The best way to feel the proper start of the downswing is to imagine that your right arm is being pulled by the left for as long as possible. A great drill to get this feeling is to release your right hand from the club at the start of your downswing and swing only with your left. With practice, this drill will ultimately lead to more power and control. When you want to get some extra distance out of your drives, it’s natural to think that your right or dominant hand (for right-handed golfers) should supply the power. In reality, however, maximum power is a result of a left-hand lead. When you think about overpowering the ball with your right hand, that arm becomes involved in the motion too early. Two errors will likely occur. First, when you pull hard from the top with your right hand, your arms will separate too much from your body. This creates an outside-to-in swing path and, inevitably, the result is a weak slice. Second, tugging hard with your right side causes you to lose the angle created between your hands and the shaft. You’ll have no lag during the downswing, and club head speed through impact will be reduced.
