Right side or left side

Guys - which side of the body is more important for the golf swing to gain constancy and power?

I have always thought that, for a right handed golfer, the game is 90% left side and have always thought of the swing as a pulling motion rather then a pushing one.

Now I am doubting this. At the top of the backswing which side of the upper body initiates the downswing? should the left shoulder move left and under the chin first or should the right shoulder start things by moving around to the target?

All my irons are weak and right and my drives tend to do the same on mishits. I have a feelinig this is because I am all left side and the right side semms tobe a passenger.

If I practiced one handed which arm would be the one to practice with?

Anyone got any thoughts?

Thanks for your wisdom.

I thought it was other way around....

Trundling off to the back garden for renewed practice...

So we are looking at back hand  as opposed to forehand.....as in tennis..

I recently came across this in a lesson, the pro said I was coming slightly over the top, due to a recent grip change made by the said pro, he told me to feel the swing from the top with the left hand/arm only and the right arm was as support only, it worked, because the first move with the right arm was throwing the club outside the line, ending in a slice out to the right, I may not have explained this too well hope you can make sense of it...... 

Erm Tony,

Which is left....

Tony, I have to disagree with your pro that it was the grip change that is making you come over the top, as he put it. A correct grip is helpful, of course, but I can show you many players with some pretty weird grips who hit the ball superbly.

My feeling is that what is/was happening with you was that at the top of the swing, you start to think power and immediately move the right shoulder forward, thus creating an outside to inside swing path. This type of swing path is prevalent in the majority of golfers and only those who manage to learn how to control it and play with varying degrees of fade manage to score well, the rest stay high handicappers.

Personally I would much prefer to see Pro's teach the correct way to strike a ball rather than just give a player faults, to correct a fault. Of course striking the ball on the correct plane and from the inside does require a lot of discipline but the satisfaction that this gives, is more then worth the pain in achieving it.

I witnessed on Monday, someone who was prepared to change his swing quite dramatically and who then played in a manner that he probably thought was unachievable.  His ball flight was superb and accurate, which could not have been bettered by anyone in the world. 

i

Mark, nothing in the upper body should initiate the downswing. Your downswing is initiated by th lower half by moving your left trouser pocket down the target line. This will automatically bring your arms down from the inside. If you just a swing a club and move your left pocket left the first thing you should feel is your right elbow tucking close to your body.

The downswing is the reverse of the backswing , the last thing to stop on the back swing is the left . So the first thing to go  is as stated the left side, Never the shoulders.

Robbie 

I offered you a game, Mark, where I could have put you on the right path.

I hate arguments, David, as you well know.

"Celery field on the left....Leeks on the right."

As I much through two more at lunch....