Jeff Ritter Swing Sequence

Chapter Links   Posture Provides the Axis Arms Supply the Shape Passive Body Drill Pivot Forward Chest Pivot Back Clubface Control Downswing Sensations Squash Bend Closing the Gap Delivering a Hit Power Hitters are Pull Hitters Back Hand Slap Throwing Towels and Floor Mats Jeff Ritter Swing Sequence One vs. Two-Plane Swings Steep vs. Shallow Compatible Two-Plane Fundamentals Compatible One-Plane Fundamentals Grooving Your Plan Bag Drill _____________________________________________

Now that you understand that you must swing on an arc, it's time to start picking the tools needed to build or remedy your swing. Certainly, a sound grip is of paramount importance and I will make mention of that a little later, but for now I'd like to begin with the basic building blocks of the arc.

Posture Provides the Axis

Simply think of your swing as a circle. To play golf, that circle has to clip the ground at a point that meets the ball. Your spine is in essence the “hub” or “center” of that circle. Notice how my club shaft and spine are aligned 90 degrees to each other. I point the grip of the club directly at my belt line as a guide.

Shaft and spine at right angles

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Arms Supply the Shape

Once your spine is set, the arms are responsible for building the shape of the swing. Learn to properly feel and sequence your swing with the following movements.

Passive Body Drill

The passive body drill allows me to focus on simple arm movements necessary to build a natural arc that swings perpendicular to my spine. Notice that when my left arm works across my chest, my right arm responds by folding. The elbow is working properly back behind the seam which runs down the torso of my shirt. An actual swing would have some more body pivot at this point, but our goal here is feel the arms working properly around our tilted spine.

Left arm hugs chest

Conversely, as my right arm hugs my chest on the follow through, the left elbow responds the same way, working behind the seam. If my spine axis stays constant I will be able to easily and consistently "nip" the turf near the center of my feet with my practice swings.

Follow through Right arm against chest Left elbow behind seam

One of the easiest keys to develop proper arm swing is to utilize the “logo” on your golf shirt. The left arm smashes the logo on the back swing and the right arm smashes the logo on the follow through. If you can do that, you won’t be far off! A player like Vijay Singh is known for practicing hitting shots holding a glove or headcover under his left arm as a means of creating the same sensation. Hitting half shots with a glove under your right and left arm will give you the feeling of how the arms work across the chest in the back swing and then into the follow through. With this drill I would reccomend doing "one at a time." First a few shot under the left arm, then switching to the right.

Posture and arm movement are the building blocks of a properly arced swing.

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Pivot Forward

Once I can feel the arm sequence, I add some pivot to the follow through releasing my chest and hips to the left. Notice my left elbow showing up behind my body as my right arm swings across my chest. I feel as if I could "throw" the club well to the left as I swing into my follow through.

Adding Pivot

Chest Pivots Back

Now add some chest pivot back. Notice I said “chest” and not “shoulders” It is possible to move your shoulder blades without properly pivoting the chest. With good posture, imagine your chest turning up towards the sky as if you were going to point it up to the sun. When done properly the backswing will feel like an “arms, chest, and then hips” sequence of movement.

Chest pivots back	Full finish

Although my arms begin the backswing sequence, my shoulders will still follow with a big wind-up. Notice that you can see the stripe running across the back of my shirt indicating a huge turn. I would describe my turn as "centered" with very little shift in weight. Intentionally moving weight into the right leg can move you off of your axis, leading to contact issues. Any weight movement is purely a result of my wind up. Notice how my lower body is quiet and stable responding to the movement of my arms and torso.

Full Finish

A full unwinding to the finish, positions my chest well left of my target. I like to imagine a "home run" hitter flying a ball over the left field stands. Tips like "face the target" are actually detrimental, as proper rotation will face the chest and hips considerably to the left.

Thinking of moving the chest vs. the shoulders is the best way to achieve a powerful turn.

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Clubface Control

This right hand only drill, shows proper right arm and clubface control on the backswing. As the right arm swings away from address, the right palm looks downward towards the golf ball. You may think this would create a "closed" club face, but in fact my hand is perfectly square to the swing arc.

The second half of the back swing incorporates a rotation of the right forearm to the top. Again, my palm position indicates a square club face.

Right palm square to the swing arc	Right forearm rotating palm onto plane

The same movements with the golf club bring this drill full circle. Notice how in the first photo my club face looks at the ball. A good tip is to see the leading edge of the club face parallel to the angle of your spine.

The second photo shows the right forearm rotating the face and shaft onto the correct swing plane. Notice how the club face, shaft and left wrist are all on the same angle as I work my way into the top of my back swing.

Palm and club face look at ball	Forearm rotates palm and shaft into plane

Your hands are your only connection to the club, thus controlling the movement of the shaft and position of the face. Practicing hand movements without a club, is a great way to simplify your understanding of basic technique.

Continue Reading

Chapter 2- Downswing
Chapter 2- Jeff Ritter Swing Sequence
Chapter 2- One vs. Two-Plane Swings

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