downswing/ magic move

[moreira85]

I have been playing this game for about 8 years now? I think I finally figured out the swing. For years and years I was driving myself crazy trying to get the downswing right. I would try to put the club in a certain position, or hit down or try to get my right shoulder down plane, or start with my hips which was incorrect because i never shifted my weight etc etc. I first used to slice then years later started to pull and was very inconsistent.
It wasnt until today that I figured it out.
You cant put the club in a certain position on the downswing, you have to start the down swing by shifting your weight onto your left foot with slight bump BEFORE YOU START TO SWING DOWN WITH YOUR ARMS. Once the weight is shifted then finally you can go at the ball. If you start with your upper body such as your arms and shoulders you will never get in the correct position.

IS THIS CORRECT???

[iacas]

I'd call it more than a bump, but yeah, pushing the hips forward is a big deal.

More here, too: http://thesandtrap.com/forum/threads...LIDE-Your-Hips .

[kleraudio]

Push the hips forward but not the head right Erik??

I found when I try this forward hip slide, everything goes toward the target and my head goes toward the target too....

Just the lower body moves toward the target right?

Jim

[iacas]

Push the hips forward but not the head right Erik??

[kleraudio]

Very good video, thanks for posting that. Now does this concept only apply to a stack and tilt swing or does this concept work with a traditional swing??

Jim

[iacas]

Very good video, thanks for posting that. Now does this concept only apply to a stack and tilt swing or does this concept work with a traditional swing??

These should answer the question for you:

As should the other pictures in the "slide your hips" thread. The video? It's not specific. It keeps your head from moving forward because it's against a wall... that's all. Stack and Tilt is 90% like every other good swing.

[kleraudio]

Awesome, thanks man! I struggle with moving my head and upper body along with my hips, this should help a TON!

Jim

[Zeph]

We seem to have a lot of the same problems. I move forward with the head, but not enough with the hips. Working on getting the hips forward, but not letting the head drift too, makes a huge difference in the swing.
What works best for me is thinking about the knees instead of the hips. Pushing/banking the left or right knee, I prefer the right, towards the target. I also make sure the right knee doesn't move towards the ball at all. To prevent this I sometimes place an object right in front of the right knee that I don't want to hit, like a tripod. You can also put a range basket inside the right foot and make sure the right foot bank in and knock it over.

[tm22721]

Shifting hips to the target should be automatic, occurring at the end of the backswing. Look at the panel entitled 'the first compression phase ends' :

BioKinetic chain

My goal is to feel like a rubber band stretched to the limit between these two points :

- my left heel (actively pushing into the ground)
- my left hand (as far from my left heel and the ball as I can get it)

Then I just let the rubber band go with no manipulation on the way down.

[Zeph]

Every part of the golf swing should be automatic, but few of us are born with such skills, so it has to be taught through repetition.

[iacas]

Every part of the golf swing should be automatic, but few of us are born with such skills, so it has to be taught through repetition.

Yeah. The whole kinetic chain thing is not automatic, anyway. And most people don't "bump" enough.

[tm22721]

Stretch

I am curious whether this tip helps anybody else with overacceleration, sequencing and flipping problems. Stretch so that your left hand is as far as possible from both the ball AND the planted left heel (there is only one point in space where this is true).

[Shanks A Million]

I can give you some insight as to my own swing, and my process.

To me, the downswing is started with the sliding of the hips forward, which opens (unblocks) the path of the club from the inside. I slide my hips far more than most players, about as much as Hogan does in that picture (my guess is 8"). My arm is entirely in front of where my hips were at address, but that's because my left arm doesn't straighten all the way, so I have a sort of "chicken wing" throughout the whole swing (think Calvin Peete). My head always moves forward as I go back, but funny enough, it's always exactly where it was at address at impact. These things combine to give me a very solid impact.

Now, as to my process, my shoulders and core start the backswing. I stop turning before my right arm begins to feel like it's coming disconnected. This means I've gone too far, and is the reason I come past parallel sometimes. I feel my left shoulder turn under my chin, which forces my head to cock backward, which is why the crown of my skull moves forward. This is the top of the swing, but before my arms and wrists stop moving back, my hips slide forward. From here, it's more or less autopilot. The hips slide, the spine tilts back, and the hips clear the path for the club. The head moves back to its address position merely by turning back down to face the ball. The arms follow the hips, and the wrist cock is expended right as the hands are 6" in front of the ball. After impact, my swing gets weird. My back foot slides, with the toe dragging on the ground. It comes around and flares out to the right. The club comes around and over my left shoulder for a fade, to the left of my left shoulder for a draw.

[MiniMoe]

My feeling is that I start the downswing with my lower body before I actually finish the back swing with my arms. The action starts with the left knee and that little move sets the wrists and sets in motion the downswing. I don't feel like it's a "transfer of weight", but more like a change in momentum. Just like a baseball player starts the forward motion of throwing a ball by stepping into the throw, I set the motion of the swing by getting momentum going toward the target.

[Shanks A Million]

My feeling is that I start the downswing with my lower body before I actually finish the back swing with my arms.

I feel this too. I am glad a +4 feels the same move as I do!

[MiniMoe]

Here are a couple of videos that show the move.. one shows it exaggerated.

[Yukari]

... I don't feel like it's a "transfer of weight", but more like a change in momentum.

That is a great analogy. I've been working on my downswing for the last week or so, and my thought is to feel my right elbow on my right hip during impact. But I like your thought of transfering weight alot. I'll try that tomorrow...if it doesn't snow. We're suppose to get snow tonight and all day tomorrow. C'est la vie.

[jkkornman]

Discovering the magic move is really all about feel and less about mechanics. Unless you have ever dropped the club into the slot, there is no way you can teach someone how to get there.

All i can say is that in order for you to achieve that position, you absolutely have to keep your head from moving forward because you will lose any chance of creating any lag if you have moved your head and the whole swing center forward.

Can discuss more if you are interested...