Lesson 5 - The Down Swing.(Changed 07/12/2024)

 

Basically the down swing is all about using the pivotal action of the hips to force the whole twisted body to rotate around the axis of the spine whilst the upper body held as a one piece unit -- and carried out as a single movement., but importantly, the down swing is performed at a rediculously slow pace whilst the club head is whipped into the contact area. ( Just watch the professionals on the TV - Matthew Jordan is a clsssic example.)

The condition of the upper body unit at the end of the back swing movement, where the left arm is close to the right shoulder and the whole body in is a fully twisted condition must be maintained throughout the down swing and until well into the follow though movement.

The only thing that changes it that before the ball is struck the right arm is in a bent position and the left arm is straight -- then after ball has been struck, the right arm is fully extended and the left arm begins to fold.

It is a simple action, as the left hip begins to rise, the whole twisted body unit rotates around the central core of the spine thus automatically returning the club head to the ball -- an easy one piece movement.

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Before you start look at this Video -- It shows you how to use your body as you strike the ball.

The aim of the down swing movement is to achieve the perfect impact position --- ( see still photos of top professional golfers.)

 

At the end of the back swing movement the muscles of the whole body has been wound up to its maximum, and the body is in a fully twisted condition, however at this point you must create a very slight pause before you begin the down swing movement.

Begin by rotating/pivoting the hips so that the left hip begins to rise and the right hip begins to drop, this action will automatically force the whole twisted body to follow the movement of the hips and begin to rotate around the central core of the spine, but it is vital to maintain the whole twisted body condition.

Begin the down swing with a very slow movement and gradually increase the speed of the hip movement as the down swing progresses, but the majority of the down swing is best performed as a very slow tempo, thus allowing you to correctly adopt the impact position and also time the strike of the golf club.

Down Swing Movement.

I hold the whole body in the fully twisted condition for a millisecond whilst I wait for the torsion of the muscles created by the hip pivotal movement reaches its maximum.
before I move my weight slightly on to the left foot and simultaneously begin to pivot/rotate the hips thus forcing the whole twisted body to follow the movement of the hips.

This hip action must be performed in complete synchronisation with the rotational movement of the whole twisted body as it rotates around the central core of the spine, but with the hip pivotal movement controlling the whole movement and all performed whilst the right elbow is held close to the waistline

( As soon as the weight of the body moves on to the left foot, the weight must remain over the left side of the body for the remainder of the swing process.)

After a delay of a milli- second, the action of pulling my right elbow closer to my waist line initiates the magic move,

Therefore as the right elbow touches the waist line, the hips continue to pivot thus continuing to force the whole twisted body to rotate around the central core of the spine so that the belt buckle is almost facing the target area and whilst left arm remains close to the right shoulder.

The feeling you must have at this point is that as the hips are pivoting and turning, the right knee is pushing towards the target area, and therefore as the hips continue to pivot/rotate towards the target area, the whole twisted body unit is pulling the club head into the ball.

The whole body must be held as a solid one piece unit whilst the hips pivot thus forcing the whole twisted body to rotate around the central core of the spine, thus using the solid bulk of the body to drive the energy into the ball.

All of these movement are performed at a very slow speed.

Therefore from the moment the down swing begins, the hips turn and pivot and the whole twisted body unit move in complete tandem, but a fraction of a second before the club head strikes the ball the arms are forced to interact, thus causing the arms to swing across in front of your body until the right arm is fully straightened.

Throughout the whole down swing process the hips never stop rotating/ pivoting/ turning towards the target area

*** It is important that the hips are fully pivoted so that the left hip is in the fully raised position before the club head strikes the ball

I cannot emphasis too strongly how solid the upper body must be held together throughout the down swing and into the follow through movement.

 

Once the right arm is fully straightened you must concentrate on ensuring that the right shoulder rotates under the chin, thus swinging the the solid upper body unit / club head through the contact area and using the upper body movement to pulls the club head through the contact area.

However, at no point in the down swing movement must the arms be allowed to move independently of the shoulders, the only independent movement of the arms is when they interact with each other at the point when the club head strikes the ball.

The speed of the club head is not achieved by the swinging of the arm as such, the speed of the club head is achieved by a combination of the rotational movement of the solid upper body unit, the flaying action of the club head and the interaction of the arms as the club head swings through the contact area.

(You must maintain the rigidity of the whole twisted body from the moment the down swing begins - right through to the end of the follow through movement, with the only the wrists as the only independently moving parts which are used to flay the club head into the back of the ball whilst the interaction of the arms are taking place. as the club head moves through the contact area.)

 

But remember to keep the elbows held close together so that the upper body remains as a solid one piece unit as you perform the down swing movement.

 

But most important, you must hold the upper body angles and keep the left arm close to the right shoulder whilst the right shoulder rotates under the chin.

Sounds crazy, but it works.

Important points.

As the precise moment the club head strikes the ball, the hands must be held in the original address position for a milli-second whilst the club head accelerates into the back of the ball, and as soon as the club head makes contact with the ball the hands move towards the target area at the same speed that the club head moves through the contact area whilst simultaneously the whole body pivots on the raised left leg to fully turn face the target area.

 

The longer you can keep the left arm close to the right shoulder, the more solid strike of the ball will be achieved.

It can be achieved, you just need to persevere, if I can do it so can you.

So a few important points about the down swing:-

1) The hip movement must begin the down swing sequence whilst the upper body remains in a passive condition.

The more you can rotate the hips towards the target area and ensure that the hips are forced to pivot so that the left hip is beginning to rise point before the upper body is forced to follow the greater the contact will be, it is vital to create this separation between the hips and the upper body, and maintain it throughout the down swing sequence.

2) The hip continually rotate/pivot towards the target area, and importantly always pulling the passive upper body into the impact position.

The quicker you can get the left hip in the fully raised position, the more time you will have to pull the arms into the downswing movement.

3) A fraction of a second before the club head strikes the ball the left hip must be at its maximum height therefore at that point there is a very slight pause in the rotational/pivotal movement of the hips which allows to arms to begin to interact thus accelerating the arms/club head into and through the contact area.

4) As the arms interact, the hips resumes its rotation whilst the arms are forced to follow the ball flight.

5) As the arms continue to follow the flight of the ball, simultaneously the whole body must quickly turn to face the target area.

To perform this correctly, your eyes must remain focused on the back of the ball until the precise moment the club head strikes the ball, the head must remain slight behind the ball until after the ball has been struck, and the head held so that the eyes are looking at the spot the ball was resting as the follow through movement is performed and the left hip is raised to its maximum height.

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