A golf swing is a complex motion that involves the movement of the body through the club to generate power to propel the ball great distances.

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The energy used to do this is generated through the positive force and torque components of the swing. This energy is then stored and released through the shaft during the downswing.

Backswing

The backswing is the slowest part of a golf swing and sets up everything that follows it, including the contact and follow through. If you are off plane or out of alignment during this part of the swing, your club will not strike the ball correctly and you will struggle to make the shot.

The best backswings are the ones that are synchronized, or that contain identical movements. If you watch a number of great golfers, like Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy, you will see that they all have similar movements to their backswings.

This allows them to rotate their hips and shoulders in the same direction, which sets their body up properly for impact. It also allows them to keep their body aligned with the club, ensuring they are able to create good angles in their swings.

One of the most common errors that people make in the backswing is under rotation of their shoulder. This is an easy fix and will improve your power levels. Simply compare your left shoulder position at address to your right shoulder position at the end of the backswing and make sure that you are twisting your shoulder the same way.

Another error that people make in their backswing is not properly shifting their weight to the right foot. This is a crucial part of the backswing, and once you have properly shifted your weight to the right foot, your body has stored energy that can be used during the downswing.

The bottom line is that you want to shift your weight to the right foot as soon as you take away from the ball. If you don’t do this, your club will be in the air longer than it needs to be and you will lose your momentum.

It is also important that you do not move your spine too much during the backswing. This is an error that many people make and can cause your ball to go off course. Try to avoid moving your spine too much, and instead focus on rotating your hips and shoulders in the same direction.

Downswing

The downswing of the golf swing is one of the most important parts of the entire golf swing. This is because the downswing represents the point when all of your momentum is released. This allows your arms to drop from the top of the backswing, and you can use your body to rotate into a perfect position coming through impact with the ball.

The downswing has a lot of different moves that can be done, but there are some key things that you need to know about this part of the golf swing. These movements should be executed properly to get the most power and accuracy out of your swing.

1. Using your feet, knees and hips to initiate the downswing

Many golfers make the mistake of starting their downswing with their arms. This is not the proper way to start the downswing and will lead to a loss of power and control.

2. Taking your weight too far forward

This is another common mistake that many golfers make. You need to use your feet, knees and hips to get started on the downswing and you want to use them in a way that will keep your weight moving laterally instead of over the top.

3. Keeping your feet planted on the downswing

You should keep your feet planted on the downswing, as this will help you maintain balance and timing throughout the whole swing. This will also allow you to make the right moves and use your club correctly, which is crucial for a successful downswing.

4. Stamping your front heel to the ground

There are a number of ways that you can trigger your downswing, but one of the most effective is by stamping your front heel to the ground on the backswing. This helps to set up a smooth, sound sequence of motion and can calm an overactive upper body. It’s also a great drill for players who have trouble shifting to their front side and can be especially beneficial for players with bad backs.

5. Shifting the hips to the left

The key here is to shift your hips laterally and circularly as you move down on the downswing. This can be difficult for a number of players but it is crucial for a good downswing.

Impact

Impact is the moment when all the hard work you have done up until now – setting up, learning to position your club, getting to the top of the backswing and following through – culminates in making contact with the golf ball. It is therefore the defining moment of any good golf swing.

In fact, if you were to watch the swings of Rory McIlroy, Matthew Wolff or Web Simpson, you would notice that they arrive at similar impact alignments on their backswings. There are many ways to get to an elite impact alignment, but the underlying principle remains the same – great players create a relationship between their club face angle and their swing path that consistently gets the ball to the target.

The best way to learn a great impact position is to start hitting balls at the range with the intent of controlling your impact zone. Then slowly build up to a pitch shot, 3/4 swing and full swing with the goal of trying to keep your clubface square through impact.

One of the greatest misconceptions about a golf swing is that you can turn through impact without changing your hands. Finney dispels this myth in his video, explaining that the clubface always rotates from open-to-closed on full swings.

He also discusses the importance of lag on the downswing, which is crucial for good contact. All great players lag the club through impact, and there is no such thing as a swing that doesn’t lag.

If you want to get better at the game of golf, it’s essential to understand the principles behind a good impact position. This will help you to make consistent, powerful and accurate shots.

There are many different swings that have worked for some of the top professional golfers on tour, including Ray Floyd, Nancy Lopez, Lee Trevino, Jim Furyk and Bubba Watson. Some of these swings are quite unconventional, but they still produce a consistent and repeatable impact position.

For example, John Erickson uses a CP-arm release action that keeps his FLW/clubface perpendicular to the inclined plane as they move from impact to the P7.5 position (images 1-3). He doesn’t alter the degree of bend in his right elbow, or the degree of bend in his right wrist, during this time period – he maintains an intact LAFW/FLW and doesn’t flip-bend his left wrist. This biomechanical mechanism prevents the FLW from rolling through impact as well, which helps to maintain the structural integrity of the arms/wrists/hands through the entire impact and followthrough action.

Follow Through

The golf swing follow through is a vital part of the game. It’s not just an endpoint of the swing, it’s a key diagnostic tool that can help you identify if any of the earlier parts of your golf swing were done wrong.

The follow through of your golf swing is the final position of your body at the point where the club meets the ball, and is a crucial part of controlling the trajectory of your shot. A good follow through position can help you get the ball flying in the direction that you want it to go, and also creates a consistent finish position throughout your swing, which is vital for repeatability.

A typical golf follow through should see your hips square to your target, with your arms fully extended through impact and coming to rest high behind your head. This is the most common finish position seen on professional golfers, and it should be achieved with every swing.

If you struggle to find this balance during the follow through of your golf swing, there are a couple of drills that can help you improve it. The first is a simple drill that involves hitting balls and then tapping your back heel after each shot. This can be a very effective way to ensure that you place your weight properly at the end of each swing, and can help you develop a balanced and powerful finish position.

Another useful drill is to stand up straight and then try to hit a ball as hard as you can over your left shoulder (for right-handed golfers). You should be able to complete the follow through with this drill, and it’ll help you understand what it feels like when you complete your swing with a completed finish position.

When you do this, you’ll notice that your weight naturally switches from the back foot to the front foot in your follow through – and the front heel raises up in the air. This is a normal movement that you’ll see when you’re throwing a baseball, and it’s a natural way for your weight to change in the golf swing.