Transition

[kurisu]

Hello everyone,

I'm at that point where my impacts are solid when all falls into place at the right time. My coach and I really worked on having a short and quiet backswing, eliminating what I can only describe as being "flippy" with my wrists at the top. (to achieve that my thought was "50% speed") Now that has become pretty natural, but my coach says the next step is working on the transition, because my hips and shoulder often get out of sync, resulting in my path being out -> in on longer clubs from my 4 iron to my 4 wood (and I'm guessing it'd be even more pronounced on a driver if I had one)

He mentioned something that I can't really grasp quite yet: drop the arms to start the downswing.
(to put things in perspective, he just said that's what we'd be working on from now onwards, so I haven't really tried anything yet)

What kind of feeling should I look for? Do you just relax your arms/shoulders and let gravity do the work, or is it something that you trigger differently? any swing thought suggestion and/or comment would be highly appreciated!

[westcyderydin]

this is actually something ive had to work on a bit this year. one way to see it is in my tempo. i might take a few practice swings if i start getting quick, thinking...1-2-3. one being my backswing, 2 the start of my downswing and three when i start to turn thru the ball. the timing might feel like...ooonnneee-two-tthhrreeeee if that is understandable. being that that two position does not take long compared to how long it takes to swing back or thru.

So with one being my backswing, 2 is the start of my downswing where i dont want to feel that i am swinging hard yet, my arms just come down or drop. this is where i also need to make sure that my lower body doesnt start to turn yet or slide too far. i also think of it as my tower position because i want my body to feel like a tower with my hands straight behind me, not like a reverse C with my hands still at the top. this is probly where your hips and shoulders get out of sync and you come over the top.

Then 3 is where i feel like i start to swing "hard". not that im over exerting but this is where your swing reaches top speed and is where i turn thru the ball.

it is important to realize that if you start to swing as hard as you can right from the top (the transition)of your swing, you will waste all of the speed and energy in your swing before you hit the ball and it will put your body way out of position. so not only will you lose distance but it will be very hard to hit it striaght and may even run into some mishits.

it isnt until the three position till your body really starts to get into the swing and thats when you can hit it hard.

hope this helps! good luck

[kurisu]

Thanks, that helps a lot.
Though while I understand what you're saying, each time I try to put power in the downswing (not from the top, but a little after) I seem to hit the mat way behind the ball. Now I know that making this move correctly and naturally will take time, but when you say "my arms just come down or drop", what is the image you have in your mind to make this happen ?

[senorchipotle]

i'm going to make two assumptions, that you're from tokyo and you have thrown a baseball. you know the feeling when you turn to throw and you kind of drag your arm along your body until the last moment you pull your elbow hard toward the target and whip your hands through at it. well, do that underhand and you've got a golf swing.

[kurisu]

i'm going to make two assumptions, that you're from tokyo and you have thrown a baseball. you know the feeling when you turn to throw and you kind of drag your arm along your body until the last moment you pull your elbow hard toward the target and whip your hands through at it. well, do that underhand and you've got a golf swing.

Two good assumptions

And yes, that image helps a lot. Going to try that at my next trip to the driving range. Thanks!!

[tm22721]

Flipping is caused by deceleration prior to impact. Easily fixed by adding a little stretch in your swing at the very top.

Overacceleration

[jlund]

I found this video very helpful in illustrating how you drop your arms as your lower body rotates. Check it out...

[kurisu]

Thanks guys, all very insightful and very much appreciated!
Definitely some good thoughts to try this week-end