When I speak of the chain of command in the down swing, I am using the military command structure to describe what must happen in the down swing.  Most golfers only use their arms and hands in the down swing and usually create very inefficient down swing.  When the down swing is inefficient, the shots lack power and consistency.  So my contention is that most golfers need to maintain the chain of command in the down swing.

I believe that an efficient and repeatable down swing has the body leading.  The body is much stronger than the arms and hands.  Swinging the club using only the weaker arms and hands is not efficient.  Using the body to lead the swing is much more efficient.   In my chain of command analogy, the upper body is the General.  In the military chain of command the General is the leader.  Everyone follows the General.  I view the lower body as providing support for the upper body.  I will designate the lower body as the officers in the chain of command.  The lower body supports and facilitates the action of the upper body.

I designate the hands as the Privates in the chain of command.  The hands are the lowest ranking members of the command structure.  The duty of the Privates is to follow the General.  But most golfers allow and even encourage the hands to dominate the movement in the down swing.  When the hands move independent of the upper body, the upper body slows down or stops moving.  This break down in the chain of command is the reason for poor or weak golf shots.

When the down swing chain of command is maintained, the lower body, (the officers), provides a platform of support for the upper body (the General) to stretch up and then snap down as described in my blog post, “Feel an Efficient Swing.”  The hands (the Privates) respond to the action of the upper body (the General) to be snapped to a balanced finish.  Any attempt by the hands (the Privates) to hit or lift will destroy the chain of command.

It is important in any military organization that the lowest ranking members do not interfere with the operation of the military unit.  To carry the analogy to the down swing it is imperative that the hands do not interfere with the upper body stretch up and then snap down.  Maintain the proper chain of command in the down swing in order to ensure that the ball will go straighter and farther.