The downswing is regarded by many to be the most important aspect of the golf swing. The transition to the downswing will determine whether you are fighting with the club to save the shot or swinging through without any concern, making a great swing and contact.
If you start the downswing nicely, you will enjoy the feeling of knowing you are going to connect sweetly with the golf ball and send it to the target area.
However, if you struggle to know when it is time to begin your downswing, it can feel very uncomfortable and this leads to a poor swing, with little time to adjust before connecting with the golf ball.
While the transition to downswing is a personal preference in many ways, there are things you can do to help if you are struggling. Having a trigger point will help and you have several options to trigger the downswing.
Unwinding the hips aggressively is a great way to start your downswing. As you begin to feel your left hip rotate towards your front heel, you know the downswing is in motion. The great thing about using the hips as a downswing trigger is it can help to solve a lot of problems in the shot, such as a lack of power and a loss of balance.
The speed and force generated by unwinding the hips aggressively will place pressure on your front foot and allow the swing to become a rotation rather than a side to side movement.
If you find you slice or pull the ball a lot, letting your arms drop can be a great way to start the downswing. You can start my moving your arms back in-front of your chest, as this will help in stopping your right shoulder moving towards the ball. This what makes you come over the top when playing the shot.
Using the technique above, will promote an in to out path and increase your swing speed. To use this as your downswing trigger point, feel for when your hands are behind your back ear. From this position, allow your hands to drop towards the ball and allow the body to follow them, instead of leading them. The key is to not feel as though you are forcing anything.
The movement must be as natural as possible and the arms must drop, rather than pushed towards the ball. If you start to push the arms down, you will lose the benefit of this technique, despite having a trigger point in place.
If you are struggling with your downswing, try practicing using both triggers as a basis to start your downswing at the driving range. You will probably feel one is more comfortable for you than the other, in which case you can work solely on the one which is best for you.
