Shoulder or hip

I was watching the skins game on Sunday and Faldo was saying that Anika was working on trying to start her shoulders first before her hips on her downswing (not sure Anika wants to change) I always thought the hips should start first.

What is the ideal downswing? and does it depend on the type of shot? (i.e. if your trying to spin back your wedge)

Bob

There are two schools of thought on the subject. The first is that the arms should start the swing. I believe Tiger tries to do this. But let me throw caution to this because he does this becasue his lower body is so overactive and by starting with his hands he doesn't get stuck as easily. The other school of thought is the one I rely on. It was Ben Hogans move and it says the downswing should start with the hips... first a lateral move toward the target then the turning of the hips. I first heard of starting with the hips and lower body about 7 months ago. After 2 months I started playing unbelievebly well and won my club championship this year. You just need to find what works best for you. But one thing to consider is that you really have to concentrate on starting with the lower body because if the shoulders turn before the lower body you are in trouble. ie over the top

just some extra thoughts..

on my good swinging days/hours, i don't have to think what's first to turn, where's my back swing line and plane or how much is my wrist bending etc..i just look at the target, memorize it, look at the ball and swing to the target.

i thinking what i experience is when i start to think about what turn first, what back swing plane etc. then i will get tightened up and too mechanic and my swing will collapse... hit it fat, hit it thin...

the more i train myself to trust my swing and relax, the better my swing will be.

again, i am just sharing my own experiences here, hope it might be useful.

I do not disagree that a person is better to trust their swing while playing a round, I am not dissatisfied with my swing. I hit the ball ok for distance not great, and was just wondering if one of the reasons was I was losing power by turning my hips a fraction to early thats all.

Besides I have always heard the hips started first and was just curious if that was correct.

Bob

I've been playing golf all the ways, starting the downswing with almost every thing posssible and not only one works.

But nowadays I am dropping the front foot back a little bit and I feel a great and powerfull hip turn through impact. The hips have become the pure engine of my swing because they have more room to full turn and face the target at impact more than before gaining accuracy and distance.

I like GTO because you can get advice from the pros and at the same time you can share good experiences with all the amateurs like me. In my Country we say that a farmer and his donkey know more than a farmer alone.

Toni.

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