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Downswing and Transition All clubs Beginner / Intermediate ⏱ 3 min 🇬🇧 Video in English, summarized

Pressure drives the swing: keep the string and club in front of you

The club shouldn't initiate the backswing or start the downswing—it's the pressure in your feet. Joe Plecker, a Titleist team professional, demonstrates this with two very simple exercises to help you achieve a more rhythmic swing that follows the correct sequence.

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Joe Plecker
Joe Plecker · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

To be continued

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What the lesson shows

Joe Plecker uses a rope with joints, held against his stomach. By shifting his weight from one foot to the other, he demonstrates that The rope always follows the pressure transfer., with a slight delay. That's exactly what we're looking for in golf: it's not the club that moves backward and then pulls downward, but the body leaning backward, then forward, with the club following suit.

Without a rope, you can get the same feel by holding an iron in front of you, with your wrists slightly bent. Start by shifting your weight to your back foot, then rise up; next, shift your weight toward your front foot, and the club will follow. You can even hit balls this way. The sequence to remember: Pressure first, the club second, both going up and down. It's all about sequence, rhythm, and balance.

The Exercise, Step by Step

  1. Hold the rope (or an iron, with your wrists slightly bent) in front of you, against your stomach.
  2. Shift your weight from one foot to the other and watch the rope follow your movement.
  3. Apply pressure to your back foot, then let the club release as it rises.
  4. At the top, push back toward your front foot before letting the club come down.
  5. Repeat continuously to find the rhythm.
  6. Hit a few balls, starting each swing with a push.

Key Takeaways

The club is neither moving up nor down.
The pressure is on the players; the club follows.
The articulated rope demonstrates this natural delay.
The same order applies in the backswing and the downswing.
An iron held in front of you, with bent wrists, is all you need to train.
When performed in a smooth sequence, this sequence creates a more rhythmic swing.

Mistakes to Avoid

  • Pull the club back with your hands to start the backswing.
  • Pull the club down to begin the downswing.
  • Arriving too late on the back foot and staying there too long.
  • Move your upper body instead of pushing against the floor.

Driving Range Mode

Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.

  1. Swinging from one foot to the other, with a rope or club held in front of you
  2. Start each backswing by applying pressure with your back foot
  3. A few swings with the iron held with bent wrists
  4. Then swing normally, keeping the same order

Your Questions

How do you make a rope like the one in the video?

The video doesn't go into detail: the rope, which has joints, was designed by a colleague of Joe Plecker's. The second exercise—holding an iron in front of you with your wrists bent—provides the same sensation without any equipment.

What should move first when going uphill?

Apply pressure toward the back foot. Only then does the club start to move. For Joe Plecker, it’s not the club that pulls back—it’s the body that pushes toward the back.

What about going downhill?

The same principle applies: the pressure is applied first to the front foot, and then the club follows. He emphasizes this sequence in both directions.

Can you hit balls while doing the exercise with the club held in front of you?

Yes. He demonstrates it: wrists bent at the start, backward pressure, upward movement, then forward pressure and a strike.

Learn More

All “Downhill and Transition” videos →Find the lesson that's right for you Joe PleckerAll of his lessons

Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Joe Plecker). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons without hosting them.

* Amateur competitions with guidance from the pros