One of the most common swing faults golfers struggle with is poor swing sequence. Most amateurs tend to start the downswing by rotating the upper body or throwing the arms first before using the lower body resulting in poor contact, out-to-in path and lack of proper weight shift through impact. Improper sequence and weight shift robs you of distance, consistency, and solid contact.
A simple, powerful way to fix these patterns is through the two drills below.
What the Drills Do
The Step-and-Hit Drill trains you to:
Initiate the downswing from the ground up, not the top down.
Shift pressure into your lead side before impact.
Create better timing and rhythm between your body and arms.
Build dynamic balance and smoother acceleration through the ball.
How to Perform the Drill
Setup: A mid-iron and tee the ball slightly up. Set up with your feet together slightly behind the golf ball with the golf ball being slightly forward of your lead foot (left foot for right-handed players) weight centered, and the club behind the ball.
The Takeaway: Make a smooth backswing while keeping your feet together.
The Step: Once you complete your backswing, step toward the target with your lead foot. The step should begin before your arms start down – this is the key move! I like to have a slight pause after you step and get your lead foot planted into the ground before your start your downswing with your arms and hit the ball.
The Finish: Swing through to a balanced finish with weight fully on your front side.
What to Feel
The step should feel like your lower body leads and your upper body follows.
You’re training the proper kinematic sequence: hips → torso → arms → club.
There’s a sense of “flow” – not forcing power, but letting it happen through rhythm.
Practice Progression
Start slow: No ball, just step and swing to feel the sequence.
Add a ball: Tee it up and hit half shots with good tempo.
Advance: Gradually widen your stance, step smaller, and progress to full shots.
Goal: Eventually, the feel of shifting pressure early will become automatic even in your normal swing.
If you tend to hang back, sway, or swing over-the-top, this drill is your secret weapon.
For this second drill, place an alignment stick in the ground one fist away from your lead hip on the target side of your body. From here make some practice swings going to the top of your backswing and then bumping the alignment stick on the side of your lead hip after you bump the alignment stick and have pressure in your lead side then start your downswing.
Full disclosure, you will have some really bad shots with your first few swings with both of these drills as you get used to the sequence. Once you get used to the sequence you will be striping the ball and hitting the ball farther. Once you practice the step and hit and the bump shift then hitting practice hitting some shots where once you get to the top of your backswing you feel a slight pressure under your lead foot almost as if you are squishing a grape under your lead foot then start your downswing. Always feel a slight pause from once your feel the pressure on your lead side before you start your downswing, this will help to have a smooth transition in your downswing and help you have more solid contact.
For questions and more tips contact Kirsten Pike, PGA at kpikegolf@gmail.com