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*** During the back swing movement it is the left shoulder that is in control of the rotational movement of the upper body.
However during the down swing and the follow through movement, it is the right shoulder that is in control of the rotational upper body movement. ***
Basically the down swing is all about rotating the shoulders around the central core of the spine, but it is important to understand that it is the right side of the upper body, specificallythe right shoulder, that forces the upper body to rotate into and through the contact area.
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The rotation of the upper body unit is the powerhouse of the golf swing.
The golden rule that relates to the upper body unit is
that once the elbows have been pulled close together thus forming the triangular shape of the shoulders and the arms, the upper body unit must be strictly maintained in this compact condition from the moment the back swing begins, right through to the end of the golf swing movement, therefore the elbows must remain as close together as is physically possible at all times to ensure that the upper body unit remain in a compact condition, but importantly, it is the rotation of the shoulders that controls the movement of the arms.
Look at the professional golfers on TV and you will see what I mean.
However, regardless how tightly you hold the elbows together during the back swing movement the right arm will gradually fold.
During the down swing movement you must use the rotation of the whole body to strike the ball, there is hardly any independent movement of the arms until the club head strikes the ball.
As you perform the golf swing movement you must imagine a straight steel rod as a replacement for your spine, but the rod extends all the way into the ground thus holding the upper body firmly at the angle than is set at the address position --- the compact upper body simply rotates back and forth around this metal rod.
BACK SWING MOVEMENT
As you perform the back swing movement it is absolutely vital that the left shoulder is in control as the upper body rotates as a solid one piece unit.
( You must continually practice the movement of using the rotational movement of the shoulders and the upper torso to make a full back swing movement.)
(Until the movement becomes second nature, you will often lapse into lifting the arms as you perform the back swing movement.)
( It is so easy to fall into the habit of simply lifting the arms. You will know when you are not making a correct back swing movement and thus lifting the arms instead of using the upper body rotation to swing the club head, when your golf shots become erratic.)
At the end of the back swing movement the arms have moved to a position where the left arm is close to the right shoulder.
DOWN SWING MOVEMENT
At the end of the back swing movement, the rotation of the shoulders has placed the arms to a position where the left arm is close to the right shoulder.
Therefore it is vital that the configuration of the upper body, (i,e the position of the arm in relation to the shoulders) is strictly maintained for the majority of the down swing movement as the whole body rotates towards the target area.
It is very difficult to hold the left arm close to the right shoulder as the down swing movement is performed, because the natural urge is to forcible swing the arms.
Therefore as soon as you apply pressure to the left foot, thus initiating the down swing movement, you simultaneously begin to pull the right elbow into the waistline in order to perform the Magic Move, thus causing the arms to drop.
As soon the the right elbow get close to the waistline, the upper body begins to rotate around the axis of the spine, as a solid one piece unit
At this point the only action that has taken place is that as the right elbow was pulled into the waistline which caused the arms to drop down to a new position, but the upper body configuration ie, the left arm held close to the right shoulder must be maintained, therefore at this point definitely not allowing the arms to move independently of the shoulders.
As a guide, if you are performing the movement correctly, at impact the shoulders will be partially facing the target area before the club head strikes the ball.
The power of the golf swing is achieved by the rotation of the upper body unit whilst the hips continue to rotate towardes the taget area and using the thrust of the right shoulder as it is forced to rotate under the chin, combined with the the flaying action of the golf club and the straightening of the right arm at the point of impact.
As a point of importance, during the down swing movement
the right arm will automatically begin to unfold -- unless you hold it in the folded condition.
( You must keep the shoulders and the arms held as a solid unit throughout the down swing movement.)
As the whole body rotates around the central core of the spine, whilst held as a solid one piece unit, the shoulders are forced to rotate from a position at the end of the back swing movement where the left shoulder is pointing to the ball position, to a position at the completion of the golf swing movement, where the right shoulder is pointing well past the original ball position.
At the precise moment the club head strikes the ball and as the whole body quickly turns to fully face the target area --- at the same speed the club head is swinging through the contact area - the right arm is forced into the fully straightened position.
Therefore as down swing movement movement is performed, the only way that the upper body angles can be maintained is to use the waist line as a universal joint.
