Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.
Just like snowflakes (which are in the forecast for many of us this winter), every golf swing is unique. No two swings are exactly alike, and everyone has their own flair that makes their move unique.
That individuality doesn’t mean there aren’t some similarities, though. While each swing is unique, there are still some commonalities that are shared — especially among elite players.
Take the transition feeling explained in the video below, for example. At the beginning of the compilation, Bryson DeChambeau — one of the longest players in the modern game — explains that he feels like he’s “pulling” his lead arm down to start the transition.
“It comes from the lats,” DeChambeau says. “I’m pulling the club down as hard as I possibly can. I pull up and I pull down, and then I go back and away. And that’s what I’ve done to create speed.”
Sergio Garcia shares a similar feel in the next part of the video, while we can see Rory McIlroy ingraining the same feeling in the following clip. If you were to look at each of these players’ swings as a whole, you would not think their moves are very similar. However, when you look a bit closer — such as the move they use in transition — you can see the similarities. Heck, even Sam Snead cited a similar “pull down” feeling to create power way back in the 1960s.
What does this tell us? Well, it shows that the “pull down” feeling is one that is shared by many of the games great ball strikers — and that the move has been used for several generations.
If you’re looking for a little extra oomph off the tee, it might be worth trying the feeling in your own swing.