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The transition between the back swing and down swing is always a cause for discussion amongst amateurs and pros alike because it can be initiated by a number of bodily movements. It comes down to the one that best suits your preference or most importantly the area which produces the best results.

The most common way to make the transition from back swing to down swing is to transfer the weight at the top of the swing from the right foot and push towards the left foot, not by laterally moving, but by rotating your hips towards the target.

It is the rotation of the hips from the top of the back swing which generates a lot of the power and speed through the impact area. A lot of players try to generate power from the top of the back swing by swinging their arms faster to the ball, thinking that it will increase the club head speed, however, this is actually having an adverse effect on the golf swing.

The rotation of the hips and transfer of the weight pulls the upper body towards the ball with a greater force and the bodys core then rotates powerfully through impact. The down swing should be performed with a movement of the bodys bigger core muscles and not just one aspect such as the arms.

To practise this on the driving range, gently swing up to the top of the back swing, pause, and without hitting a ball focus on the rotation and weight transition of your hips and try to stop around the impact zone. You will see your hips pointing approximately 45 degrees left of the golf ball. This is exactly what is expected because your hips should be leading the down swing and pulling the rest of your body towards the ball.

Be careful that the swing path is not sacrificed because this movement can cause your shoulders and hips to turn quickly to the left, pulling your arms and club across the ball creating an out to in swing path which invariably causes the dreaded slice.

Every player should be careful of the shoulders because as they rotate from the top of the back swing, it will cause the club path to cut across the golf ball which may cause a sliced shot or a pull left. It also has a poor influence on the weight distribution because this movement prevents the weight from transferring from the right side to the left side.

Collapsing the wrists at the top of the back swing means the angle between the wrists and the left forearm lessens. This can be an extremely powerful movement because the unhinging of the wrists through impact will be faster and stronger creating a faster ball speed off the golf club, however, it can come with severe sacrifices in direction due to irregular timing at impact, leaving the club face open or closing it too fast.

If the golf swing has lateral movement going towards the ball and the target then the body will be too far ahead of the ball at impact causing an array of bad shots from thin to fat strikes. The lateral movement of the hips will also hinder their rotation and the swing will actually be slower through impact and distance will be lost.