sequencing

The importance of sequencing
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My aim in this article is so find out if your body has the range of motion that will allow the downswing to function correctly and in the right sequence.
The impact position is the most important part of any golf swing. A correct
downswing sequence is paramount to obtaining a good impact position.
From the top of the backswing the sequence of motion to impact should be

1. knee’s
2. Hips
3. torso
4. shoulders
5. hands and club

The major swing fault I see as a coach in regular club golfers is slicing. One of the most common swing faults attributable to slicing is poor sequencing. Often the sequence from top of backswing will be as follows

1. hands and club
2. shoulders
3. torso
4. hips
5. knee’s

This sequence is incorrect, inefficient and will almost certainly encourage a slice.
Can you start the sequence correctly?
Look at the photo’s and follow the exercise called hip twisters






Stand in your 6 iron posture position with your arms crossed against your chest. Now try to rotate your hips from left to right while keeping everything from your belly button up, i.e. torso, shoulders and head as still as you can. If you are unable to make this rotary motion of your hips while keeping your upper body stable you will almost certainly have problems of incorrect sequencing. This exercise is a disassociation test, this highlights your body’s ability to mobilise one part of your body while stabilising a corresponding body part.

Practicing this exercise will certainly help you perform better golf swings and it could also unlock the frustration you may have had in trying to stop a slice.
Remember if you cannot move your hips in a rotary method at the same time as keeping you upper body stationary, you could be helping your slice.

Are you improving at golf?

Simple question but I think it is a fairly important one.

What is the measure of our improvement in golf? Is it about hitting a long drive way past your playing partner? Is it a about hitting a wedge from 140 yards? It could well be the fact that you have not hit it the lake you normally do for the last 5 rounds. Is it changing your swing from a 2 plane method to a one plane method?

For me as a golf coach I measure the success of my pupil’s by

• A reduction in their stroke average/improvement in their stats
• Reaching or surpassing pre set goals/targets
• Have they enjoyed the game more?

I hope you noticed there was no mention of improving how their swing looked, or improving their ball striking.

Having a great looking swing is nice, but that’s about it. It's nice.
My first golf pro told me “a good golf swing is one that works efficiently and repeats under pressure.”

To this day I still teach with this thought in my head, I ask myself, am I making this pupils swing nicer to the eye or am I improving him/her as a golfer?
Keep that in mind also folks, this game is about the score you have and nothing else. It is called a scorecard because that’s where we record how well we have done in the round.

If the scorecard can record our scores and tell us how well we have done why do we not carry scorecards to practice? Is it not important to also study how well we have practiced? Or should practice just be about, did I hit it good or did I hit it badly?

Trying to be subjective about your golf game is difficult. Let statistics be your friend. Score your practice sessions. Check out www.linxtracker.com for more help.

Using a programme like Linxtracker can only help you understand your weaknesses but it also allows you to be honest in your assessment of how you are doing. Using this information and discussing it with your golf pro will allow you to work on the areas of your game that are important, and also help you

• Improve your scores
• reach /surpass your goals
• enjoy your game more

Happy golfing