This article describes the biomechanical sequence of the golf swing — the ideal sequence and timing of the motions of each part of your body during each phase of the swing. The information presented here is the result of our extensive analysis, over a number of years, of the golf swings of elite players using the latest 3D motion capture tools and techniques. 3D motion capture technology has advanced enormously in recent years.  It...

We define the downswing phase as the movement from Transition through to Impact — see Figure 1.  This whole sequence is completed in less that 3 tenths of a second. During the golf downswing, each part of your body must accelerate and then decelerate in the correct sequence, with precise and specific timing, so that the club arrives at impact accurately and with maximal speed.   Figure 1.  The Golf Swing Kinematic Sequence...

The transition is, biomechanically speaking, probably the most important phase of your golf swing.  The transition starts when the first segment of your body changes its direction of rotation, and ends when the last segment of your body reverses its motion. It is the short space of time leading up to what is commonly described as the “top of the backswing” — the point at which the club shaft changes direction.  It is the...

It’s a statement of the obvious, but the vast majority of amateur golfers don’t swing as effectively as Tour professionals.  They don’t hit the ball as accurately, as consistently, or as far. In this article, we’ll compare the kinematic sequence of a typical Tour professional’s golf swing with that of a number of amateur swings.  We will examine the key differences between the swing sequences and timing. If you’re not an elite golfer,...

This article will describe how you can use a little understood, but fairly simple, mechanical principle to generate Tour-calibre club head speed in your golf swing, while improving your accuracy and consistency, all with less effort and less strain on your body. There are no “secrets” in the golf swing, despite what people try and sell you.  There is no “Golfer’s Holy Grail”. There’s nothing that professional golfers know that they’re...

In Golf Lag and the Compound Pendulum, we saw how power in the golf swing, in the form of club head speed, comes primarily from the correctly timed sequence of movements taking advantage of a simple mechanical phenomenon, the compound pendulum effect. In this article, we take that discussion further by looking more closely at the role of the right arm in the golf downswing. Once again, apologies to the lefties out there, but for simplicity...