Down swing trigger

[golfncowboy]

Hello all, this is my first topic post on TST so I apologize in advance for any breech of etiquette or if this is a repost of an old topic ( I gave it a search and didn't see anything). 

My question is what do you use as a downswing trigger that helps you keep a smooth tempo? I have struggled with being quick from the top and have recently started trying to have more relaxed hands and arms and let my body turning be the driving force in my swing. It's made a huge difference in consistency so far but I was curious if anyone else has this problem and what you've done to fix it? Thanks for any input!

[mvmac]

13 minutes ago, golfncowboy said:

My question is what do you use as a downswing trigger that helps you keep a smooth tempo?

You can find a lot of great downswing information here,

Or feel free to start a swing thread,

http://thesandtrap.com/forums/forum/13-member-swings/

[colin007]

Hi @golfncowboy, welcome to the SandTrap!! Glad to have you, hope you stick around.

For me, being quick from the top is only a problem when the shoulders aren't teaching the proper path coming back down. If that back shoulder is lurching out and causing you to come over the top then that's definitely an issue. If you come down on the proper path then you can fire as fast as you want.

[golfncowboy]

1 minute ago, mvmac said:

You can find a lot of great downswing information here,

Or feel free to start a swing thread,

http://thesandtrap.com/forums/forum/13-member-swings/

Thanks for the direction! I'll try to look a little harder next time. Also I'll definitely be posting a swing. Seems like a good time 

[golfncowboy]

17 hours ago, colin007 said:

Hi @golfncowboy, welcome to the SandTrap!! Glad to have you, hope you stick around.

For me, being quick from the top is only a problem when the shoulders aren't teaching the proper path coming back down. If that back shoulder is lurching out and causing you to come over the top then that's definitely an issue. If you come down on the proper path then you can fire as fast as you want.

Thanks for the reply! I should clarify a bit and my say my issue tends to be my hands and arms being quick form the top, out pacing my body rotation. This usually causes thin shots and some blocks. Like @mvmac said I'd probably be better served starting a swing thread, but I appreciate the warm reception and your comment. 

[vangator]

I try to make a swing like Hidecki Matsuyama with a pronounced pause at the top.  I find this really helps not only consistent ball striking but also accuracy.  I believe it helps my swing stay in sync with my body so the ball starts and stays more on plane.

If you've ever tried a Medicus and tried to swing it without breaking the hinge, you'd get the feeling of a smooth transition.  I've only tried it a couple of times and when I completed a swing without breaking the hinge, the swing speed wasn't so great.  But the idea is a swing aid.  So I've taken the idea and really worked on not jerking any part of my swing, especially the start of the down swing.

I have a 3W I use off the tee that I can really hit well, but I really have to concentrate on tempo or the ball will hook off the course.  I really have a nice tempo with that club and I can really swing it hard and stay in tempo.  I am working to transfer that same "feeling" (and it does seem to be a feeling) to my driver, but it's hard.  I hit 11 of 13 fairways last week with my driver last week.  It's hard to hold the feeling from week to week though.

[14ledo81]

Welcome to TST!! @golfncowboy

[saevel25]

I don't really have a trigger for the downswing. I do have a feel I want, but I am not anticipating a downswing. I just want to make a B or better grade backswing, and then drive my right hip and torso through the shot. 

When I do that with out my head tilting back I can hit some pretty good shots. 

In the end a person has to develop their own feel for the moves they want to achieve in the swing. 

[Ernest Jones]

8 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

I don't really have a trigger for the downswing. I do have a feel I want, but I am not anticipating a downswing. I just want to make a B or better grade backswing, and then drive my right hip and torso through the shot. 

When I do that with out my head tilting back I can hit some pretty good shots. 

In the end a person has to develop their own feel for the moves they want to achieve in the swing. 

Me too. Need to make a halfway decent backswing or it's all a lot harder. 

I'm not sure I have a downswing trigger, however, the moment I start to lose the straight arms feel, I know I've gone far enough back and it's time to drive my shoulder up and around. 

[DaveP043]

18 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

I don't really have a trigger for the downswing. I do have a feel I want, but I am not anticipating a downswing. I just want to make a B or better grade backswing, and then drive my right hip and torso through the shot. 

When I do that with out my head tilting back I can hit some pretty good shots. 

In the end a person has to develop their own feel for the moves they want to achieve in the swing. 

Like @saevel25, my feel for the forward swing starts with driving my right hip towards the target.  That idea, driving to the target, is why I prefer the term "forward swing".  I don't want to be picturing something going down, but rather going forward.  Also like @saevel25, I believe that every player has a different key or feel that works, you have to experiment to find your own.

[Golfingdad]

2 hours ago, golfncowboy said:

Thanks for the reply! I should clarify a bit and my say my issue tends to be my hands and arms being quick form the top, out pacing my body rotation. This usually causes thin shots and some blocks. Like @mvmac said I'd probably be better served starting a swing thread, but I appreciate the warm reception and your comment. 

Welcome to the site @golfncowboy!!

I find the bold to be interesting, because I frequently hit poor shots that I attribute to being out of sequence in the same way, where my arms are ahead of my body rotation, but the result is a severe straight or pull hook.

My "correction" isn't really a downswing trigger, so much as it's a thought to slow down or swing slower.  It's like a "hey dummy, don't get ahead of yourself." 

[DrvFrShow]

I'd have to think too much to figure out what my downswing trigger is. It sort of just happens.