During the set-up (at address)

What

Why

Arms

The arms should be level with one another (DTL).

The arms should also be as close together as possible, especially at the elbows (FO).

They should ideally be on top of the chest (FO).

This allows the arms to behave like two sticks during the backswing, not bending at all at the wrists and left elbow, and very little at the right elbow.

Shoulders

The right shoulder must be in line with, or slightly behind the left one (DTL).

It should also be slightly below the left one (FO).

To permit the arms to easily be able to commence the backswing ‘inside’, that is, towards the right foot.

Head

The head should be in line with (FO), or slightly behind, the ball (that is, the right ear should be tilted very slightly towards the right shoulder)

The head has weight, and if it leans towards the target during the start of the backswing, it creates a reverse weight-shift

Ball-position

The ball should be placed more at the centre of the stance rather than towards the left heel

A more forward (towards target) ball position often sets the shoulders up open, with more weight on the target-ward foot.

It is also not as easy to commence a backswing towards the right foot from a more forward ball position

Posture

The upper body should be tilted forward of the lower body (DTL)

This permits correct takeaway or start of the of the recommended backswing, which a too-upright posture does not.

Stance

The toes should be squared, with the knees, hips and shoulders all stacked up directly above the feet (FO)

The recommended swing allows the body to move correctly despite square feet, and, in fact, uses the resistance of squared feet towards producing power

During the swing

What

Why

Width of backswing

A wide takeaway, created by keeping both arms straight.

The test of a correct takeaway is that the arms are at least 6 inches away from the right side of the body, and the clubhead no more than two feet above the ground

This unique move uses the arms as a tool to move the body - it forces a correct weight-shift.

In addition, it ensures that the arms and body remain ‘connected’ or ‘in sync’ throughout the swing, thus permitting a more efficient downswing.

As soon as either the wrists or the elbows bend, the arms and body disconnect, and begin to move at different paces to the top of the backswing. This makes it less easy to for body and club parts to return to the ball in the correct sequence.

Direction of backswing

The (straight) arms move in a straight line towards the right foot, ACROSS, NOT WITH, the right shoulder and thigh. (That is, NO extra, independent rotation of the shoulders or hips and thighs should take place).

The longer the club, the further ‘in’ the arms and clubshaft should move, ALWAYS keeping the arms as straight as possible, and thus far from the body.

NOTE: ‘In’ is fine, behind’s the bind.

Simply put, the arms should go no further back than the right heel at the top of the backswing. That is easily taken care of as long as the right wrist does not bend till the end of the backswing

This movement moves the right shoulder ‘out of the way’. Not, as would be imagined, for better coil or torque-creation, but simply to prevent the right side from commencing the downswing.

The shoulder movement described here is a small and easy movement. It is not at all the sophisticated ‘turn’ which many less flexible golfers feel they may not be able to make.

Arm movement

The left arm never twists (pronates) during the backswing.

With no pronation of the left arm, the clubface is brought back to the ball at the same angle it had at address.

The club is not permitted to get out-of-balance or wrapped around the body, during the backswing.

Wrist hinge

The wrists should have no bend in any direction

Wrist bend can be in two different planes.

One is a bend in a plane perpendicular to the right forearm, termed ‘flexion’. This is the worst bend, as it pushes the right elbow out behind the golfer, into a ‘chicken wing’ position.

The other bend is often termed a ‘wrist cock’ in golf, and is along the forearm plane. This move immediately ‘disconnects’ the arms and the body, which then continue to the top of the swing independently of one another.

No wrist bend also prevents cupped and bowed wrist positions at the top of the backswing.

The body

There should be no lift or drop of the upper body (getting out of posture), and no sideways movement (sway) either.

The legs must remain very solidly planted on the ground throughout the swing.

In fact, the right heel should also remain firmly planted on the ground for as long as possible, during the downswing.

The human brain is not able to measure exactly how much up-down or side-to-side movement it needs to undo during the downswing, in order to bring the body and arms back the precise distance they moved away from the ball. So, it is unable to bring the arms and body back precisely to the ball from such positions.

Keeping the right heel planted, provides a power source (rather than the power leak of a lifting right heel) against which the hips can pull the arms and clubhead past the ball.

The downswing

The feeling is simply that of slapping the clubhead past the ball, while maintaining firm legs and feet.

This unique movement allows the clubhead to drop down with the force of gravity alone, in line with the right foot.

From there, as the golfer gets a feeling of slapping the clubhead past the ball, the hips pull the arms and clubhead through for maximum power.

As the hips pull powerfully through, the arms drop down closer to the body, thus creating wrist ‘lag’ or ‘cock’ when it is actually needed – just prior to impact. This late wrist lag prevents a too early ‘hit’.

When the hips lead in the downswing, the arms also drop down into correct position for the club to travel along the target line, thus producing straighter shots.