The Magic Move is the first move from the top of the backswing, which initiates all great ball-striking. It compresses two moves into one simple move, adding sequence to your go. Harvey Penick’s “magic” move is a key difference between good and bad golfers. In today’s Play Smart, we explore Jordan Spieth’s breakthrough swing move and why slicers should try it.
The “magic” move is a simple correction that unlocks a big power source in the first 3-4 inches of your downswing. Coming in too steep from the top of your backswing can lead to losing club speed and distance, as well as hitting fat shots and weak drives. The overall motion of a good swing is push-pull: you push the club back and pull it through. The opposite move, a pull-push, is a drop of the raised elbow to the side combined with a weight shift to the leading foot.
In summary, the “magic move” is a crucial part of the golf swing, as it allows players to hit the ball more effectively and efficiently. By mastering the weight transfer and executing the “magic move”, golfers can improve their performance and avoid mistakes that can result in poor shots and drives.
📹 The Magic Move That Guarantees an Effortless Golf Swing
The secret behind good golfers seemingly effortless golf swings lies in a single magic movement that initiates their entire golf …
📹 The “Magic Move” That Automates The Golf Swing
In this video Forbes featured instructor Eric Cogorno is joined by Golf Digest Top 50 coach Erika Larkin… To reveal a “magic …
man i wish i could get my golf buddies to pay attention to articles like this one. i found this out accidently myself messing with my swing but this articulates how to feel it perfectly. game changer for real, probably went from hitting 3-5 GIR to more like 10 or 11 in a round. score def lowered. appreciate your content sir. ty im a bogey golfer, 85-91s
Thank you for another excellent,very helpful & easy to follow article. Your practice plan ensured that I fully grasped the main points. I am now 80 years old & only wished I could have benefitted from Danny’s advice when I started playing golf. I really appreciate his advice & his enthusiastic, friendly approach which helps golfers of different abilities.
Excellent job Danny in explaining the “magic move” for a effortless golf swing! After viewing this article, I went back to my golf library and I found a book and a article written and produced many years ago by “the Little Pro” Eddie Merrins, which also describes a “swinging the handle” theory! Thank you Danny for reintroducing this to me! Well Done Danny! Always look forward to learning or validating from you!
This is the 3rd of three of Danny’s articles that have been transformational to my swing. I’ve been playing for some time. I have a 17 handicap – sometimes playing like a +13 but more often playing like a +30. The radius and trail arm feel articles along with this one have done the trick. And this may be the most fundamental: you get to feel the clubhead. The mysterious “ball on a string” feel that has been often discussed but never felt by me is present. I finally have something to sync my swing to – rhythym! Thanks, Danny,.
This absolutely works! I have been perusal Danny’s articles and am now hitting my irons 20-30 yards longer (and straighter) and I just recently hit my driver 50 yards longer than I have been. I’m almost 65 years old and I have 2 fused discs with rods and screws in my lower back. I never thought I would get my golf swing back, but after perusal Danny’s articles, I can hit the ball longer with less effort. Thank you Danny Maude!
We all know how elusive this game is. One day you got it and another day … 🤷🏽♂️. And many times we don’t understand why. I love your teaching style Danny because you highlight and expand upon things we kinda know but you put them into words and EXPLAIN things in a way that can easily be understood. I mean, it’s so easy to take something like “momentum” for granted, right? But it’s so important and you have such a gift (identifying and) reminding us. We under appreciate so many things about golf and you bring us back into more focus … if that makes any sense. You are sooo valued and appreciated. Thank you.
I learn something from each of your articles. This particular article made me feel as though you saw my swing and fixed it! Went to the range today and was hitting solid iron strikes 7/8 out of 10 times. (I am a 28 handicap so that’s pretty awesome). I noticed the moves placed my butt and hips in the positions I’ve struggled with automatically. As you might say, I got those for free simply by loading correctly. Keep the content coming. Thanks for sharing your amazing teaching techniques every week!
Tried this out today and all I can say is Wow! You can feel the whipping action of the club and the strike is pure..hope to take this to the course tomorrow and repeat the feeling. Thanks Danny..this is the type of swing I really want…nothing technical but effective. Cheers from a subscriber in Nova Scotia..MikeR.
Wonderful job teaching from an “out of the box” perspective! Much different approach to getting the body leading the swing than I’ve ever seen. Every athletic movement, when done correctly, starts from the ground up for power and your coaching here has greatly added to my understanding of this key concept. Thank you
From one Danny to another I am grateful. I think when I finally relax I get this ease of swing. When I’m tense and just getting started at range I am way too tight and cramped up. It’s after half a bucket that my body loosens up that I think this type of motion begins to happen. I’m going to have to do this next time. Love it.
Love the passion you put in to your articles after perusal your towel drill a while ago I thought of using a rope and this exercise with the rope does exactly what you showed today making it very easy to swing as you shown today( apart from the fact you can hit yourself with the rope ) You might like to consider a follow up to this article using the rope thanks again Danny😀👍
Hey Danny! I have been following you for a while now and this article has really helped me loosen up and keep me from being too mechanical. It has done wonders for my irons. I can’t say it has had the same effect on my driver however. Now I am just effortlessly slicing the ball off the tee Hopefully the feet together drill next time I’m on the range will help!
😮 Danny, yesterday my inconsistency of striking was frustrating. After perusal this article this morning, I went back to the golf course and put this to the test. I only played 9 holes and my first few holes on approaching the green I was hitting 20 metres past the flag cause I was flushing the each shot. Therefore for the last 5 holes I adjusted the selection of iron and just wow. I hit every drive on fairway and my approach shots were close to the green. I certainly will be perusal the article every day this week and can’t wait for next Saturday’s comp! Love your article’s.
Another banger from Danny. Golf is a real ‘less is more ‘ game – so counter-intuitive. More like swinging a weight on a string than bashing a woodblock with an axe. Thanks for all the help in taking that destructive tension out of the swing ( And the article getting Adam to ‘hammer the tee peg after the ball’ has been part of my pre shot routine, so thanks for that too )
I really liked the initial thought in the start of the article with focus on moving the handle 👍 – that ‘clicks’ with me. I’ve heard and seen most of the elements of the tips in this article before, but as is often the case, you seem to put it into a language, context and build-up that just makes sense in my head. 😃 Now off to get som training reps in 😅
Hi Danny, at the five minute point in this article I stood up with my remote and cup of coffee in hand to practice the body movement. Excellent idea because it took the arms completely out of the swing and made me feel how my body was moving particularly legs and shoulders, thanks for another great article!
Not to beat a dead horse but this lesson was an absolute epiphany to my swing. The speeds are slow but the ball continues to ROCKET of the club face and my divots are beyond the ball… every time. Cannot thank Danny enough for his excellent transfer of information. Almost instantly I’m more consistent than I was 20 years ago. I’m thinking about writing you into my will😂
This looks good, I’ll give it a go. I had 2 years of struggle, so worried about my backswing and mainly trying a 3/4 swing at most (thinking this would stop errors). Hard as I tried I couldn’t get a crisp contact and was mainly stuck with no real follow thru. Then recently I thought hey why not try a bigger backswing, and wow I realised immediately that it helped slow down everything from the top. It seemed to automatically get my downswing much smoother and easier to get some lag. I think I sort of do what you’re alluding to her so will keep going with it. Massive difference. Main struggle now is getting more weight forward for the actual ball strike… As it feels I’m just missing a final part of the swing to get ball then divot… Cheers
So much appreciate your how you make the swing biomechanics simple and apparent. Your descriptions and demonstrations help me understand why my occasional “tour shot” often feels natural and effortless, while too many of my shots feel artificial and contorted. If I could just leave most of my brain at home when I went to the course. 🙂 In appreciation.
I watch your tips all of the time. Today, first day we got to play our usual matches in MN. I used this and I could not believe how much better I struck the ball, however, you do need to make sure you get your turn down properly or you will spray it right, in my instance. With my 5 wood, I usually hit that around 210, today I let rip 260. 7 wood, usually around 190ish, flew it 200 plus. So simple, turn the arms off. I did this drill prior to every shot, was I perfect, no, but this is the first time. Cannot wait until tomorrow. Thank you Danny.
Your ‘waggle the hands not club head’ is one I haven’t seen before in my 50 years of reading instruction books and for the last 25 or so perusal articles but it addresses something I came to realize about using mass and momentum in a golf swing. The critical path determining success or failure in a golf swing is the path of the hands relative to the body. If the club / arm unit isn’t hanging in balance at the start of the swing, which tends to pull the hands in closer to the body than they hang naturally without the club, the momentum of the swing club will pull the hands off the ideal ‘balanced’ path. I struggled with this for many years because I’d try to copy the set up posture of the various pros whose books I worked through until I realized that because I have an extremely long torso and arms I need to tilt forward much more and someone with average leg/torso proportions or long legs / short torso to get the club to hang in balance at address and not feel the force acting on the club head trying to pull my hands out further from the body. Once I started with the club hanging in balance it seemed to steer itself and I felt that previously elusive “swinging in a groove” feeling with every swing and when I didn’t knew the cause was not starting with the club hanging in balance do to incorrect posture / spine angle FOR MY BODY PROPORTIONS. This relates to your drill @ 3:20 because both illustrate that it is actually the moving mass on the end of the stick that should be steering the hands not the hands trying to— usually in vain—to steer the club head mass back down to the ball on a well balanced path.
Watched this article a couple of times and a pitching one. Practiced the movements in the living room for a couple of days. First time I actually hit a ball trying it was warming up this morning. Went out and shot a 2 over 73. Better watch a putting one now if there’s one available. Thanks for the advice 👍
So, I watched this yesterday, and it sounded like pretty solid advice…so I tried it out (kind of) today for my round. I did the feet-together position for my practice swing/swings, then adopted a more ‘normal’ stance for the actual shot. Best round I’ve had so far this year and the first time I’ve broken 100 since late summer/early autumn last year. And, yes, it really does work with ANY club…did it for my driver, my fairway woods, my hybrids, my irons and wedges, and got solid results out of all of them.
I never knew my backside could be so significant for my swing. Using my greatest asset, this article shows me what I do for those rare good shots. Now you’ve shown me this I’ll try to apply it. Of course then comes the other problem. Once I’m “trying to apply” this I’ll over think it and get all wooden again. Excellent common sense and insightful article once again. Glad I’m a subscriber.
Thank you alooot!! FINALLY my swing feels effortless! i always wanted it to be like throwing an object, but as soon i had 2 hands on the club and all these ideas, (lean on the frontfoot, battlemode stance, drag the club straight back in a line, lift the club over your shoulder, start the downswing before weightshift, hit 12 a clock blablabla etc etc😂😅)i never felt it naturally and it was inconsistent and straight A** ….i was a super slicer, than suddenly after some changes i was hooking my irons and wood/driver went snaphook and i was about 2 quit. NOW however, i found out i had the wrong grip, i fixed it and made it feel natural over a few days. And this article made all my clubs feel the same, and the swing feels so effortless..i just do flow tempo and it works fine, but imagin all the speed u can build up over time to! Also that bit about swinging the grip and not the clubhead…Man give this man an award😁🙌
Hi Danny another great instruction, you make it look so easy! As a senior golfer with with arthritic knees, I therefore tend to protect the lead/Left side knee through the downswing – is there any slight tweak you could suggest that might help to achieve this momentum feeling you describe which puts less pressure on the knees?
Last week I was in so much pain after a round that I was convinced my artificial hip was knackered and if it needed replacing that as they say would be that. Yesterday I saw the medic and after examination, I was told it’s fine I just need to get more flexibility in my back and this swing set must be the answer ❤
Yes !!! I figured this out on my own just about a week and a half ago. Never could get the ball then the divot until then . Also hips are key . It’s not a level hip turn rather the trail hip should angle up and back . Then the legs drive the hip forwards from the ground up . Watch Scheffler . His swing overemphasizes this .
Thank you a thousand times Danny!!! I’ve watched hundreds of swing articles to try to find the one that works for me. Went to the range today and worked on this one and it’s like magic. Really feels natural and helps me release the club properly. Hit more of them longer and straighter than ever. Can’t wait to work on it some more! Thanks again! 🏌️♂️
Another great article Danny. I’ve been working hard on my overswing (I’ve played 40+ years & been single figures for a long time)…I like this feel you’re describing but how to prevent my overswing from creeping back in without creating tension? Many many thanks 🙏🏼 Ps….heading to play a knockout in a couple of hours giving 20 shots 🥴
So I watched this, along with the other article about the 3 steps and skipping the rock drill, and I also watched your article with the guest coach with using the forearm (I believe the guest was Pete Cowen). I have been trying to all three separately, but I’m still not finding as much power as my “normal” swing, in which I do cast the club just before the golf ball, but I think I just time my cast really well because it feels like I get good compression and fairly consistent distance. My question is, of all the articles you have posted with regard to getting ball compression, I was wondering if you think one method is better than another for me to focus on? I know your guest was correcting your form and even noted you had casted on a swing and I wanted to know if you have implemented his advice or just taken it with a grain of salt?
Hi Danny, do you ever do any analysis on player submitted article? — I really enjoy your material and I’ve watched a great number of vids already. I’m especially perusal any content you have on power/losing power. As a 6’2 225 Athlete (well Im over 50 now but in great shape) It’s frustrating as heck to watch golfers with far less skill, play time, or even “care” hit the ball further than me. For example, a 120 yrd shot, I’m using an 8 iron. — Why? Cause if I try to use a wedge . i’m GOING to over swing and miss right/slice. Then I watch an beginner take a 1/2 to 3/4 swing wedge (albeit there is no height to their shot) but they get it there and past.. I’m leaking power, and pushing right.. EVERYTIME.. Going to keep perusal you and have my sons article me, I’m clearly missing “something”
Hi Danny, I watch all your weekly articles, but have issues trying to put some of them into practice due to having a fixed/fused lead ankle that does not move or bend i.e. foot to leg is set at 90 degrees. It is not possible to move my lead side per your article today and generate correct body-driven momentum. Any tips/tricks to help achieve a more effortless swing? Thanks!
I’m new to golf at 54 years and love your articles. However, i find the loading of the left leg very difficult due to having a disability with no movement in my left foot and ankle after severing the nerves that control foot and ankle movement in an accident 24 year ago ☹️ BUT I’ll keep at it and try to find a way to work round it 😀
this is my biggest problem with being consistent and generating power from the ground especially on drives…im playing sunday close to home in LA then traveling to Frisco TX to play at the PGA West at the Omni Resort (dream come true) and hopefully this practice and adjustment can help me not embarass myself out there lol thanks in advance coach 👍🏼
Hi Danny; I know you don’t teach stack & tilt but I do have a question about it in relation to chipping. If with chipping, the majority of the weight is kept forward to produce a solid strike, why wouldn’t the same apply to the full swing? I’ve never tried S & T but I’m just wondering what your thoughts are about it for control of a consistent low point. Thanks.
Hi Danny, When I watch your swing in slow motion, your club head moves first on the backswing, then you “relax” your wrists at the top of the swing, and then the grip leads through the down swing. I think you’re asking us to have the grip lead in the backswing, AND lead in the down swing. Is this right? (@mikebravo3527 also saw this, see below).
So for all the years that coaches have taught us to keep the head at the same elevation on the backswing and downswing (it can move laterally slightly) but basically they are wrong as you are raising your head in the backswing and then lowering it in the downswing (which being a senior, I do anyway due t9 lack of flexibility).
I wish it was as easy as you make it seem so….I was told to keep my right leg straight and turn my right hip behind which puts me in what is you down swing starting position….my problem then is I think ?? I swing club head down instead of grip….(my distance is lacking only getting about 130 -133 total distance with my 7 iron) …generally hit straight …unless I try to swing faster ….
Something I wish PGA would do is have a camera parallel or as close to parallel as they could get for a side by side view of these guys when they swing. Cause from behind, their movement looks like it’s nothing but I’d imagine seeing a side shot, we’d be able to see much more of their actual movement.