Tip Tuesday – Power Series, Part 3: Activating the Trigger in the Downswing

Understanding the trigger in the downswing, and how to properly activate it, is critical in generating more power off the tee. Karsten Kenley of the Classic Swing Golf School in Myrtle Beach, S.C. is here to to show us how the process works, and how you can maximize it to your full potential!

Karsten Kenley:
Hey, everyone. So as Ted just stopped talking about width in the backswing, setting up with the driver, I’m going to talk about the trigger in the downswing. So me and Coach Stef and Coach Ted, we teach a lot of juniors here. I work a lot of the schools with Ted. We use this teeter-totter board day in and day out. So again, lead side, trail side, lead side, just teeter-totter and the weight transfer back and forth.

So as Ted was saying, when we set up with a driver, we want to feel 60 percent of that pressure in this trail side. So as I set up, you’ll feel and see a little bit more pressure in my back leg right here, in my trail leg. As I get to the top of my backswing, from here, I want to feel the lateral move into my front foot. So over the years, there’s been a lot of research done that the lateral move in any golf swing we make is where we’re going to get our power from. So the lateral move happens first, then we start to rotate. That left hip will then move out of the way. Lateral comes first.

So for example, if I take it to the top of the backswing here, I’m going to feel some pressure into this board on the front side first, and then I’m going to allow myself to rotate through. So I’ve got a little training aid here. It’s a little rubber ducky right here. I’m going to place this on my front foot, on my lead side. Once I place this on my lead side, I’m going to take a swing and I want to feel the pressure into this duck as I start my downswing down. I’ve got it turned a little bit, so I can hear a little bit of a squeak. So as I go back, I’m going to feel a little squeak from that duck. Right there, as I got to the top, I let myself move laterally first, and then get my left hip out of the way.