Golf Downswing: 6 Common Mistakes and Drills to Fix Them
Choose one focus. Give it a useful practice.
The ball has not moved. Your brain has issued twelve instructions. Golf downswing practice can get busy rather quickly.
These six comparisons help you choose one downswing mistake that you recognise in your own swing. Each has an illustration, a simple cue and a focused drill to try. If the problem starts before the club changes direction, see my backswing mistakes guide too. For the movement after contact and your finish, see my follow-through mistakes guide.
The linked lessons are part of the Golf Practice Made Fun App. Pick one task for your session, then check what changed.
| If you notice… | Start here |
|---|---|
| Snatching the club down from the top | 1. Start the downswing smoothly |
| Turning the shoulders before the hips | 2. Let the hips lead the turn |
| Swinging over the top | 3. Give the club a clearer route |
| Early extension | 4. Keep room for your arms |
| Trying to scoop an iron shot upwards | 5. Check hands-ahead iron impact |
| Hanging back on the trail foot | 6. Move through to your lead side |
DOWNSWING MISTAKE 1 OF 6
1. Snatching the club down from the top
The first move down can feel as though somebody has shouted “Go!” before you are ready. If you recognise a sharp tug at the top, use a smaller, softer transition rather than trying to accelerate everything at once.
Mistake
A sudden tug with the hands makes the change of direction tense and hurried.
Correct
Soft hands and wrists allow a small shift towards the lead foot before the turn carries the club through.
Try: Soft Transition Drill
Take an iron and make three slow rehearsals without a ball. As you change direction, explore pressure moving towards the lead foot while the hands and wrists remain soft. Let the body turn carry the club into the controlled finish shown in James Ridyard’s lesson.
Play two sets of nine soft half-shots. Keep the same club, target and cue, and score clean contacts out of 18.
DOWNSWING MISTAKE 2 OF 6
2. Turning the shoulders before the hips
This is a sequencing check, rather than an instruction to spin your hips as hard as possible. A slow rehearsal makes it easier to notice whether the lower body begins turning or the shoulders take over immediately.
Mistake
The chest unwinds while the pelvis stays in its backswing position.
Correct
A gentle hip-led turn starts the movement, with the chest following.
Try: Hip Rotation: Lead the Downswing Drill
Place one alignment stick through your belt loops, leaving the lead-side end longer. Set the second stick upright behind your lead heel, following the linked drill’s illustration.
Turn back slowly, then turn your hips through so the longer belt-loop end gently taps the upright. Let the chest follow, reset and complete 18 slow no-ball rehearsals. Aim for a quiet tap.
DOWNSWING MISTAKE 3 OF 6
3. Swinging over the top
A swing-path reference can give you clearer feedback than trying to feel where the club is travelling. It does not diagnose every slice: the clubface relative to the path also affects the starting direction and curve.
Mistake
The club travels out across the intended route and cuts sharply across the ball.
Correct
A short, controlled swing follows a clearer arc through the ball, with room to miss the noodle.
Try: Anti Slice Downswing Drill
Lay a soft foam noodle flat on the ground with a slight curve to follow the inside-to-inside swing path. Position the ball close to the middle of the noodle, on the side nearest your feet, leaving room for the clubhead to strike the ball without touching the foam. Begin with short, slow rehearsals.
Play two sets of nine controlled shots with a 7- or 8-iron. Score 1 for a clean strike without touching the noodle and 0 otherwise. Keep ball-flight notes separate from that task score.
DOWNSWING MISTAKE 4 OF 6
4. Early extension
Early extension describes the hips moving towards the ball during the downswing. From a consistent down-the-line camera view, you can compare how much room remains between your body and the club as it approaches impact.
Mistake
The pelvis moves towards the ball and the upper body becomes upright too soon.
Correct
The hips keep some depth as they turn, leaving room for the arms and club.
Try: Jack Nicklaus Hip Depth Drill
Begin with the linked drill’s no-ball belt-buckle rehearsal. Take a comfortable golf posture, turn back a small amount, then explore the trail hip turning back and the lead hip turning behind you as you move through.
Keep the movement small and supported through your feet. The full Jack Nicklaus drill uses small steps back and four teed balls to exaggerate the feeling; follow its setup if you try that version. In a normal swing, stay within your stance and let the hips rotate.
DOWNSWING MISTAKE 5 OF 6
5. Trying to scoop an iron shot upwards
An iron already has loft. If you try to help the ball into the air by scooping, use a controlled impact-bag checkpoint to compare the hands and clubhead. This is an iron-impact task, rather than a driver setup instruction.
Mistake
The clubhead passes the hands too early as you try to lift the iron shot.
Correct
At the bag checkpoint, the hands are ahead of the clubhead.
Try: Impact Bag: Find a Balanced Strike Position Drill
Set a soft impact bag at the intended strike position and take your stance with the clubhead just behind it. Follow Mike Sullivan’s demonstration, swing into the bag under control and stop to check your position.
Ask one question: are the hands ahead of the clubhead? Reset before each attempt and count hands-ahead positions out of 18. Keep the check simple rather than forcing an exaggerated amount of shaft lean.
DOWNSWING MISTAKE 6 OF 6
6. Hanging back on the trail foot
The illustration compares the positions at impact. The walk-through drill below helps you feel the body moving through the shot, with the trail foot following towards the target only after contact.
Mistake
The weight remains on the trail side as the club moves through the ball.
Correct
The body moves through the shot.
Try: Gary Player Walk-Through Drill
Rehearse with a short iron and no ball. Start from a normal, still setup, swing through and let the trail foot step towards the target after imagined contact.
Play 18 controlled half-shots. Hit the shot first, then let the trail foot follow towards the target and finish in balance. Score 1 for a balanced finish and 0 otherwise, stopping to reset before the next ball.
FAQs.
Which downswing drill should I start with?
Choose one comparison that looks familiar on a clear video of your swing. If you are unsure which movement matters most, a coach can help you choose a useful starting point. Ball flight alone does not identify every movement shown here.
Should I practise all six drills in one session?
Choose one. Keep the same task for a short session so you can compare attempts. A collection of six swing thoughts is quite enough to keep your brain employed without inviting them all to the same shot.
How do I turn the drill into a simple practice session?
Read the linked drill, check the equipment setup and make a few slow rehearsals. For the drills with an 18-attempt format, use two sets of nine and reset between attempts. For the hip-depth rehearsal, follow the linked lesson’s own practice format. Finish by reviewing your one cue.
What do lead side and trail side mean?
For a right-handed golfer, the left side is the lead side and the right side is the trail side. Reverse those references for a left-handed golfer. The illustrations show right-handed examples.
Should I spin my hips as fast as possible?
The hip-led drill is a slow sequencing rehearsal. Begin the turn gently and let the chest follow. The aim is to feel the order of movement rather than force a maximum-speed hip turn.
Will missing the noodle cure my slice?
Missing the noodle gives feedback about that practice task. The relationship between clubface and swing path also influences the ball’s starting direction and curve. Keep a note of ball flight alongside the task score, and avoid treating one successful attempt as a complete diagnosis.
Does hands-ahead impact apply to my driver too?
The impact-bag checkpoint here is for an iron. Driver setup and delivery are different, particularly when you are trying to strike upwards from a tee. Use the linked iron drill for its intended task.
Which foot moves in the Gary Player walk-through?
The trail foot follows towards the target after contact: the right foot for a right-handed golfer. Start from a still setup, hit the shot, then take the step and finish in balance. Reset before the next attempt.
How should I record my practice?
Use the record that matches the linked drill. For a repetition drill, tick each completed rehearsal. For a scored drill, record the stated result out of 18, such as clean strikes or balanced finishes. Add one short note about what you noticed.
What drill do you recommend I do next?
If your transition felt rushed, begin with the Soft Transition Drill. If the problem starts earlier in the swing, use the backswing mistakes guide to choose one earlier checkpoint.
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