Hips or arms first

**Mr High Anxiety** · July 13, 2005

I have been fortunate in the past month to have been able to play a few rounds of golf. I'm pushing most of my drives right, it's not a slice per say but they are going right.

My question is what starts the downswing. For me I have always at the top of the backswing turned my hips which then pulled my arms down but I saw on Playing Lessons from the Pros that Nick Faldo says the arms should start the downswing and then the hips follow both becoming square at impact.

I'm hoping to be able to get a round in this weekend and am going to try and start with the arms first and the hips. I took a few practice swings in the elevator this morning minus a club of course and it feels strange having my arms go first.

What works for you?

Edit - spelling

**muskegman** · July 13, 2005

I seem to get our of sync if I focus too much on one or the other. I kind of feel they work in tandem with one another. I look foreword to hearing from one of the lower handicap guys around here.

**sevenfourate** · July 13, 2005

For me its big muscles first

I initiate my hips turning and releasing toward the target slightly before
ive even completed the backswing with my arms - so at the very top of my swing my top and bottom half are actually moving in different directions.This helps to drop the club into "the slot" on the inside.

This then pulls my top half (shoulders) into position,then forearms/wrists release through the shot.....ive always believed and swung big musles first (hips and torso),next biggest (shoulders) and smallest muscle groups last(hands and arms).

As far as it is personally for me in trying to create a coil and then release it:

"Wind up from top to bottom and unwind bottom to top"

Hope that all makes sense.

**NCGolfer** · July 13, 2005

"Wind up from top to bottom and unwind bottom to top"

Couldn't have said it better myself. I've always been on this line of thinking and it seems to make the most sense. The last thing that is 'wound' is released. Arms-shoulders-torso-hips on the takeaway and hips-torso-shoulders-arms on the downswing. Things are good in symmetry.

***iacas*** · July 13, 2005

Also agreed that it's put well there.

The way I like to think of it is "crack the whip." You start with a small move with your left knee, then from there on out it's rotation. You generate power from the ground up, and your arms are almost pulled along by the rotation of your hips. Your arms drop into the slot and whip through, and then at the last moment you release your wrists and forearms and uncock them and the clubhead whips through.

Crack the whip - the middle person is your feet, and the whipping goes through your knees, your hips, your shoulders, down your arms, into your wrists, and through the clubhead. The ball just gets in the way.

**muskegman** · July 14, 2005

For the first time as a golfer I am understanding this "coil/uncoil" feeling that you describe. The pro I'm working with is curing me of a flattish swingplane by getting my hands above my right shoulder in the backswing (among other things) and the swing has become instantly easier for me. I'll be testing all of this out over the weekend, but the "cracking the whip" thing makes sense for the first time.

I can see how the hips could lead the way on the swing.

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