Swing out of sync? Here’s a simple drill to get everything working together

Synchronicity is one of the most important aspects of a good golf swing. It’s going to be really difficult to hit quality shots if your upper body is leading the way in the downswing or if your arms are working independently of your body, like I’m showing in the photo above. Those are common amateur mistakes.

There are a number of reasons your swing might be out of sync. Sometimes you might get short and armsy out of fear of missing the ball. Sometimes it’s simply not understanding that the body’s pivot, not the swinging of the arms, needs to govern the swing. You’ll know you’re out of sync if your swing has an “unfinished” look on either side of the ball or if your body remains fairly still while your arms dominate. Have someone video your swing and see if it looks like your body, arms and club are working together. I bet you’ll recognize if things don’t look in harmony.

I like to say that the dog wags the tail, meaning the body pivot (the dog) leads the swing while the arms (the tail) follow. I’ve got a simple drill that will help you get a feel for this. I call it the push-palm drill, and if you work on it, it will sync up your action and have you hitting solid shots.

First, get in your address posture without a club and place your right hand under and against your left so the backs of each hand are pressed against each other (below).

Then, mimic a backswing while keeping pressure against the backs of your hands. Your left arm should feel linked to your chest as your upper body coils against your right leg. Meanwhile, your right arm should remain above your left as you reach the top (below). Hold this position for a few beats and feel how your left side is pushing while your right side is pulling. By exaggerating the push-pull action, you are linking your arm swing with your body pivot.

This is the feeling of synchronicity you need to make a good backswing that creates and stores energy. As a bonus, this drill also is great for flexibility, helping improve your upper-body rotation away from the ball—which is a real distance booster.

Finally, you can use the push-palm drill to hone a better downswing. Feel like you’re pulling your arms down into the impact zone with your lower body. Remember, the dog wags the tail. Your body’s pivot toward the target initiates the downswing (below). When it properly rotates, you can then let your arms and club swing through the hitting area. That’s what I mean by good synchronicity. The body, arms and club work in unison going back, and then the lower body (followed by the upper body) leads the downswing. It should feel like the body is clearing so the arms and club can whip through. Now you’re synched up and ready to go hit some balls.