The Downswing Is Like Skimming A Rock!!

You've probably heard this analogy before but what does it actually mean? If you had a rock in your hand and someone told you to try and skim that rock across a river, you would naturally put yourself in positions where ideally you would love your golf swing to replicate. These positions more specifically would be how you transfer your weight and the retention of wrist hinge you would need to store power.

The perfect downswing transition which is the same as skimming a rock, is firstly you will feel a lateral shift to the left while you retain wrist hinge. The ideal wrist hinge that you want to maintain on the downswing is around 90 degrees. You want to maintain this amount of degrees right up until you strike the ball. Also as mentioned there will be a little lateral shift to the left but then you want to follow this up with a rotation of the body. All weight will then be transferred onto the front foot upon completion of the swing.

What a lot of people do is the exact opposite. They tend to stay on the back foot too long and unhinge their wrists early on the downswing. This then leads to 'topping', 'thinning' and hitting too far behind the ball. The main reason why people stay back and unhinge their wrists, is due to the feeling that they need to help the ball in the air rather than trusting how the clubface has been designed and moving onto their front foot.

One of the best drills to help you with transition is standing near a door that is approximately an arm length away. If on the downswing you contact the door, you will know straight away that you've not only stayed on the back foot but also unhinged your wrists too early. The only way to not hit the door as you will find out, is to start moving onto your left foot on the downswing, while maintaining wrist hinge. Try a number of reps applying this drill and then simulate the same feeling when contacting the ball. You should also see the divots be closer to the ball once done correctly.

If you'd like any further help just contact myself at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Golf Coaching Centre.