How do you start the golf swing? What is the first thing you move that moves the golf club?
How we begin to move the golf club to start the swing can set us up for success or take us off-track from the get-go.
I see many players start the movement of the club with their hands, and this often gets the club outracing the body, resulting in a swing that is out of sequence.
I also see players starting the movement with their arms or their shoulders. This is good and allows your golf swing stays connected to the top of the backswing.
But there is a better way.
To move the golf club, it is best to start with movement generated from your core. The core is much more than just the abdominal region; it includes basically everything except the arms and legs, and it acts as a stabilizer in the golf swing and a transfer center of force during the swing. I just consider it the center of my body.
Beginning the golf swing from the core will generate pressure between the feet and the ground, allowing the swing to store the most power and perform in the proper sequence.
Specifically, the core initiates the movement of the golf club, arms and shoulder to create pressure to the inside heel of the right foot for right-handed motions.
This is similar to other athletic motions, such as a tennis serve or a pitcher throwing a baseball. The motion begins with movement starting from the core to generate ground pressure to the inside heel of the trail foot.
One note of caution: Moving your core to create pressure is not shifting your body to move weight. A weight shift will often move your entire body too much, creating a lateral sway and causing the golf swing to be out of sequence from the very beginning. Create pressure; do not move weight.
Whether you are a golfer, tennis player or pitcher in baseball, moving your core to begin the athletic motion will help you use the ground, create more power and get off to the correct start.
I mean, the golf club can’t move itself, right?
Peter Harris is the director of Golf at the Fore-U Golf Center in West Lebanon. His column appears weekly on the Recreation page during the golf season.