So much of the golf swing is about timing, which is why rehearsing and embedding a consistent transition between the backswing and the downswing is so crucial. The best expert golf tips consistently talk about the importance of finding your rhythm, but how can you practise this key fundamental aspect in a bid to produce a solid and repeatable golf swing?
In this article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Tom Motley explains how a simple transition rehearsal drill can help you find your groove and produce better ball striking more consistently...
Common Mistakes
This (image below) is one of the most common positions I see weekend golfers get into as they start their downswing, with the upper half of the body moving forward.
It’s easy to see how this leads to a steep swing that slices across the ball. I also see a lot of ‘backing up’ just pre-impact, with the upper body moving back onto the trail side. What does this mean? Fats, thins, tops… nothing good.
The Pump And Jump Drill
Take your club all the way back to the top of your backswing, then, in transition, pump into your lead foot as here. I want you to feel like you’re starting down with a hard push. I call it the ‘pump and jump’ drill. If I drew an arrow from my trail shoulder to my lead foot, it would be a diagonal line. This is how we should be thinking of pressure shift – more of a diagonal shift into the ground.
Rehearse left arm parallel to left arm parallel – so three-quarter backswing to three-quarter follow-through – and focus on keeping the arms nice and straight.
The Post-Impact Position
This (image below) would be a nice position to picture yourself in post-impact, where you’ve used the ground to push yourself up. I’m nice and stable, I’m extending up through the spine, and I’ve kept my arms extended, too, leading through into the finish position.
This drill will improve your transition and help stabilise a nice central pivot. It will also create ground force, which can lead to increased clubhead speed.
