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A single small starting motion can change the entire swing.
Just like the trigger of a gun or the starting signal in track and field, there is a signal in golf that opens the backswing. This is precisely the question I receive most often during rounds or lectures: From the address position, exactly where and how should I move to start the backswing?
I believe the secret to a good swing lies hidden in this single question. Today, we will examine the 'trigger' motion that allows the body to move more naturally and fluidly, along with practice methods to internalize this movement.
01Trigger, a small signal that keeps the body from freezing.
While "trigger" originally refers to the trigger of a gun, in golf it refers to the small starting signal given to the body to initiate the backswing.
The role of the trigger is not limited to initiating the backswing. It also plays a role in ensuring that the hands, arms, shoulders, and pelvis do not move separately but become a single, connected movement.
Without a trigger, the body can freeze up at address. Both amateurs and professional golfers experience the frustration of being unable to start the backswing because the body is frozen. Sports psychology explains this situation as being due to the absence of a trigger. A trigger acts as a switch that tells the body, "Now is the time to stop thinking and start the swing."
02Why have players' movements become smaller these days?
If you look at the swings of legends like Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, and Bobby Jones in black-and-white footage, their lower body movements are massive. They used their lower body so much that their left heel lifted off the ground, and this served as the trigger to start the backswing.
However, starting around the 1980s, as the argument emerged asking "why bother disrupting a well-established posture," players gradually began to start from a static stance.
The problem is that if you start from a completely still position, the rhythm of the club, arms, shoulders, and pelvis is poor. The pelvis's preparation for the downswing is also delayed. Conversely, if you start with a slight rebound, the pelvis is already open and the club setup is complete beforehand, making the preparation much faster.
The same applies to other sports. If you want to go left, moving slightly to the right before turning left generates more natural power. When changing direction in baseball, tennis, or basketball, applying a slight momentum is much more efficient than starting from a standstill.
03Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, Different Triggers
Tiger Woods uses a 'forward press,' where he pushes his hands slightly forward before impact to initiate the swing. He applies this same trigger not only to his irons and driver but also to his wedges and putters. Because the hands move first and the movement of the torso's center is minimal, this trigger helps with more precise control.
Rory McIlroy shifts his weight slightly to the right and moves the clubhead using the force of that shifted weight. Since the lower body acts as a trigger, he can use larger muscles, and by moving his feet before his hands, he generates greater rotation and power.
I once took lessons from the same coach as McIlroy back when I was on the U.S. Tour, and I remember that McIlroy also used a lot of forward press when putting at the time. The coach emphasized, "Having this kind of trigger allows you to hit more confident shots in tense situations."
However, these days, McIlroy does not use the motion of sending his hands forward as much as he used to, even in putting. I attribute this to changes in equipment and course lengths. While triggers with small movements, like the forward press, are advantageous for accuracy, triggers that involve a large weight shift are advantageous for distance. I believe that as courses get longer and the competition for distance intensifies, more players are choosing to shift their weight rather than rely on their hands.
04Three conditions for a good trigger
There are various types of triggers. It does not matter whether you push your hand forward, shift your weight, slightly turn your head, or gently push with your right knee. However, I believe that for it to be a good trigger, it must meet three conditions.
- The movement should not be large.If the trigger becomes too large, it can disrupt the rhythm or create new movements. It is normal for it to be small enough that you wouldn't even notice a trigger when watching your favorite player's swing.
- You shouldn't rush.You must never rush, neither during the takeaway that initiates the trigger nor the moment of transitioning from the top to the down. If you rush, even the best trigger will feel like an unfamiliar movement, breaking the body's connection.
- The entire body must be connected.It must be an organic flow where not just the hands or shoulders move, but the weight is transferred, the pelvis reacts, the upper body rotates, the arms follow, and the club moves.
05Im Sung-jae's knee: Is it a trigger or a routine?
Im Sung-jae is famous for the motion of slightly bouncing his knees before the backswing. At first glance, it looks like a trigger, but I view it a little differently.
Instead of starting immediately after bouncing the knee, there is a hidden movement of slightly shifting weight to the right in between. I believe that the knee bouncing motion itself is more of a routine, and the actual trigger that initiates the takeaway is the subsequent small weight shift.
Ultimately, the purpose of the trigger is singular. It is not to force the club up, but to physically learn the feeling of the backswing naturally lifting as the weight shifts to the right, and the downswing starting as the weight shifts back to the left foot.
06A practice method of engraving on the body with four balls
I personally demonstrated a practice method that allows you to simultaneously master the sensation of this trigger and weight transfer. Here is the method.
Line up four balls in a row. The spacing between them should be slightly less than a handspan. If the spacing is too far, it becomes difficult to move one foot to the next ball, and consequently, you have to move too much, making it difficult to hit the ball.
You don't stop here; you continue your swing and hit the balls one by one, but the key point is direction. You shouldn't hit while walking forward, but rather while walking from front to back.
There is a reason for this. If you swing while walking forward, your right hip gets blocked. Conversely, if you swing while walking backward, you can properly feel your right hip opening up.
If you try it in practice, the amount of pelvic movement is definitely greater when hitting while moving backward than when hitting while moving forward. Maintaining the tempo while feeling this movement itself is good training.
There are two things you need to feel at this point. The first is the feeling that you are not forcing it, and the second is the feeling that you only need to decide where to throw it. My explanation is that if your right hip opens up properly, the club will automatically throw to the desired location.
07When making a trigger with my hand, how far can I push it?
When many amateur golfers hear the term "trigger," they picture the motion of pushing the wrist forward to launch the ball, just like Tiger Woods. However, if this motion is too exaggerated, it easily turns into mere "hand play."
If you push with your hands too hard, the club's loft may decrease or the club face may open, and it can even cause your shoulder alignment to become misaligned. Many people push with their hands more to gain more distance, but in reality, what affects distance is the magnitude of the motion itself, not the loft.
The standard is simple. Push only until your arm and shaft are in a straight line when viewed from the front. If you push further and there is still an angle remaining, you are not ready.
08Today's homework
The homework I am giving you is to put the exercises you learned today into practice. However, there is one condition: ensure safety first.
Since this is a practice session where you walk backward while swinging, you must make sure there is no one behind you. You should also check if anyone in front is practicing a draw shot, and if someone is practicing in the opposite direction in the same space, it is best to reach an agreement before proceeding.
You can adjust the number of balls to fit the space. If you have the room, it is also a good idea to increase it to four or five and try hitting them in succession.
There is no single correct answer regarding the trigger itself. You can use your hands, your knees, or shift your weight. However, I recommend two approaches. If you want accuracy, try using a slight forward press with your hands as the trigger; if you want a powerful swing, try using the recoil from shifting your weight to the right. I encourage you to find the trigger that suits you best from these two options.
