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What initiates the downswing?

Author

Rachel Ellis

Published Jan 12, 2026

The rotation of the body coming down helps drop the hands to start the downswing, and to move them out in the transition.

What move initiates the downswing?

The hips initiate the downswing.

This will allow you to create more distance and use your lower body to generate power. Remember, power comes from the ground up! At the top of the backswing, the hips have turned back, away from the ball and the target. On the way down, they will turn back and face the target directly.

What should trigger the downswing?

As you reach your backswings upper limit, the arms, shoulders and hips slow to a halt. To initiate the downswing, imagine stomping lightly on a bug with the left heel. This triggers the left hip to rotate, followed by the torso, shoulders and, finally, the arms. As you can see, the downswing flows from the ground up.

What part of the body initiates the downswing?

The transition from backswing to downswing is crucial to generating power and accuracy. The key is to start the downswing with the lower body. In the best swings the lower body starts forward while the upper body is still turning back. The left hip turns toward the target as the shoulders continue to coil.

What muscles start the downswing?

They are called the adductors, and are not to be confused with the muscles on the outside of the thighs known as the abductors. The adductors are really the key muscles to control any type of lateral movement in the golf swing.

35 related questions found

How do you initiate a downswing with your legs?

HOW TO DO IT: Pausing your arms and hands at the top, begin the downswing by releasing your left knee toward the target (above). The arms fall onto an inside path. After the knee moves, let your left leg straighten. If the knee moves outside the left foot, you've overdone it.

How do you start downswing with your legs?

To initiate the downswing, Arnie would press his left heel back down into the ground. The key takeaway from the left heel in Arnie's swing is that you should feel a stomping down of the left heel or a pushing into the ground of the left heel to start your downswing.

What initiates the golf swing?

The motion you want off the ball is a pushing back movement by the left hand (pictured above). This creates a basically straight start to the swing and wide extension. It also gets the left shoulder turning back so the upper body starts to coil against a stable lower body.

What is the sequence of the golf swing?

The clubhead has the furthest distance to travel from the ground up to the top of the golf swing, therefore it must move first. The arms will follow in the sequence, then the torso, and lastly the hips.

What is the sequence of the backswing in golf?

Golf backswing plane affects your swing path through impact

The backswing plane is an imaginary line on which the golf club tracks during the backswing. During the take away phase the club head should track the line drawn below. It then begins to raise up to the position we see half way back.

Do the arms start the downswing?

Arm Slot. Teaching professional Shawn Clement agrees that the player's arms should drop to begin the downswing, but he says they must drop into the right position. Clement advises players to focus on dropping their arms in front of the body, while keeping their hands on the proper swing plane.

What should move first in a golf swing?

To start the swing, it's important to remember to use your “big” muscles at first, instead of the “small” muscles. This means that the first movement is with the shoulders and arms, not the wrists. The shoulders and arms draw the club directly back along the target line until the hands reach waist-high.

How do you practice golf downswing?

Thankfully, there is a simple drill to help you fix this issue:

  1. Assume your normal stance with the driver. If possible, tee up the ball.
  2. The key to this drill is foot position. ...
  3. Perform a backswing, but just as you reach the top of your swing, return the left foot to your usual position.
  4. Finally, make your downswing.

What is the most important thing in golf swing?

Use the big muscles of your legs and trunk to move the little muscles of your arms and hands. So watch the players at impact – they are all the same – and that is the most important part of any golf swing.

Does the lower body start the downswing?

Use Your Knees

Then his right knee fires toward the target, and that leads the shoulders, arms and club into the downswing. The lower body has a head start, but the club gains speed on the way down and catches up to the rest of the body at impact.

What does shallowing the club mean?

Shallowing the golf club means that you get the club to flatten out more horizontally on the way down. Most golfers instead, have an over the top, casting motion which leads a steeper plane on the downswing. This can produce fat shots, skinny shots, and big misses to the right.

Do you pull down on the golf swing?

Pull Down. As your arms and hands start into the downswing, it is important to imagine pulling the butt of the club straight down toward the ground. This keeps your hands ahead of the clubhead – often referred to as "lag" – and keeps the power you've built up on the right side of the ball.

Should you pull down with left arm in golf swing?

Golfers who can play the game every day and who start off by having exceptional control of their body action—which the average golfer doesn't—can inaugurate the downswing with their hips. For the average player, though, the best way to launch the downswing is to pull down with your left arm.

Do you pull with your left arm in golf swing?

Swing back to the top of your backswing and pause. Start down slowly following the correct sequence. Your lower body should begin rotating first, then your torso will follow. Your left arm should lag behind your torso, which indicates it's being pulled down.

Do the arms rotate in golf swing?

Rotation in the golf swing isn't limited to the shoulders and hips. The arms must rotate correctly, too, in order to produce long, accurate shots. This is especially important during the downswing. If you fail to rotate (aka release) the arms and hands through the shot, you'll invariably slice or push the ball.