One of the biggest keys for a consistent golf swing is the how the body sequences throughout the swing. The most important aspect to realise is that the backswing sequence is different to the downswing sequence. More specifically the upper half which includes your arms, shoulders and hands must move first on the backswing followed by the lower half which includes your hips, knees and ankles.
Now on the downswing it is the complete opposite. You want the left hip to move first followed by the chest and lastly your arms and hands. The best way to describe this is comparing the motion of skimming a rock across a river. You would firstly pull your hand back which then initiates the turn of the body and then you would throw the rock by stepping with your lead leg first followed by the remainder of the body.
One of the biggest errors with sequencing is when the upper and lower half move at the same time. You can often see this as the left knee and hip start to move back together as soon as the backswing is initiated. This can often cause too much lateral movement leading to a reverse pivot. A reverse pivot is when on the backswing the weight moves to the left foot instead of staying behind the ball. This causes all sorts of weight transfer issues on the downswing as the body in attempt to compensate, starts to move the weight on the backfoot through impact.
Now when working on the correct sequence, I have students work on using certain cues to start the backswing. The correct way to start is actually having the clubface move first before the body. A great way to ensure this, is making sure the clubface moves to the instep of the right foot before the rest of the body starts turning. This will allow the upper half to start first and hence will often fix any excess movement that may have occurred by starting the swing too early with the lower half.
Once you are able to start the swing correctly, you will also be able to feel the lower half move first on the downswing without too much thought.
If you'd like any further help with sequencing just book in with myself at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Coaching Centre.
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