One of the differences that I notice when comparing a consistent golf swing and an inconsistent golf swing is the difference in the down swing motion.  A consistent down swing looks smooth and balanced.  An inconsistent down swing looks jerky and unbalanced.

A key reason for a jerky motion is the improper timing of the release of the energy that is built in the back swing.  For this discussion I will assume that the energy is released in the proper sequence: starting from the ground up through the feet, hips, upper body, arms and hands.  I would like to cover the correct timing of the release of the hands.

I am writing this when the London Olympics has just started.  In the spirit of the London Olympics, I will use a sprinter as an analogy to discuss when the hands must release the energy in the down swing. The sprinter accelerates out of the starting blocks when the starting gun is fired and reaches maximum velocity that is maintained all the way past the finish line.

In the down swing, the starting gun is the right upper arm.  The snap down of the right upper arm is the firing of the starting gun.  As soon as the right upper arm snaps down, the right forearm will automatically snap down and the hands will automatically accelerate down past the right hip.  This acceleration of the hands feels like a snap.  After the snap of the hands, the hands reach their maximum velocity that is maintained twelve inches past the ball.  The hands must not stop at the ball.  You must think that the ball just gets in the way of the swing.

An inefficient and jerky down swing occurs because the hands snap too late: at the ball.  The hands snap too late because the golfer is focused on the ball instead focusing on snapping the hands at the right side of the body.  Focusing on the ball causes the golfer to use the hands in order to hit or lift the ball.  When the hands snap too late, the snap really becomes an inefficient jerk of the hands.

Using the sprinter analogy, snapping the hands too late is like being left in the starting blocks when the starting gun fires.  A smooth and efficient down swing is created when the hands snap down as a result of the snap down of the right upper arm.

Don’t be left in the starting blocks.