For those of you who feel that they struggle with the correct sequencing of the downswing, or are perhaps confused as to what starts or initiates the downward movement to the ball, here is a great drill to help feel the correct kinematic sequence.
When we look at the best players in the world, we can see that as their club is still traveling away from the ball to the top of the backswing, the lower half of the body will have started to move towards the target. It is the lower body that initiates the downswing and this is crucial for generating the correct movement patterns to increase power and lag in the golf club. What is often seen in players who struggle with distance and power is that their upper bodies start the downswing causing inconsistent strikes, loss of speed and directional issues with the shot.
DRILL
1. Place a ball on a tee and take a normal address position.
2. From here, bring your lead foot to your trail foot so that your feet are together and touching.
3. Now take a backswing but as the club is still traveling backwards we want to step the lead foot out to normal position loading the left side with your body weight then firing the club to the ball.
4. This will create a lot of lag and speed in the clubhead. Don’t worry about the strike or direction in the early stages. You can even start training the movement without the ball at the beginning, if it makes it easier.
THE WRONG WAY
If your sequencing is wrong you will feel it straight away. The club will fire first and the step will be almost after the followthrough is completed. This will leave you off balance and unable to generate any significant swing speed.
