A Swing Sequence That May Surprise You

And may add distance and accuracy to your game

The legendary Ben Hogan used to advise starting the golf swing from the ground up. Tiger, Nicklaus, Trevino, and Moe Norman have said the same. And if you’re a pro who has hours and hours to spend on the range and playing many rounds you can develop the precise timing that makes that instruction workable.I have no such time nor am I a PGA pro. I'm also a month shy of 79 years of age as well as being six years into recovery from cancer.

What I've found may surprise you since instead of starting the swing from the bottom up, a more effective and efficient swing for amateurs can be started from the hands and arms and on down. The torso, hips and legs follow while the head stays relatively still so as to encourage rotation of the body and not a sway to the left or right. I'm predominantly referring to the transition from backswing to downswing. Ball position is the only difference between irons and woods.

When the backswing reaches its apex and the back points as much to the target as is possible (this of course will vary for each golfer), then the downswing starts with the hands and arms pulling down towards the ball. The shoulders and back will then rotate a split second later. The speed of the swing is a function of the solidness of contact which is really the Holy Grail of golf. For myself, a slower Fred C0uples/Ernie Els-pace fosters a more consistent contact, but you'll need to experiment with what works for you. And when contact improves, accuracy and distance improve with less effort and less risk of injury. Check out Scottie Scheffler, along with Zander, Rory, and Couples to get a visual of this swing on YouTube.

***

Congrats to a great season by Scottie, Zander, and Nellie, along with the American women's win over the Europeans at the Solheim Cup. The Presidents' Cup is next up in Montreal.