Transition and Downswing explained

I think most players understand that the first thing to move in the downswing is the lower body.  To keep it simple, most articles or lessons will tell you that it is a rotation of the hips that starts the downswing, or a bump of the hips to the left.  For a basic understanding, this is fine.  I still explain it this way myself in certain situations, but the fact is, with elite players, the way they move their lower body first is a little different.  Watch the video for a detailed explanation.

The correct transition can help…

– Increase ClubHead Speed through the use of the ground.

– Re-position the club onto the correct plane, increasing accuracy.

– Fix Over the Top – Slicing.

– Increase Separation between lower body and upper body.

– Increase compression on the ball, fixing heavy and thin shots.

– Improved Weight Transfer, fixing Hanging Back.

– The correct use of the lower body can help fix Early Release, and Scooping.

Transcript

This is Robin Symes. I’m going to talk about the transition. The transition is the change of direction from the backswing to downswing, and it’s an absolute crucial move in a good golf swing. I think most people will know that in the transition, the lower body must move first. People often refer to that to a hip movement first, or a hip rotation first. And as a basic understanding of the transition, that’s fine. But if you look at it in a little more detail, and you look at what the top amateur players do or professional players, their transition will start with more an increase in pressure underneath their left foot. They will create some force underneath their left foot as they’re triggered to start the downswing. That trigger then creates the rotation of the stomach, shoulders, movement of the arms, and then lastly the club head will reach maximum speed at the ball. So, next time you’re working on your game and you’re thinking about how to start your downswing, rather than just trying to move your hips first, try to feel like you push your body weight, or increase the pressure underneath your left foot as your trigger to start the downswing.