The golf swing would be much simpler if it just moved in one direction from start to finish.

If you simply swung the club toward the target the whole way, without having to change directions, it’s likely that things would be a bit easier. Of course, that is not how this game is played. In golf, you swing the club back to get yourself into position for a powerful downswing. The change from backswing to downswing is known as the transition, and it is one of the most difficult parts of the swing to master.

In this article, we are going to cover a very specific part of your swing technique – how to trigger the downswing. In other words, we are going to work on determining how you can start your downswing once the backswing has been completed. What do you move first? And when do you move it? And how does that initial move translate into the rest of the downswing? This one specific part of your swing can be tricky to master, but it will certainly help raise your level of play once you make it happen.

It is important to note that there is a bit of flexibility here in terms of the precise way you decide to start your backswing. We are going to present you with some options, and we are going to explain the overriding goal that you should keep in mind while working on this piece of your technique. From there, it’s up to you to decide what exact technique works best in your game. How do you figure that out? Through practice, of course. If you practice consistently on the range, you will quickly come to learn what works in your swing, and what doesn’t.

All of the content below is based on a right-handed golfer. If you happen to play left handed, please take a moment to reverse the directions as necessary.

The Goal

The goal of the trigger for your downswing is to start the downswing action the same way, and on time, swing after swing. This is not a part of the swing where you can afford to have inconsistency, as any variance is the way you start the downswing is going to be directly reflected in the quality of your ball striking. If you don’t start the downswing properly, you aren’t going to hit the ball properly – it’s just that simple.

In addition to the technical importance of starting your downswing with the same trigger over and over again, there is a psychological element at play here, as well. Specifically, there is the mental boost that comes from having a specific plan for how you are going to get through the top of the swing. Some players let their swing ‘wander’ at the top – meaning they swing up to the top and they don’t really have a plan for how they will change directions. That isn’t going to work very well, and it will likely lead to frustration. When you have an established trigger in place, you can swing up to the top, perform that move (whatever it may be), and get started with your downswing immediately.

One of the reasons many golfers struggle with consistency is the fact that they lack a plan to get the club all the way through the swing and into the finish. That issue isn’t limited to the top of the swing, as it can be a problem during the takeaway as well, and even through impact. One of your jobs as a golfer is to establish a plan in advance that you can execute when making swings on the course. That plan is going to provide you with confidence, provided you have done a good enough job of preparing yourself on the driving range. Also, the plan is going to help you get back on track should you find yourself struggling in the middle of a round. This article is specifically focused on the trigger you will use for the start of the downswing but remember to also consider using triggers during other phases of the swing that are giving you trouble.

So, here’s where we’re at on this topic – we now know that a downswing trigger is an important piece of the golf puzzle, as it will help you to start your move down toward the ball properly time after time. But what can you use to trigger the start of your downswing? We’ll move on to that subject in the next section.

Some Options

One of the many challenges that comes along with teaching the game of golf is the fact that players feel and experience the swing in different ways. What feels great to one player during the swing might not feel right at all for another player. With that in mind, it is important for golf instructors to give players options. The player needs to have a few options available, so he or she can work through them until one stands out above the rest as the winner. This is why golf swings look so different from player to player, even among the top golfers in the world – there is no one right way to do it, and it’s perfectly acceptable to put together your own unique technique.

With this concept in mind, we are going to present a number of options for what you can use as your downswing trigger. You may not like all of the options on the list below, and that’s okay. In fact, you might not like any of the options listed below. Ultimately, it is going to be up to you to find a trigger that works nicely in your swing, whether it is one of our recommendations or something else entirely.

• Turning the left hip toward the target. This is where we are going to start the list, as this is the tip we would recommend trying before you move on to others. If you can successfully use your left hip as your trigger for the downswing, you should be in good position to strike the ball nicely. Your lower body should be leading the way as you swing down toward the ball and rotating your left hip toward the target from the top is a great way to make that happen. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find success with this tip and you won’t even need to bother with any of the others. However, many golfers are going to find that thinking about the left hip as their downswing trigger doesn’t quite work out. It can be tough to feel what your left hip is doing, especially as you are in the middle of your swing rotation. If this idea doesn’t give you the confident, directed feeling you are after, maybe one of the points below will be more productive.
• Put the left heel back down. If your left heel comes up off the ground slightly during the backswing, the act of moving that heel back to the ground could serve as the trigger to start your swing. This is a nice option for the fact that it is simple and specific – it’s not hard to understand what it feels like to take your heel back down to the turf. Of course, there are a couple of issues here to mention. First, you will need to be a player that allows his or her heel to come up in the backswing. If you keep your foot flat on the ground normally, we would not recommend changing that part of your technique just to add this trigger to your swing. Also, letting the heel come up in the first place is something that can complicate your swing technique unnecessarily. Most players – but not all – will be better served to just keep that heel down to reduce lower body movement as much as possible during the swinging action.
• Drop your right elbow. In order to attack the golf ball powerfully from the inside, you need to make sure that the club is dropping during the transition into the downswing. Plenty of amateur golfers do the opposite, pushing the club up and away from their right shoulder and going over the top (leading to a likely slice). If you tend to get the club going over the top from time to time, try using the drop of your right elbow as the trigger to start the downswing. On the plus side, focusing on this move is going to help you get the club into the right position, and that’s always a good thing. On the downside, you may find that your lower body doesn’t perform like it should when you are so focused on the right arm and what it is doing. This is a trigger which is best left for those players who already have their lower body action in good condition.
• Add a pause. This might seem like an odd idea at first, but one of the ways to trigger your downswing is by using an intentional pause. That means exactly as it sounds – you are going to purposely pause your swing at the top, just for a moment, before getting started with the downswing. Many golfers rush into the downswing and their swing ends up out of sequence as a result. If you are willing to take your time by pausing briefly at the top, you should find it easier to keep everything together properly on the way down. It is important to note that this is something which will likely be much easier to execute on the range than it is on the course. You might find success quickly on the range with this method, but it will take longer to learn how to trust it when playing an actual round of golf.

The list of four options above should be plenty to get you started on the task of working on this piece of your golf swing. As mentioned above, it’s possible that you won’t find the right trigger for your game in the list above. Or, you may find that a combination of two of those ideas works best for you – such as making a brief pause before dropping your right elbow into the downswing. To find success, you’ll need to take ownership of the process and put in the work necessary to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

Preparing Yourself for Success

If you spend some practice time working on a trigger that you can use to start your downswing, you should find that the quality of your ball striking on the range gradually begins to improve. But will that progress make its way out onto the golf course? Maybe – but maybe not. You need to prepare yourself properly for success on the course in order to see your hard work pay off.

One of the best ways to prepare yourself for each swing is through the use of a pre-shot routine. By sticking with a consistent routine prior to each shot, you should find yourself in a positive, focused frame of mind when the time comes to actually hit the ball. The vast majority of professional golfers use some form of pre-shot routine to guide their play, and you should do the same.

The great thing about building a pre-shot routine is that you have freedom to create something which is specifically tailored to your needs. You don’t have to copy the routine of someone else, and, in fact, you shouldn’t. The pre-shot routine you take with you onto the course is only going to be successful if it is a good fit for your needs and it helps you personally get ready to make a swing. As you spend some time in practice trying to build a routine, keep the points below in mind –

• Don’t let it take too long. Golf is a slow game, but that doesn’t mean you can take a minute or two just to work through your pre-shot routine. Your routine should be relatively brief, to make sure you do your part to keep the pace of play moving along for the others on the course. With that said, you don’t want to feel like you are rushing through the routine, as that rushed feeling will likely carry over into your golf swing. The best plan is to build a routine which only includes three or so pieces, so you can give yourself time to perform each piece without feeling like you need to hurry. If you build a routine with five or six steps, you will wind up feeling rushed – and the benefits will be lost along the way. A big part of what you should be practicing while working on your pre-shot routine is figuring out how long it takes. If it seems like it is taking too long in practice, make some adjustments until you are happy with its duration.
• Don’t make it complicated. This point goes along with the one above, as a complicated routine is likely to take too long, anyway. Keeping it simple is the best way to go here, as you’ll want to be able to work through your routine without much in the way of conscious thought. If you are straining to remember each step of your routine while getting ready for a shot, you are going to be wasting mental energy that could be spent paying attention to the swing you need to make.
• Address specific problems. The best pre-shot routines tend to be those which address swing problems specific to the player in question. For instance, let’s say that you tend to have trouble starting your backswing with your shoulders. Instead of a good shoulder turn, you tend to use your hands and arms to pull the club back away from the ball. Knowing that is a weakness in your game, try adding something to your pre-shot routine which will remind you to start the swing by turning your left shoulder away from the ball. That not might be the right thing for all golfers to use, but for you (in this example) it would be perfect. Take some time to think about which parts of your swing give you trouble and address them in your routine.
• Finish with a moment of calm. It’s not a great idea to rush up to the ball as soon as your routine is finished, as you might not ever manage to slow yourself down and get into the right frame of mind for a smooth swing. Once you are done with the mechanics of your pre-shot routine – whatever those may be – try taking just a moment to stop, take a breath, and look at the target. This break will be a great way to clear your mind and prepare to actually hit the shot. You don’t have to stand there for a minute, or even 30-seconds – just a moment or two will be plenty. The goal here is to clear your mind of anything that may be interfering with your focus. Once you get used to this quick pause, you may find that it becomes one of the biggest keys to your success on the course.

On the surface, it might not seem like a quality pre-shot routine has all that much in common with a trigger to start your downswing. However, everything is connected in golf, and preparing for your swing correctly is going to make it much easier to execute your technique once the club goes in motion. If you ignore the need for a pre-shot routine, you will likely rush through your actual swing, and you may not have time at the top to use your trigger correctly. With so many potential benefits to enjoy, it would be a big mistake to skip the task of building your own reliable pre-shot routine.

Changing Directions in the Short Game

We’ve established that it is helpful to have a trigger to start your downswing when hitting full shots. But does the same thing apply for the short game? Not really. The swings you make in the short game are too short to rely on much of a physical trigger, as there really isn’t time to incorporate such an action into your technique. And, even if you did have time to build some kind of trigger action into the transition, you would just be making things more complicated than they need to be.

With that said, it is important that you feel mentally ready to swing the club all the way through your short game shots. Plenty of players feel anxiety while getting ready to hit short shots, and that anxiety is often manifested in the form of a hesitant swing or stroke. One of your biggest jobs as a golfer is to spend enough time practicing your short game that you don’t wind up doubting yourself just as you are about to hit the ball. If there is any doubt rolling around in the back of your mind, you may give up on a putt or chip during the transition. In the end, that will mean weakly moving the club through the ball, rather than swinging through with the kind of confidence that will allow you to have success. Build your confidence in practice, and rely on it to carry you through tough situations on the course.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this article on using a trigger to start the downswing. If you’ve been having trouble getting into your downswing with enough conviction to hit good shots, adding a trigger mechanism could be a good idea. It will likely take some time to learn how to use a trigger properly, and there will be some experimenting involved to figure out what kind of trigger action is going to help your swing the most. Golfers who are willing to put in the time and effort needed to sort through this challenge are going to be rewarded with significantly improved ball striking. Good luck!

Now, a lot of people will ask me this question of how do I start my downswing. I’ve worked really hard on building the position to the top, but I’m just not sure how I can actually start down into the golf ball. And they always get a little bit frozen at the top and they come over their arms or the shoulders. Well, here’s a great tip for you to get your downswing started. Let’s look at what the left heel should be doing.

As you turn into your backswing–we’ve talked about loading the body weight into the right side and widening up the shoulders and that will actually produce a very light left heel. And for some golfers, depending on lower body flexibility, you might actually feel your left heel lifting slightly, so the backswing would look like this and the left heel would just come slightly off the floor. Now, not too much of that because don’t forget that left side is almost an anchoring point. So if you lift your left heel too much, your head and your spine angle will be lost. But we don’t mind a little bit of left heel lift, depending on flexibility. But now let’s utilize that to start the downswing correctly.

So, from the top of the swing here, left heel is either light or slightly lifted. Now let’s really stamp on that left heel back down again. Press that left heel in. Load the body weight into the left side and that will start to generate a lot of power and a nice uncoiling motion from the left hip as well. So, a nice wind to the top, press the left heel back into the floor and turn into the golf ball with plenty of power. So on this particular exercise, I’m going to accentuate the lift in my left heel. Normally, I don’t have too much of a lift, maybe a little bit of unweighting, but it certainly doesn’t lift. But actually in this exercise, deliberately going to lift my left heel to stand back onto it and just feel how that can trigger your nice lateral shift back into your left side.

So, a good set up, a little bit of a left heel lift, and stand back on it really aggressively, really quickly stamping that left heel down as I release into the golf ball. So if you’ve got a left heel lift in your golf swing, let’s utilize that to start the downswing. Even if your left heel just unweights slightly and gets a little bit lighter, feel the pressure building as you squeeze back into your left hand side to get maximum distance and a nice, synchronized connected downswing movement. Try that next time you’re on the driving range. I hope it works for you.