Understanding the Sequence of Motion in a Golf Swing

When I think about the golf swing and how it should look, I think of Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and I will just stop there as the list gets very long when I think of all the great golfers of the past and present. I believe you would agree that all of those golfers were/are great golfers but all of their swings looked way different…..or were they more similar than what the eye sees? Well, this is where it helps to understand sequence of motion in a golf swing.

The sequence of motion is defined by the order of events that take place in the body to move the club away and then back forward through impact. Have you ever stopped to think about that? What if you knew how to move your body and the muscles and components that you use during your golf swing; could you improve your consistency? The answer, ABSOLUTELY!  Knowing what muscles you use and when to use them is vital to improving your golf swing.

To understand the sequence of swinging a golf club, I believe it will help you to think outside the box a little bit and go back in time and think about skipping a rock across the water or throwing a baseball with a buddy. Those are clearly two different throwing planes but the sequence of motion is identical. In short, when we swing a golf club, we are actually using the same motion and sequence as when we skip rock across the water or throw a baseball. As you might imagine there are technical and physical terms involved in this process like, the Obliques, Scapular Retraction, Scapular Depression, Thoracic Rotation, Wrist Ulnar Deviation, Wrist Radial Deviation, Forearm Pronation, Forearm Supination, Elbow Flexion, Elbow Extension and other components of the body that are responsible for moving the club in a consistent manner. All of these muscles and motion descriptions are necessary to understand if you are going to improve your motion of the golf swing. However, the next time you go to the range throw some golf balls and pretend you are skipping a rock and pay attention to how you are moving your body and in what sequence you are moving it. I believe you will find it is exactly how you want to feel when you swing a golf club.

Knowing how to move your body on purpose is the answer to you becoming consistent in this game we all love. If you want to learn how to move your body, there are some fantastic resources that I can share with you. It is time we take action and start learning what we need to move in our body so that the outcome (the direction and distance of the golf ball) is move desirable and pleasing to our eye.

Good Luck!

(Cover Photo Credit)