Justin Rose’s 5 swing ‘triggers’ for consistent ball striking

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back to our July 2012 issue when Justin Rose revealed his swing triggers for consistent ball striking.

Justin Rose is like a fine wine — he keeps getting better with age.

Despite being one of the elder statesmen of the PGA Tour, the 45-year-old won the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs with a victory at TPC Southwind over the weekend. And he did so on the strength of a timeless swing that has served him for decades.

Back in 2012, Rose joined GOLF Magazine to share some of the secrets to his buttery move. Check it out below.

Rose’s 5 swing ‘triggers’

At the 2010 Players Championship I hit four flagsticks on the practice range, then promptly went out and shot 72-72 and missed the cut. That made me 0-for-152 in tournaments on American soil, but I knew that what I was working on was right. Sure enough, I won two of the next four events I entered. Credit goes to my coach, Sean Foley, and the entire team I built around me following my full-time move to the U.S. in 2009. Since working with this group, I’ve gone from 70th in the Official World Golf Ranking to 9th.

Everyone knows Sean as a technician, and sure enough math and science play a big part in his methodology. However pragmatic he may be, he’s anything but mechanical, and he worked with me to develop a three-phase process to improve my swing by replacing hard-set positions with feels and triggers. With just a little practice, these feels and triggers became almost second nature to me, and they helped me groove the swing I always knew was lurking inside of me. And because they’re so simple, they’ve held up to pressure, something my old motion wasn’t capable of. Try them on for size, and like they did for me, they just might transform your game.

Backswing: Feel like the clubhead moves first

What I used to do: When I swing in front of a mirror I’m often happy with what I see — my lines are good, the clubhead is where I want it to be at the top, and I look like I’m on plane. But looks can be deceiving. You can achieve good positions in your backswing with poor rhythm, and poor rhythm will make it difficult to time your swing so you’re where you want to be at impact. When I was struggling, I sort of “backed up” into a good top position, giving mea false sense of confidence. Even though I looked good, I wasn’t really getting set.

The trigger I use now: At address, my primary I goal is to start my backswing by taking the club away smoothly. This is important — the clubhead must move first because it has to cover the greatest distance during the swing. So once I green light my motion, I move the club, then add my hand action and finish it off by winding up my body. Triggering my backswing by getting the club to move first keeps me in sync. Caution: When you’re working on getting the club going first, it’s easy to snatch it away. Use a nice, even rhythm.

Downswing: Feel like your left arm pulls across your chest

What I used to do: While it’s not true for every golfer, the best way to hit quality shots is to approach the ball from inside the target line, and the only way to set this approach in motion is to delay your shoulder turn from the top. I used to spin my shoulders right from the start, which made it difficult to control ball flight because I had to stand up through impact to create enough room to swing freely through the shot.

The trigger I use now: From the top, my only thought is to swing my left arm down and across my chest while keeping my shoulders closed. I almost want to feel that my left arm is so tight against my torso that I’m jamming my right elbow into my right side. It doesn’t actually happen when I swing because rotational force brings my arms and the club out in front of me, but the feel keeps me in the angles I need to hit from the inside.

My downswing trigger, funny enough, is the exact opposite of what you see Tiger Woods working on right now. Tiger’s trying to get the club in front of him, and that’s why people who try to pigeonhole Sean Foley into a particular teaching style are dead wrong. He understands — like any good player does — that feels are different for every golfer.

Impact: Feel like you’re catching the ground with the heel

What I used to do: When I look at a lot of the bad swings I made in the past, I notice that the handle is much higher at impact than it was at address. It’s a problem that stems from spinning out too early at the start of my downswing and standing up through impact. This high-hands position makes it nearly impossible to compress the ball and correctly swing to the left of the target after impact.

The trigger I use now: As I approach impact, I want to get the heel of the club to dig into the turf, especially with my irons. While this never actually happens, it nonetheless helps me trigger a low-hands position through the ball and augments the inside approach I set in motion by pulling my left arm across my chest from the top. With my hands low through impact, I have to sling the clubhead through the ball. It’s an accuracy trigger that increases swing speed, too.

Follow through: Feel like your left bicep is pinned to your left side

What I used to do: My upper left arm used to fly away from the left side of my torso, and I would get a little rigid and trapped — like I can’t get all the way to my left side. Plus, the club is exited way above my left shoulder. This high right-arm position spells disaster — you have absolutely no chance to control your shots when your follow-through looks like this, and it’s a reason why I was plagued by inconsistency for much of the beginning of my career.

The trigger I’m using now: As soon as I contact the ball I’m thinking “low exit.” I want my right arm and shaft to swing to the left of the target on roughly the same plane as my left shoulder. This type of shallow exit allows your body turn to keep pace with the speed of the clubhead, and keeping pace allows you to control where the clubface is pointing so your shots fly where you want them to.

The secret? Keep your left bicep in tight to your body in the follow-through and allow your left elbow to “roll” against your torso. Again, it won’t stay pinned because of the rotational force of your swing, but it’s a great trigger to keep your swing tight and your arms from disconnecting from your body. When you feel the clubhead moving low and left after impact, you’re starting to get the right feel.

Finish: Push your body toward the target

What I used to do: The errors I used to make (I still make them, but thanks to Sean and a lot of hard work, I’m making them less and less) forced me to hang back on my right side more than I wanted to. My reaction to this was to flip the clubhead through the ball — a move that completely disrupts clubface control and swing tempo. I found the left rough a lot swinging this way.

The trigger I’m using now: This one ends late but starts early — once I reach the top of my backswing, I know I have to get at least 90 percent of my weight on my front foot and my hips facing the target by the time I’m finished. Now, I know you’ve heard this one before, but there’s more to finishing your swing than just shifting your weight and turning your hips. You should feel like you’re thrusting after the ball as it starts down your line. It’s not just a turning thing — you want every ounce of your swing’s momentum going toward the target. A good finish is an action, not a static pose. You’ll discover more power if you think of it this way.