Golf downswing: What starts the golf downswing sequence is really the feet shifting your weight down the target line with a hip bump. However, several other body part move almost simultaneously to play a role in this downswing initiation.
Use the downswing tips below as game time downswing thoughts or as practice drills to grove the proper weight shift, slot and plane path moves and lag at the top of your backswing.
I have listed 16 good and simple swing thoughts or drills and featured golf downswing video below to help you cure whatever transition downswing fault you may have.
With that said, of course a proper golf
grip
,
stance
, and
backswing
must be achieved before the downward swing motion begins. Further, even if you full swing is right, you will have to get you
putting, chipping,
and
pitching
together to score.
DOWNSWING TRAINING AIDS: Some popular training aids for the down swing you can find online are the PIVOT PRO, THE POWER ANGLE, TOUR STRIKER, MEDICUS and GYRO TRAINER to name a few.
Featured Youtube Downswing Video
Take a look at our featured Youtube video covering one of the fundamentals of the downswing.
16 Simple Golf Swing Thoughts, Drills, Tips: To Start A Proper Golf Downswing Transition Sequence
Below are 16 tips that can be used as drills or game time swing thoughts. They cure 8 basic types of transition faults.
The 8 faults are as follows, listed in the order of what is most common for amateurs:
1st: Over the top with arms;
2nd: Too quick with your arms;
3rd: Too slow with your legs;
4th: No lateral shift;
5th: Too slow or poor hip rotation;
6th: Too fast with your hips;
7th: Too steep of a plane path;
8th: Too flat (or too inside) of a plane path.
Tip 1: Squish The Bug With Front Foot - Think about softly squishing a bug with your front foot to start your downswing transition sequence. This properly initiates your legs and a weight shift for a down the line swing. This trick helps many with the first three common faults mentioned above.
<< front foot action >> Tip 2: Back Leg Thrust - This is an Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods downswing thought. Think about triggering your transition with a thrusting of your back leg. Tiger actually combos the first golf swing tip with this one as a golf downswing drill. This golf swing tip helps many with the first three common faults mentioned above.
<< back foot thrust >> Tip 3: Move Your Front & Back Knees Towards the Target - Like the first two tricks, this tip helps many golfers with the first three common faults mentioned above. It also helps with the 4th fault (failure to laterally shift).
<< knee turn >> Tip 4: Slow Left & Right Shoulder - Thinking about having slow shoulders at the start of the downswing is good for keeping your arms from out racing your lower body. This is also a good slow motion drill.
<< slow shoulder turn >> Tip 5: Rubber Band Left Shoulder - This is a golf downswing lag drill and thought similar to swing tip 4. However, the key to this one is focusing on feeling the left shoulder muscles stretching as the down swing begins. This helps you feel the lag as your lower body begins to move forward and your upper body is finishing the backswing.
<< left shoulder lag >> Tips 6: Hold Your Back To Target - This Hank Haney downswing thought of initially holding your back to the target during your transition helps cure the 1st swing fault (arms over the top). As well, it should help you feel the lag.
<< back to the target >> Tip 7: Shift The Hips Toward The Target: By thinking about shifting your hips towards the target line, you will fix a poor lateral weight shift and poor hip movement.
<< hip lateral move >> Tip 8: Turn The Hips - Depending on whether you have a right side or left side dominated swing, your will think of your right or left hip turning through the ball. Jack Nicklaus would switch between these two golf downswing thoughts to keep a balanced transition.
<< hip turn >> Tip 9: Turn Your Belt Buckle Towards The Target - This Ben Hogan downswing tip is similar to tip 8 curing poor hip rotation. However, it is more for those with a swing not dominated by their right or left side.
<< belt buckle drill >> Tip 10: Hold Back Hips After Initial Hip Turn - This is a swing thought used by Annika Sorenstam to slow down her hips. This is a problem women are more likely to have than men because of their hip flexibility.
<< downswing quick hips >> Tip 11: Left Shoulder Up / Right Shoulder Down - This should help you have proper shoulder movement down the target line. Therefore, it helps to cure the over the top move. Golfers with the over the top move leave their right shoulder high and cast it towards the ball.
<< left and right shoulder rock >> Tip 12: Toll The Bell With A Straight Left Arm - For left side dominated players, thinking of tolling a bell with your left arm helps to prevent the over the top move. It also promote a late release of the club in the down swing. Just make sure you keep a straight left arm.
<< straight left arm >> Tip 13: Right Elbow Back To Your Side - Harvey Penick's (Little Red Book) suggests that you bring your right elbow back into the body to initaite the down swing. This is great to help right side dominated golfers to avoid an over the top move.
Tip 14: Let Gravity Drop The Arms - For golfer that are balanced between their right and left side, this is a good golf downswing transition swing thought to prevent over the top. It should also help you feel the lag when transitioning.
Tip 15: Karate Chop With Right Hand - This is similar to golf downswing tip 13, only a different visualization. Hey, different strokes for different folks. The point is that you would keep your right elbow close to your body if you were about to karate chop with it.
Tip 16: Hammer The Ball With Right Hand - Once again, this is similar to Tip 13, just a different visualization.
