Instruction
How to actually stay down through the shot
Most serious golfers have seen slow-motion video of Tiger Woods or some other tour pro who moves his or her body down in the moments before impact. Those players actually lower what is called their “center,” or upper body on the downswing. But rarely, if ever, do amateurs make the same move.
In fact, many amateurs rise up during the same portion of the swing. And when they do, some well-meaning friend will often tell them to “stay down through the shot.” It’s good advice, but it almost always falls on deaf ears.
Above: What it looks like when a golfer “rises up” at impact
Why? Well, because staying in your posture, or moving down is much easier said than done. Professionals do it because they are in a position to do it. By that, I mean that they have the golf club moving on an angle that allows them to stay down. At the top of the swing, most professionals “re-plane” the golf club. That is, they lower the club onto their original shaft plane position (or close to it), which allows them to move aggressively through the ball.
The reason most amateurs stand up or “bail out” as I call it, is because they usually have the club at an angle that is too steep. If you have seen your swing on video and the grip end of the golf club is pointing at the ground during the transition, you have little to no chance of “staying down.” That’s because if you do, you will stick the club straight into the ground.
Above: This steep angle of the club shaft created by an improper transition is the cause for several impact flaws.
To avoid this steep angle of attack you do the sensible thing, bailing out as you approach impact. Almost EVERYONE finds a way to avoid hitting the ground, and if the club transitions very steeply bailing out is a good way to do it. And that’s a fine fix until some well-meaning member of your group tells you to “stay down, man.”
The other fix is to “back up,” which is the common fix for more experienced players. Golfers always hear about “turning through, getting to their left side and following through,” etc. But if the club starts down too vertical, a golfer only has two choices: to bail out or back up. Backing up is a term I have for when a golfer tilts his or her upper body away for the ball. It shallows out the shaft plane and helps them avoid hitting the ground. But it is an ineffective form of bailing out because it does not allow a golfer to apply as much force to the golf club.
So how can you get the golf club on a angle that will allow you to swing aggressively through the ball, really going down and “getting it” like tour players? Well, when you get to the top of the swing and begin your downswing, the golf club has to get lower or shallower. Players have different keys for doing this, and you have to find your own. But one you may see at the top of the swing is players doing is this:
Your right (or rear) elbow has to move forward, more toward the target line. And you can’t move the whole unit, just the rear elbow (get up right now and try that, because it’s harder than it sounds). Go to the top of your swing, and move the elbow in front of you. If you did it right, you will see the right wrist flex and the left wrist flatten. That means you have just put the golf club in a position from where you can “stay down” through the shot.
When many golfers first put this move into practice, they often hit some topped shots. This is because these golfers have flattened the plane of the shaft, but they are still bailing out of the shot, a leftover behavior. But when they stay with it, they soon start to feel what turning through the shot and keeping their posture feels like.
A good check point might be this: If you see yourself on video, you may want to have the grip end of the club pointed at or slightly outside the golf ball at the halfway-down point. Your attack angle will shallow and you’ll be hitting it like the big boys, moving down through the shot.
As always, feel free to send a swing video to my Facebook page and I will do my best to give you my feedback.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Dennis
Jan 4, 2016 at 8:07 pm
What about weight shift to left side first?
David
Dec 31, 2015 at 2:42 am
A very thoughtful piece of instruction. My ball striking is good at times but goes “off” when I get too vertical and commence “backing up” or “standing up”. A variety of undesired consequences can follow. I am going to try this rear elbow movement. Hopefully more bang for my buck. Keep you posted. Happy New Year!
Sayan
Jul 8, 2015 at 10:39 am
This move has helped me a lot. I tried to get into the position of the Tiger pic by moving my right shoulder down to the ball and the left shoulder in the opposite direction (rotate the shoulders around the spine). The club head would lag and then release. This worked but is a more vertical swing so the margin of error is small – if my spine angle changed. With laying the club back first with the elbow move, I simply turn my left hip away and keep the head behind using the left neck muscles (otherwise there is a danger of spinning out). This is giving me more margin for error and the contact is much less dependent on timing.
Two small problems: This tends to produce a little more draw and the ball starts out a little more to the right (hit a few trees that force you to fade). With the vertical swing I could start the ball along the line. Also I seem to lose a little distance. However, this allows me to be much more consistent. Thank you.
Matty D
May 19, 2015 at 9:00 am
Hello Dennis Clark
I resently started starting making this move and it’s been night and day for my golf swing. It’s really really coming around. With good balance I can hit skiing short irons. With great distance.
My only question is my Driver (I’m 6’3″ 190lbs)
My slice came back, the end of the club was about 6-10inchs away from my waist.
After moving the end of the club father away from my waist I was able to straighten the driver again.
I’m kinda puzzled by this one? Do you or anyone else on here have an opinion on this?
Or dose this sounds like a case of different stroks for different folks?
Matty D
May 19, 2015 at 8:33 am
I agree this is great and Yes this is how “the big boys do it”
Tony P
Feb 13, 2015 at 9:00 am
Dennis recently analyzed my swing via his email system and it was awesome. It clearly showed my swing doing the exact things mentioned in this article ( maybe I was the inspiration? ) In any event, I’ve been working really hard to not rise up and shallow out my angle of attack during my downswing. The tips mentioned here are invaluable and nothing but high praise for Mr. Clark. Keep the tips coming sir.
Cottora
Dec 5, 2014 at 12:30 pm
This is a really good article that helped me visualize an issue I have. One thought that seems to work for me.
When you get to the top of the backswing pretend you are holding a Frisbee with your right index and thumb. Now, how can you sling the Frisbee to the target? You must drive the inside of your right elbow hard towards the target before and while releasing which will flatten or lay down your arm.
Dmitri
Mar 14, 2014 at 7:50 am
Nice article! I also would like to add that the steep angle of attack/over the top is many times caused by poor lower body movement and initiation in the transition, causing what is called “early extension” where the hips thrust towards the ball, resulting in the upper body rising up and going backwards like Dennis explained. Getting physically screened, like a TPI golf screen, could be very beneficial in discovering what your body can or can’t physically do.
cydtazz
Jan 3, 2014 at 10:20 pm
Great article Dennis!
Sadly some will never get it.
Mark
Dec 23, 2013 at 10:18 am
Isn’t this elbow move the same “Magic Move” that Harvey Penick talked about in his Little Red Book almost 20 years ago now?
Dennis Clark
Dec 30, 2013 at 3:18 pm
Actually 21 years, there is a 20th anniversary edition out in fact. Mr Penick taught for many years in Austin, Tex. He loved a flat swing that produced a low draw shot because that was the preferred ball flight of Texas players. So the club getting stuck to steeply would have ben a cardinal sin-particularly in that part of the world. Many kids who turn pro from that area have to learn to hit the ball higher when they tour.
Yea
Dec 13, 2013 at 1:02 pm
I like to stamp down like the old fashioned way. The lifting of the front foot on the backswing will make you stamp down and attack the ball at through the hit. It works.
Martin
Dec 2, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Great article. Now I can tell my friend why he sometimes “bail out” :)In “The Slot Swing” Jim Mclean gives this “magic move” a very understandable explanation. In short: when you push your left hip forward a few inches from a good at the top of the swing position the club shaft will automatically fall into a more flat and inside angle, making it easier to find “the slot”, ie a good impact. I dont know if Dave is with me on this, but it works well for me (most of the time :))
Dennis Clark
Dec 3, 2013 at 4:10 pm
Who is Dave?
Jeff
Oct 4, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Dave is Dave Dennis. You answer the question “who is Dave?” And you’ll have found the holy grail of golf secrets.
Dennis Clark
Oct 4, 2014 at 9:04 pm
I can’t remember why I asked about Dave whoever he may be…my 50 year holy grail quest led me back to the earth. Everything else is show biz as they say. ????
JP Sartre
Dec 16, 2015 at 8:37 pm
The burning existential question is not so much “who” is Dave, as “why” is Dave?
Joe
Nov 26, 2013 at 1:28 pm
It doesnt matter what dennis myers says
Jack
Nov 26, 2013 at 12:29 am
For me the difference is feeling like I am maintaining my spine angle. That keeps me down and through. The scrunching down feel works too. But down forget the forward weight shift or its chunk city like a prior poster said.
k
Nov 24, 2013 at 5:21 am
Never listen to a man with stock shafts…
ZC
Nov 22, 2013 at 2:57 pm
Just watched the sacho Mckenzie video on you tube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuJaSM7Kexw
Really interesting stuff, strikes me as one of the keys in generating ‘whip-like’ yet relaxed club head speed. and more importantly for me, an easier way to square the clubface using natural torque and not forcing it with forearm muscles
ZC
Nov 22, 2013 at 2:18 pm
Thanks for this article Dennis – I have noticed tour pros ‘re-plane- the club at transition but though this move is done actively using the wrists. It seems much more simple if you just move the elbow as you transition down as this will position the hands and club for you?
I also come out of posture and have been trying for months to not early extend…hope this tip will help, although I also think my left hip rotation could be better (also doing rehab exercises for it) which is why I don’t stay down ands though it as well as I’d like.
Will give this tip a good go though!
ZC
Nov 22, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Sorry, I meant ‘but thought this move was done…’
Michael
Nov 22, 2013 at 8:42 am
I am not understanding elbow forward. Is Dennis saying that the elbow is supposed to be ahead of the club handle on the downswing? Confused.
Dennis Clark
Nov 22, 2013 at 10:17 am
The center of mass of the golf club should fall below the plane of the hand path. Ala Sergio Garcia. Research Sasho Mackenzie. Great golf research scientist from Canada.
TheLegend
Nov 22, 2013 at 12:37 am
You actually cant stay down. Thats not how the body works. You can however shrink like tiger or jack while rotating. When David Duval was in his prime he would not even be looking at the ball at the moment of impact. Saying stay down is very bad advice.
Dan
Nov 22, 2013 at 12:58 am
As oposed to coming up out of the shot. Did you even read this?
naflack
Nov 22, 2013 at 2:20 am
Staying down equals chunk city for me, ironically my swing looks allot like the Annika/Duval move. I’m guessing this applies more to those who literally come out of the shot.
bainz69
Nov 21, 2013 at 4:02 pm
Why did no-one tell me this when I first took up golf?? Is this move of the elbow really the ‘magic move’ us amateurs have been looking for (for a long time in my case)??
Dennis Clark
Nov 21, 2013 at 7:45 pm
Depends. Remember that one plane swings have the club into the delivery position at the top and in the transition. Those who swing it up more need to “replane” in transition hence more need for the elbow forward bit.
bainz69
Nov 22, 2013 at 8:04 pm
So hackers have club above hand plane and chop down at the ball, whereas good golfers get it underneath hand plane and spin the clubhead out at the ball creating more speed and consistent hits??
Dennis Clark
Nov 24, 2013 at 1:17 pm
I would be more kind…”Average golfers” can struggle with club face squaring due the problem I discussed. When you can get the center of mass of the club under the hand plane (laid off)it is easier to square it. Squaring can achieved more “passively”.
Troy Vayanos
Nov 21, 2013 at 2:39 pm
Well explained Dennis,
This is something all Amateur golfers can work on.
Cheers
Vince
Nov 21, 2013 at 9:49 am
I’m gonna try this. Great article Dennis.
Philip
Nov 21, 2013 at 6:10 am
It is always amazing if you recognize your swing flaw and get an explanation why you do this and how to fix it.
The “bail-out” is my current problem and thanks to this article I have an idea what I have to correct.
Good job, thank you!