Tiger Woods’ Downswing Rehearsal: What Exactly is he Doing?

Viewers and amateurs alike are always looking for ways to get inside the minds of professional golfers. Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the use of distinctively unique swing rehearsals.

During many pros’ pre-shot routines and/or practice sessions, they’ll frequently make practice swings in a slow, deliberate manner in an effort to reinforce the unique feels in their swing that they commonly associate with making a good golf swing.

In the last few years, Tiger Woods has received lots of attention for making the below body/swing rehearsals on the driving range:

Throughout Tiger’s illustrious career, he’s battled to keep the club/club head out in front of his body more on the downswing. When his body outraces his arms/hands on the downswing, the club also falls behind his body.

In other words, Tiger’s upper body is too far ahead of his arms/hands and, ultimately, the golf ball at the point of attack.

At that same instant, Tiger often delivers the club head to the back of the ball too “late” and/or with too open (and sometimes, albeit rarely, too shut) of a club face which, in turn, typically leads to the high-and-right, offline miss (and the rarer nasty toe-hook miss to the left).

In order to guard against his club head lagging too far behind his body (commonly known as “getting stuck”), Tiger knows he must mitigate the use of his arms/hands rotation. As we’ve discussed, it’s best to strike a balance between the use of bigger muscles and the use of one’s arms/hands in a manner that’s effective for you.

Now, as many of you are probably wondering, how should I apply these principles to my own golf swing?

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Countless mid-to-high handicappers struggle to contact the ball consistently solid (in the center of the face) while also demonstrating these inadequacies in a variety of unfavorable kinds of shots (fat, thin, heel/toe misses). If you’re one of those players who has a wildly inconsistent divot pattern (sometimes deep, other times shallow, sometimes no divot, others have proper width, others have little width), you’re going to produce proportionately inconsistent results.

Giving lessons, I often witness the same these inconsistencies among my students. Amazingly, more than nine times out of ten, mid to high handicappers (15 and up) who seek my guidance each employ the following move during the golf swing:

Their chest/upper body is positioned too far ahead of the golf ball in relation to the target.

Sometimes, these players set up to the ball with their upper bodies too far ahead of the golf ball. Most times, golfers slide on the downswing too much. In an effort to “bump and drop” on the downswing, they end up sliding with their bodies and throwing the golf club with their arms and hands on the downswing.

Like Tiger (albeit with far less speed, less athleticism, and to a far greater degree), their body outraces their arms and hands on the downswing in an effort to hit at the golf ball as opposed to swinging THRU the golf ball. So, let’s get back to the aforementioned rehearsals used by Tiger.

If you’re able, find any wall and stand flush up against it just as would in an effort to measure your own height. Approximately speaking, your body is now at a 90-degree angle in relation to the ground. Often, proper posture at the setup position is confused with standing in a similarly vertical position to your current position up against the wall.

Now, consider the differences in appearance between the guy standing flush against the wall and Tiger’s body. What are they?

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Most obviously, Tiger’s body is situated in a very angular fashion and not straight up and down in relation to the ground. His spine angle is closer to 60 degrees than 90 degrees, his backside is sticking out, his knees are bent, and his upper body is hovering over the ground/ball as opposed to over his lower body as if he were sitting in a lazy boy chair.

Obviously, Tiger is EXAGGERATING an extreme position here. Mainly, his objective in performing this move is to feel his core/chest area “covering” the golf ball more prominently on the downswing. At the same time, Tiger wants to feel his front/back leg muscles in both the upper/lower thigh area doing what’s required in an effort to use exactly what we’re supposed to. The GROUND.

Although exaggerated, Tiger’s body position is a reflection of a proper setup position when we address the golf ball. Remember, a good setup position should exhibit the following traits: BENT KNEES, BACKSIDE OUT, LINEAR SPINE ANGLE closer to 60 vs. 90 degrees, and ARMS/HANDS (located) UNDERNEATH our shoulders. I should be able to draw a line perpendicular to the ground that runs through your shoulders, knees, and feet.

If you slide excessively toward the target on the downswing or swing by demonstrating a reverse pivot (back foot finish), this drill is ideal for you. Feel your core stretching or working as you get your upper body more over the ball. At the same time, you should feel your backside/thigh muscles being engaged. Lastly, how do you dunk a basketball? By jumping!

You should feel your feet pushing off the ground as you simulate the downswing with your arms and hands, as Tiger is doing here. Obviously, this is a lot of information to consume in an effort the digest what Tiger is doing and trying to accomplish with this drill. Also, it’s a lot of information to mull over regarding the “why” as it relates to Tiger’s drill.

The WHY: In an effort to not get ahead of the golf ball with his upper body on the downswing/impact.

Think about it this way: Golfers who get ahead of the golf ball excessively either on the downswing or at the setup position also associate excessive lateral body movement away/towards the target during the backswing/downswing. Lateral movement or weight transfer is an important move during the golf swing that’s often applied improperly or excessively, even by the best players in the world.

Lateral movement is a form of energy transfer that takes place during the swing to create club-head speed and distance. Tiger’s drill above, on the other hand, looks to mitigate lateral (side-to-side) movement by replacing it with vertical (up and down) movement. In order to jump off the ground, golfers use the exact same method of “pushing off the ground” to transfer energy, create club-head speed, and create more power/stability/distance.

Again, I’m back to stressing the importance of a happy medium. Obviously, in an increased effort to use the ground while minimizing excessive lateral movement, don’t move your head up and down drastically. I’m not saying you should use the ground as if it’s a trampoline.

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I’m saying that achieving more consistently solid contact and ball flight for most average golfers requires less lateral upper body movement on the downswing. How do we get there? By getting our arms/hands/club out in front of our body on the downswing. How do we do that? By involving our core and leg muscles on the downswing.

How do we engage these muscles on the downswing? Feel as if you’re pushing off the ground on the downswing and using the upper body to cover the golf ball.

Here’s the easiest way to stay behind the ball more effectively with your upper body: FEEL as if your hands and arms are outracing your upper body on the downswing. How do we do that? Use this excellent drill:

Take your normal setup position with a short iron and then drop your trail foot back excessively (a few feet). Now, hit the golf ball in front of you without moving your feet during the golf swing. In order to strike the ball solidly without losing your balance, you’ll notice how fast you’ll need to get your arms and hands down and thru the golf ball.

Turn your brain off and fire your arms and hands thru the hitting area. This is just another way of saying or doing what’s necessary in order to get your upper body less ahead of your arms/hands and the golf ball.

Be patient, this will not happen overnight! However, exaggerating specific moves in an effort to reinforce new feels or ingrain new habits will help you achieve your desired results more effectively and efficiently. While there are no shortcuts in this game, there are ways to practice and play smarter.

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