose almost all of it.