The order your body moves in on the downswing
What happens in the second or so between the top of your backswing and the ball leaving the club:
- Your hips start turning towards the target.
- Your chest follows a fraction later.
- Your arms come after your chest.
- The club comes last and fastest.
- Each part speeds up, hands the speed on, and slows down again.
That order is what golf coaches and researchers call the sequence. When it runs in that order, the speed builds from the middle of you out to the clubhead. When one link turns too early, too late or not far enough, the parts after it have to make up for it, and they usually do it with the hands and arms.
Golf swing sequencing in plain terms
Golf swing sequencing means the big, slow parts of your body move first and pass speed to the smaller, faster parts. Researchers call it a proximal-to-distal sequence: from the centre of the body outwards.
The swing is a skill, and your golf coach teaches it. Whether your body can produce that order is a physical question: can your hips turn while your chest stays back, can your upper back rotate, can you stay balanced while all of it happens? That part is trainable.
What the research says about sequencing
In 2010 Fredrik Tinmark and colleagues recorded the swings of 45 golfers: tournament professionals, male amateurs and female amateurs. In every group and every shot, from a 40-metre wedge to a full driver, the pelvis, upper torso and hand reached their peak speed in that order.
In 2008 Joseph Myers and colleagues measured 100 recreational golfers hitting their driver. The golfers with the fastest ball speed had more separation between the upper torso and the pelvis at the top of the swing, and turned their upper torso faster on the way down. The pelvis turning faster on its own did not predict ball speed. That was a correlation study, and the authors say so: it shows a link, not cause and effect.
In 2020 Alex Ehlert reviewed 25 studies of strength and conditioning for golfers. Where the training made a significant difference, clubhead speed, ball speed and distance went up by an average of 4 to 6.4%. Results varied between studies.
What this means for you
Putting those together: the order matters, the separation between your hips and your chest matters, and training the body that produces them can make a measurable difference. None of it promises you a tour swing, and I would rather tell you that now.
The physical side breaks down into a few jobs:
- Hips that can turn on their own, while your chest stays where it is.
- An upper back that rotates, so your chest can wind up against your hips.
- Balance on one leg, so you can turn hard without falling out of the shot.
- Strength and speed in the legs and trunk, so there is something to pass up the chain.
How I train sequencing at Ocean Fitness Poole
I am TPI certified. We start with how you move, which I wrote about in what a movement screen tells you. Part of that is checking whether your hips can turn while your shoulders stay still, and the other way round.
Then we train it. You rotate against a cable, drive your hips before your arms, lift, carry and move fast, and the loads go up as you get stronger. It is the same approach I set out last week in how personal training in Poole can help you play golf more often, aimed at the order your body moves in.
I train the physical side. Your golf coach teaches the swing.
Matt followed me from my previous gym. In his words: "He plays close attention to movement patterns and adapts the exercises as needed."
The studio is private, at 1 Victoria Road in Poole, BH12. One trainer, one client. Book a free consultation and bring your questions about your swing.
Golf swing sequencing: common questions
What is the kinematic sequence in golf?
It is the order in which parts of the body reach their peak speed in the downswing: pelvis first, then upper torso, then arms, then club. A 2010 study of 45 golfers, professionals and amateurs, found this order in every group and every type of shot.
Does hip and shoulder separation affect how far I hit the ball?
It is linked. A 2008 study of 100 recreational golfers found that those with more separation between upper torso and pelvis at the top of the swing had faster ball speeds. The study showed a link, not proof of cause.
Can strength training improve my golf swing?
It can improve the physical side. A 2020 review of 25 studies found that where strength and conditioning made a significant difference, clubhead speed, ball speed and distance rose by an average of 4 to 6.4%.
What does a TPI certified trainer do?
A TPI certified trainer assesses how your body moves for golf and trains mobility, stability, strength and power. Dom Meacher is TPI certified and works on the physical side, alongside your golf coach.
References
- Ehlert A. The effects of strength and conditioning interventions on golf performance: a systematic review. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2020;38(23):2720-2731.
- Myers J, Lephart S, Tsai YS, Sell T, Smoliga J, Jolly J. The role of upper torso and pelvis rotation in driving performance during the golf swing. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2008;26(2):181-188.
- Tinmark F, Hellström J, Halvorsen K, Thorstensson A. Elite golfers' kinematic sequence in full-swing and partial-swing shots. Sports Biomechanics. 2010;9(4):236-244.