Course Review: Glen Dornock, Myrtle Beach

Course Spotlight: Glen Dornoch is Easy on the Eyes

By

Chris King

  on April 22, 2010 12:36 PM | Comments (2)

The 16th hole at Glen Dornoch offers one of the most dramatic views in all of Myrtle Beach golf.

As players bring clubs to the bag drop, their eyes are naturally drawn to the Intracoastal Waterway, which meanders by Glen Dornoch on its way to the nearby Atlantic Ocean. When players check in, it’s almost impossible not to look out over the double-green the ninth and 18th holes share and admire the backdrop the water provides.

Long after leaving the course, the eighth, ninth, 16th, 17th and 18th holes, which bring golfers to the edge of the waterway, stir memories. The Intracoastal runs from Maine to Florida, and the more than half-mile stretch that runs alongside Glen Dornoch defines the Clyde Johnston design.

Boats pass by the clubhouse almost as often as golf balls find a watery grave, and on the other side of the Intracoastal, only undisturbed wetlands and trees block a view of the Atlantic. The scenery puts Glen Dornoch in any discussion involving the most scenic Myrtle Beach golf courses.

Pretty as the course may be, people come to the Little River layout for golf, and Glen Dornoch delivers on that account as well.

The course, which opened in 1996, isn’t exceedingly long, playing 6,890 yards from the tips, but it’s plenty challenging. Most players play from the blue (6,446 yards) or white tees (6,035 yards), but don’t let the “lack” of yardage lull you into playing from a set of tees your game can’t handle.

Some layouts need length as a defense; Glen Dornoch isn’t one of them. The course was one of Johnston’s first independent designs and he crafted a layout that rewards creativity and shot-making. Pulling the driver on every tee isn’t a recipe for success as wetlands and/or water come into play on the final 14 holes.

Playing from the blue tees only three of the 10 par 4s play more than 400 yards, including the final two, and that number drops to one when playing the whites (something you should do if your handicap is over 15). 

The short par 4s challenge golfers to be accurate off the tee and find the right spots in the fairway, but they don’t take the driver completely out of the bag. Glen Dornoch invites players to get off to a fast start as none of the first three holes – all par 4s – play more than 342 yards from the blue tees. For long-hitters, No. 2 and No. 3 are birdie opportunities.

The inviting nature of the opening holes stands in contrast to the difficulty of 16, 17 and 18, holes almost universally regarded as among the most scenic and difficult on the Grand Strand. But that’s part of the fun. At times players wear down toward the end of the round and turn their attention toward the 19th hole, that doesn’t happen at Glen Dornoch .

“It keeps you in the round because you want to see how you do on the last three,” Jason Himmelsbach, Glen Dornoch’s marketing director said. “Even if you don’t finish exactly how you want, it’s a great test and it keeps your game focused.”

The holes along the Waterway provide the take-home memories, but Glen Dornoch is solid throughout. Here is a closer look at what the Johnston design offers:

Par 3s
The 17th is one of Glen Dornoch’s signature holes. It plays 182 yards from the blue tees and 164 from the whites. According to the scorecard, it’s the second easiest hole on the back nine, but the scorecard can’t measure the visual intimidation of the wetlands and the wind coming off the Atlantic.

The front side par 3s, No. 4 and No. 7, give players a chance to score. No. 4 is the course’s shortest hole, playing just 155 yard from the blue tees and 137 yards from the whites. The redan green is inviting and there is nothing tricky. Just play the yardage and hit a good shot. The seventh (176 yards/166 yards) is much the same. Bunkers on the left pose potential problems, but players don’t have to thread the needle to score here.

Wetlands factor in on No. 14, but if you favor the left side there is plenty of margin for error. It’s the easiest hole on the back nine, and players need to take advantage.

Par 4s
Length isn’t required to play Glen Dornoch’s par 4s well. Accuracy, on the other hand, is a must. Players that can hit the ball between 200 and 225 yards and do so accurately will have opportunities at Glen Dornoch. There is only one front nine par 4 that plays more than 400 yards and that is the knee-knocking ninth.

No. 9 plays 420 yards from the blues and 406 from the whites, and the Intracoastal runs along the entire right side. The hole will make players with a slice wake-up at night with cold sweats.

The first three holes are all short par 4s  and players should take advantage.

The back nine offers opportunity, particularly on the 330-yard, 12th hole, but the closing par 4s, No. 16 and No. 18, are among the course’s most challenging. The 16th hole, which plays down hill, is one of Glen Dornoch’s best and most dramatic.

The 18th forces a difficult decision. Played conventionally, no. 18 is a dogleg left with a landing area that is difficult to hit, but Johnston gives players the opportunity to cut the corner, though it’s an all or nothing proposition. It’s approximately 161 yards to clear the wetlands from the white tees and 220 from the blues. The distance needed to clear the wetlands isn’t great but there is no room for a bailout and there is sand on both sides of the fairway.

Players that attack the hole conventionally are left with a 175-yard approach into what is often a left-to-right wind. Given the difficulty of that shot, it’s worth it to try and cut the corner.

Par 5s
Glen Dornoch’s par 5s don’t give up birdies easily. The course, taken as a whole isn’t long, but the par 5s require strength. The fifth hole plays 532+ yards from all three sets of non-senior tees and wetlands are a factor throughout. It's is a three-shot hole under all circumstances. Play your second shot to the left side of the fairway (but beware of the creek) for the best angle into a deep green.

The Intracoastal comes into sight for the first time on No. 8, a long par 5 (540 blue tees/512 white tees) that features abundant elevation changes. The fairway isn’t exceedingly wide but take a crack with the driver and the opportunity to get home in two might avail itself.

The 10th is reachable in two (508 blue/472 white) but wetlands that dissect the fairway leave a second shot of nearly 250 yards, so it’s far from given. 

The most difficult hole on the backside is the par 5 13th. The dogleg left has water running along the left side and requires a demanding second shot. With water on the left, it’s easy for players to push their second shot right and into the trees. Keep it in the middle and don’t get greedy here.

The Verdict: Glen Dornoch is beautiful and challenging. The holes along the waterway provide players with the coastal golf experience they can’t get at home, and the inland holes help consolidate Glen Dornoch’s reputation as a Myrtle Beach golf favorite.

Glen Dornoch is a course you will tell your friends about long after you’ve returned home, and that’s the highest form of praise for a course you are traveling to play.

3 Best Holes At Glen Dornoch

By

Chris King

  on April 22, 2010 12:57 PM | Comments (0)

The 17th green at Glen Dornoch is one of the most scenic on the Myrtle Beach golf scene.

Glen Dornoch has provided some of Myrtle Beach golf’s best visuals since it opened in 1996. Five holes play along the Intracoastal Waterway and designer Clyde Johnston maximized the available land, creating a layout that is near the top of many play lists.

 We consulted with Glen Dornoch’s marketing director, Jason Himmelsbach, who has played the course hundreds of times, for one man’s opinion on the course’s three best holes. Himmelsbach happily obliged.

No. 8 – 570-yard, par 5: From an elevated tee box, the long par 5 is in front of players and the Intracoastal Waterway, running behind the green, comes into full view. The hole presents a risk-reward choice; the safest play is the left side of the fairway, but the right offers the best angle into a green with six nearby bunkers.

The eighth has considerable elevation change, enhancing the view of the Intracoastal, and it helps gives long hitters the opportunity to go for the green in two. It’s not difficult to figure why it’s the best hole on the course, in Himmelsbach’s opinion.

No. 16 – 431-yard, par 4: The 16th doesn’t play as long as the yardage suggests because it’s all downhill. The hole’s second shot is one of the most dramatic on the Myrtle Beach golf scene, overlooking native wetlands and the Intracoastal with a green that offers little room for error off in the distance.

Note of caution: pay special attention to distance control on the downhill tee shot. The crest of the fairway is approximately 250 yards from the tee boxes. Players that fly the crest will likely see their tee shots tumble into a bunker, leaving an extraordinarily difficult second shot, or end up in the wetlands.

The 16th isn’t easy, but it’s a hole no one forgets.

No. 17 – 212-yard, par 3: Again, the Intracoastal provides a memorable backdrop and the passing boats can, temporarily, take your mind off a challenging tee shot. The green is enveloped on three sides by wetlands, and a huge mound, sprinkled with bunkers, is on the right.

What do you need to know before hitting your tee shot?

“Take an extra club, no matter what the wind is doing, because the trees block the tee box,” Himmelsbach says. “When you get up (above the trees), it’s more open (and the wind can be blowing).”

5 Things You Need To Know About Glen Dornoch

By

Chris King

  on April 22, 2010 1:04 PM | Comments (0)

The 15th hole at Glen Dornoch, a short par 4, rewards players that hit the left side of the fairway.

Glen Dornoch is one of the most challenging and scenic courses on the Myrtle Beach golf market, wowing players with views of the Intracoastal Waterway while forcing them to think their way around the course.

It’s the type of layout where a little local knowledge is beneficial, and we are here to help. Here are five things that will help you enjoy your experience at Glen Dornoch.

1. What is the Most Important Club in the Bag?: Positioning off the tee at Glen Dornoch is key, not length. Whether it’s a 3-wood, a 5-wood or a hybrid, whatever you can hit 200 to 225 yards, with a degree of accuracy, is the most important club in your bag. Find the fairway!

2. Be Ready Early: The first four holes are relatively tame. Playing from the white tees (6,035 yards), the first three holes are, in order, 292, 335 and 272-yard par 4s. Follow that up with a 137-yard par 3, and you should be feeling good about yourself heading to the fifth tee. A good start is critical because …

3. Myrtle Beach’s toughest finishing stretch?: There is an argument to be made that the finishing holes at Glen Dornoch are Myrtle Beach’s toughest. The three closing holes offer stunning views of the Intracoastal Waterway, but wind, wetlands and water require players to be at their best. Conversely, if you are trailing by a few shots, you will have the opportunity to make up ground.

4. Clear Thinking and Shot-Making Are Rewarded: As previously mentioned, Glen Dornoch isn’t a bomber’s course. Course management and good shot-making skills are exponentially more valuable than distance. Examine the yardage book and play smart, and you will put yourself in position to score well.

5. Play the 19th Hole: No matter how you play, make sure you take the time to enjoy the beverage or snack of your choice on the clubhouse deck. The double-green the ninth and 18th hole share and Intracoastal Waterway are just yards from the clubhouse. There are few better scenes in all of Myrtle Beach golf.

Small Golf Trip Change

Panther's Run will be closed from June 1st through the end of August to put in new greens, so I spoke with Brian today, and have changed Thursday's afternoon round to:

SEA TRAILS: THE DAN MAPLES COURSE

	Dan Maples Golf Course Information
	Twisted ancient oaks and tall Carolina pines define each hole on the beautiful par 72 course, still regarded as one of Maples finest. This one-of-a-kind course has newly renovated A1/A4 blended Bent grass greens and boasts five holes that wind along the scenic Calabash Creek, home to nesting ospreys and other native wildlife. The course is also peppered with numerous waste bunkers, one of which extends the full length of a fairway. • Year Opened: 1986 • Holes: 18 • Par: 72 • Walking Allowed: No • Sunday Alcohol: After Noon • Coolers: Only small, 6-pack size coolers allowed • Spikes: Soft • Greens: A1/A4 blended Bent grass

REMINDER TO ALL: The Myrtle Beach Trip is right around the corner. We playing the Ocean Ridge Plantation Courses: Tiger's Eye (above), Leopard's Chase, Panther's Run and Lion's Paw. We will be staying at the golf condos on the Glen's Golf Complex, minutes from all our courses in North Myrtle Beach.

"The King of Myrtle Beach" trophey will be up for grabs also, so please remember to review all the catagories everyone is being judged on.

Few new faces, Danny Byrd and Jamie Smith, and a couple returning old faces, Lew Causey and Mike Poole.

VB Golf Crew's Charity Golf Tournament

 Good morning all, I am sorry to inform everyone, I have pushed the date back for our first annual Charity Golf Tournament to September of 2010. I had trouble gathering enough sponsors to make it worth wild.

 Going forward, I will be combining our efforts with those of Danny Byrd and his tournament. He faced the same thing in April, and came up short of his sponsor goals. Together, we have plenty of sponsors, prizes money to donate to the Charity to make the tournament worth wild.

 Please keep an eye out, I will be revising the dates, and lists, and I will keep everyone informed.

Lesson 12: Club Face Check

Lesson 12 - Club Face Check - How to monitor every shot
We have traced through the entire downswing sequence. At the finish of your swing the body should be perfectly balanced with the chest squarely facing the target, and the hands alongside the head at about the level of the left ear. The arms are entirely free of tension, with both elbows pointing downward. the forearms thus resemble the two sides of a narrow-based triangle....not precisely vertical, but definately not splayed out.

Control of this finish is held from the waistline and the firm left leg. The right knee alongside the left and the right foot is up on the toe. This too is contributing to balance.
Checking your swing
From this position, allow the hands to drop to hip level, bringing the shaft of the club to an angle of about 45 degrees to the ground. Now check that the face of the club is still square. That is, the leading edge of the club face or blade should be vertical when viewed by the player.

If it is off vertical, to either right or left, wrist rolling has taken place through the ball either at or after impact. If the leading edge is off vertcial to the left, the hands have rolled the face into a closed position. If it is off vertical to the right the hands have opened the face.

Note that I said at or after impact. Why be concerned about what happens after impact?
The answer is that if the face is coming out of alignment after impact it is only a matter of time before it happens pre-impact. Further, errors of face alignment at or after impact can be sufficient to effect accuracy just that little bit.
The important thing is that the face MUST BE SQUARE AT FINISH. If is coming out of alignment you must discover where and when.
If the face is not square at the finish check your position at the top that was outlined in Lesson 3.
The finish revels a great deal. Generally speaking, a good player is flattish on the backswing and upright in the finish. the poor player is upright in the backswing and flat in the finish. The former has achieved a club-line through the ball. The latter has not. His club has moved across the line of flight through impact, from out to in, which is evident in his type of finish. THE FINISH REVEALS HOW GOOD OR BAD, YOUR CLUB-LINE HAS BEEN!

Here is an absolutely vital exercise that every golfer must master. Everything in this course of instruction depends on your ability to do this exercise to perfection.
Its purpose is simple. It is designed to eliminate...once and for all.... the dreadful "concave" body shape (illustrated) which is the cause of all that is bad in the golf swing.

This exercise can be performed anywhere, as you do not need a club in your hands to do it. Indeed if you cannot do it without a club, you certainly will never master it with a club.
Every professional golf teacher should insist that this exercise is mastered by novices before they ever actually swing a club. If they did it would save months of hard work. Experienced players too, should be introduced to it immediately. This exercise, more than anything else, has enable me to transform players in less than two years to championship and international class.
It contains the very essence of a correct swing movement. It absolutely MUST be mastered if you are to become a good golfer.
Most players as we have described earlier in this course of instruction allow their bodies to rise up in the backswing as the club swings to the top. Again, in the downswing, they tend to move the club down from the top with "body propulsion".....rotating the shoulders through the ball as they do. They end up with a flat "round" type of finish with the shaft of the club pointing to the left of target.
The exercise
Adopt the normal adress position with the left shoulder slightly higher than the right one, grasp the extended left arm around the wrist with the right hand. Now perform the backswing by swinging the left hand and arm to the top of the backswing.
Be sure to make a free swing with the left shoulder "up". but keep your weight "down" as the left hand and arm swing up. Feel the left arm is swinging to MAXIMUM leverage.
This will help you to sense that the body turns to permit a free swing of the left hand and arm.
You will also feel the need to raise the left heel in order to achieve maximum lverage. Remember, the left foot must "break" at the toe joints. There must be NO inward roll of the left foot. And feel the right knee remains flexed, just as it was at the address.
Performing this exerecise makes us realise that a responsive and perfectly balanced body enables the left hand and arm to swing fully and freely. It also places the arms in a correct position at the top.
At the top, the shoulders are fully turned and remain so as the downswing begins. We now swing the left hand and arm down into the ball, noting that the lateral shift occurs as a result of this downward swing.
As the left hand enters the "release area" the right foot and knee "kicks in" to the shot.
The left hand and arm then moves into and along the intended line of flight through impact, causing the shoulders to turn AFTER IMPACT to allow the left hand and arm to swing freely up into the finish.
In short this exercise contains the essence of the entire swing movement and can be performed anywhere without a golf club. It reinforces all the points that I have been making about a correct swing action.
Perform this exercise often standing in front of a mirror. Compare your body position with these illustrated and make sure you have every detail perfect. Repeat the exercise until it becomes automatic.
Above all, it teaches you to perform the body turn without allowing the body to asume that "concave" shape. If you cannot achieve a correct "convex" body shape without a club in your hands, you certainly will not be able to do it with a club!

Lesson 11: What You Should Feel at the top of the Backswing

Lesson 11 - What You Should Feel at the top of the Backswing
I said in Lesson 2 that the left heel must rise to permit a full body turn in the backswing, and that I built this left heel movement into the swings of my pupils whether they felt the need for it or not. I also said that there was no marked transfer of weight to the right leg in the backswing.

The vital purpose of this left heel raising... and the consequent transfer of weight forward on the big toe joint of the left foot is clearly sensed once we are at the top of the backswing.
We sense that the body is in perfect balance due to a system of control that originates in the big toe joint of the left foot, passing diagonally up the body, to the shoulders .... and finally to the hands.
The pressure felt on the inside of the left foot (under the big toe joint) is providing a base (a "resistance") for the downward left arm leverage that is about to occur. Indeed, the free downward swing of the left hand and arm cannot occur without it!
Power

This upaward resistance is what creates potential power in the hands at the top of the swing.....power that will be released at the correct time in the downswing. Hence we can say that.... Downward drive plus upward resistance equals POWER. The raised left heel thus creates power in the hands at the top.
We not only sense the power in the hands, we also (thanks to the control imparted by correct use of the left foot) sense that we can conserve and release that power at will.
For the first time in the swing movement we are aware of the potential power in the hands....and we are conscious of the fact that we have the necessary control to "release" that power at the correct time.
Thus, the body poise at the top imparted by the correct use of the inside of the left foot makes us
1. Conscious of the potential power in the hands,
2. A sense of the need to conserve this power for the right place in the swing, and finally
3. We have a feeling of complete confidence that we can "release" this power at the right time and place in the downswing...and thus we subconsciously sense exactly where that "release" point is!
Timing

This inate knowledge is what we are describing when we talk about "timing". It is not a "gift", or sixth sense...it is a feeling of control and certainty that arises out of a correct, series of body movements in the backswing.
As the body movements are learned and acquired so too, this awareness of the potential power in the hands, and the need to "release" this power at the correct time is developed.
Once sensed, the matter of timing the "release" of power in the downswing is merely arrived at by usage.
Thousands of players, pro and amateur, go through their golfing lives with absolutely no sense of the potential power in their hands at the top of the swing. Consequently, they have never anticipated the next stage of the release of that power at the right time.
The progress of such players must inevitably be arrested at some stage, since they have no awareness of the very essence of the swing...the phenomenon of a timed release of power with the hands.
I stress again, this awareness, and the priceless technical bonuses that flow from it is acquired by a shaped, controlled body turn in the backswing, and in particular the control and sensitivity that originates in the big toe joint of the left foot when the hands are at the top of the swing.
Now that we have analysed in some detail exactly what we should feel at the top of the swing, we can move on to consider exactly how the downswing is carried out.
We now undertsand the truth of what I have been stressing right from Lesson 1. The backswing has nothing to do with generating power, hence it is smooth, unhurried and strain free.
We are merely positioning the hands, club and body correctly prior to the downswing.
Once correctly positioned (as a result of a correct series of movements) the hands automatically acquire...or become "charged" with....potential power at the top.
As we sense this power at the top, the swing slows down. Indeed, the transition from the backswing to downswing is the slowest part of the swing. This "slow down" at the top accentuates and amplifies the feeling of conserved power that we have talked about earlier. We begin to anticipate the "release" but at the same time we strongly sense the need to conserve that power for the final stages of the downswing.

Transition from backswing to downswing is the slowest phase of the swing!
Now we realise that this feeling of power at the top depends upon a passive, controlled backswing. If, by applying force, we have sensed this power in the hands during the backswing itself we would have "jumped the gun" and "charged" the hands too soon. Hence, we would likewise "release" power too soon in the downswing, and nothing on earth could prevent it. In short, we would "lose our timing", hit from the top, throw the shoulders into the shot and destroy the whole movement.
This impatience to "hit" is extremely common. It is a direct result of thinking about the backswing in terms of "generating power". The backswing is then performed by body action rather that with a free swing of the left hand and arm.
At the top we should have a clear sensation of the potential power in the hands and wrists.... and equally a clear awareness that the hands and wrists are in control of the club.
Now, maintaining the shoulders in the fully turned position, we simply commence the downward swing of the left hand and arm. That is how the downswing starts, and nothing could be simpler!
I stress again, the SHOULDERS MUST REMAIN IN THE FULLY TURNED POSITION at the beginning of the downswing! The same left foot action that has "charged" the hands with power is enabling us to control the shoulders.
By keeping the shoulders fully turned the left hand and arm can swing freely from the left shoulder, taking the club-head down into the ball on a club line that will result in a swing into and along the line of flight through impact.

Hold your shoulders in the fully turned position as the left hand and arm begins to swing down... this ensures good club line through the ball
Once the shoulders turn.. even just a little.... at the beginning of the downswing two errors are bound to result.
You will....
1. Destroy the club-line down into the ball by looping the club on to an "outside" path and
2. You will destroy the ability to swing the left hand and arm!
Here is an exercise you can do to prove these two statements for yourself.
Exercise 1 - Club-Line
Take the club in your hands and assume the correct top of the swing position. Now MAINTAINING THE SHOULDERS IN THE FULLY TURNED POSITION swing the left hand and arm slowly down noting that a correct line is automatically acheived. Repeat this several times.
Now go back to the top, and this time allow your shoulders to turn slightly as the laft hand and arm swings down.
Note that the left hand and arm immediately moves to the "outside" downswing path which must result in an out-to-in impact!
Thus, good club-line through the ball depends upon the stillness of the shoulders at the beginning of the downswing.
Exercise 2 Separation
But there is a second result, which you may have sensed which is very subtle and equally important. By allowing the shoulders to turn as the left hand and arm started down you actually destroyed the capacity of the left hand and arm to swing! Did you feel that?
You took the "power" out of the arm.
Remember how, in the takeaway, the freedom of the left hand and arm to swing depended upon the stillness of the shoulders and an abscence of sway? If you had swayed to the right as your left hand and arm started back you would have diminished its swing capacity. We have exactly the same situation here.
The shoulders must remain still (in the fully turned position) to allow the swing of the left hand and arm to take place.
Move these shoulders, even a fraction, and you diminish the capacity of the left hand and arm to swing.
This ability of the left hand and arm to swing indendent of the shoulders I call "separation".
Here is an exercise to develop this.
Take and club and assume the correct top of the swing position. Now, keeping the shoulders fully turned, start the left hand and arm slowly downward into the ball. When the left hand and arm has moved downward for a distance of about a foot to eighteen inches...STOP.... and return it to the top again. Repeat this downward movement several times, keeping the shoulders in the fully turned position.
What do you feel? You sense, perhaps for the first time, that the left hand and arm is not propelled downward by the shoulders and body action. It swings freely down quite independently of the shoulders.
This is what must happen in the correct downswing. Once the downward swing of the left hand and arm is under way, the body reacts to this swing (we are about to describe this action) in what I describe as the "lateral shift". However, it is vital to realise that the body reacts to the downward swing. The body does not cause the downward movement of the left hand and arm.
Repeat this "separation" exercise often. It is the vital foundation of a correct downswing movement. Once perfected, the basis for a sound and powerful downswing is laid.
Again, we must guard against starting the downswing with the body action... and that is what is happening if the shoulders are allowed to turn. Body propulsion and a free left hand and arm swing cannot exist together.
It must be either one or the other.
Hence, if the shoulders turn at the commencement of the downswing the free left hand and arm swing is destroyed. And, if the left hand and arm is not making the downward swing into the ball a correctly timed release of power is impossible!
In the next lesson I will show you how to check your follow through

Lesson 10: Direction and Power-Purpose of the Downswing

Lesson 10 - Direction and Power - Purpose of the Downswing
The downswing is undoubtedly the most critical and misunderstood phase of the swing. It has been the subject of more misleading advice than any other phase of the swing movement. I intend to correct these errors, and replace them with concepts of the downswing that are both simple and effective.
Essentially, the problem is this. Most players start the downswing by turning the shoulders. Consequently they end up swinging across the intended line of flight from "out-to-in", with the shoulders open at impact.

Why do they do this? Because, I submit, the traditional analysis of how the swing is performed tends to produce this result!

A correct downswing movement must result in a powerful swing into and along the intended line of flight, through impact. For this to be achieved the shoulders must be square at impact, or better still, fractionally "closed". Keep this in mind!

Hence we see that proper control of the shoulders is the key to the correct downswing movement. Indeed, we shall see that foot and leg action in the downswing occurs largely to keep the shoulders passive and under control as the downswing takes place. Hence my assertion that the downswing occurs from the feet....up. I intend to explain this further.
For now, simply remember that without proper control of the shoulders both power and direction in the downswing will surely be destroyed!
Three downswing faults to be avoided
(Errors that ruin club-line)
The sole purpose of the backswing is to correctly position the club at the top. The left hand and arm has swung the club up into position. In so doing it has created the swing plane. Now the left hand and arm must reverse its direction of swing....moving the hands and club down into the ball. As it does this, the hands, shaft and clubhead must remain on the same plane that was created in the backswing.... and the hands must lead the club-head down into the ball, conserving power for a properly timed "release" at the ball.... and not before! In short we must maintain a good "club-line" down into the ball, and we must "release" the club-head at the right time.

There are three common downswing errors which make this impossible...
1. Dominant right hand - club thrown forward over the hands.
Many pros and handicappers allow the right hand to dominate the left as the downswing begins. Control has been transferred from the left hand and arm entirely to the right hand.
Consequently the right hand throws the club-head forward over the left hand and arm.... completely destroying club-line and releasing the club-head far too early.
The result. A weak, out-to-in impact!

Fault correction
Retain control in the left hand and arm throughout the backswing and the downswing. The right hand will then assume its correct role.
2. Turning the shoulders from the top - club moves to an 'outside' line and an out-to-in impact
Many golfers start down from the top by turning the shoulders. This is brought about by failure to use the feet in the downswing, an incorrect backswing, the desire to "hit" rather than "swing", neglect of the left hand and arm swing and various other errors - starting the downswing by turning the hips is a major cause.
The effect is to take the club off the correct swing line, looping it forward on to the "outside" line. The result is an across line impact... the hallmark of the "hacker".
Again, this faulty downswing line brings about premature "release".

Club moves to an 'outside' line and an out-to-in impact

Fault correction
Swing the club down into the ball with the left hand and arm, maintaining the correct plane. This will assist a correctly timed, properly directed release of power.
3. Throwing out from the top  - a sure way to waste power
The third common downswing fault is "throwing" the club-head out to the right as the downswing begins. This is in fact a very early release of power. It is caused by over anxiety to "hit" the ball, and is often associated with a very fast swing.
By releasing the power early, the club-head overtakes the hands before impact making for a weak shot.
It is quite possible to "throw out" from the top and yet maintain a good line into the ball. However, since power has been released early, it is almost certain that the point of release will vary with each swing. Hence, shots with the same club will vary in length as the point of "release" varies. A caddie will find it difficult to club you correctly. In short, throwing-out makes for weak shots of variable length. It also causes hitting the ground before the ball is struck.

Fault correction
Maintain the club-head behind the hands on the way down. Allow the downward swing of the left and arm to make the initial movement, then when the hands have been lowered to about hip-height, release the clubhead. Not before!
The role of the right hand and arm in the downswing
Misuse of the right hand and arm is extremely common in the downswing. It can cause both loss of line down into the ball and a premature release of power. Both errors are highly undesirable.

Hand and wrist always 'live'...arm and elbow passive until the release
Some critics have suggested that I have stressed the role of the left hand and arm at the expense of the right hand. I disagree. It is the commanding role of the left hand and arm that has been neglected in golf teaching, and most golfers over employ the right hand and arm anyway!
I have already said the hands control the club at ALL times. The hands work together while the left hand assumes the commanding role. When we are talking about "hand control", we are speaking mainly about the interaction between the fingers and wrists of the hands. These are live and sensitive at all times.
From a correct position at the top of the swing, the left hand and arm swing downwards into the ball. Meanwhile, both hands are contributing towards control of the club-head in the fingers and wrists. However, the right arm and elbow are passive until the club descends to about hip height. Then...when good club-line through the ball is assured, the hands are in position to safely "release" the club-head into the ball.
If, through misuse of the right arm and elbow, the right hand is allowed to overpower the left before release, power and direction is prejudiced. It then comes into the shot too early, interfering with the guiding role of the left hand and arm....throwing the club off line.

The club is thrown forward, over the left arm to an outside line
As long as the left hand and arm remains in control, the right hand will play its proper part... at the proper time.
It is essential to realise the shaft and club-head are maintained behind the hands during the downswing. When so positioned, the hands sensing and anticipating the release throughout the movement. When the downward swing of the left hand and arm has brought the hands down into position for a final release of power into and along the intended line of flight. It is at this point that the hands release the club-head into the ball in a properly times delivery.
Premature use of the right hand both destroys a timed delivery (which is the secret of power) and destroys the club line down into the ball, resulting in inaccurate and mis-hit shots.
A correctly timed delivery is, in the final analysis, what the golf swing is all about. Once the left hand and arm has successfully made the line down into the ball, the hands take over for the final application of power.

Power, conservation, release. A vital concept!
In the next lesson I describe the feeling of a correct downswing