Understanding Dominance Zones in the Golf Swing
The hands might look like a unit.
They aren’t.
They dominate different regions of the swing.
In the backswing and early downswing, the trail hand has the advantage.
In the follow-through, the lead hand takes over.
I call these dominance zones.
Understanding them — together with your power protocol — changes how you see the swing.
Double Dominance — Two Swooshes, Not One
Most swings are described as one “swoosh” at impact.
But I believe that some of the best players in history were actually using two.
Take players like Nicklaus and Tiger.
When Nicklaus came on tour, he outdrove the field by a mile.
Tiger did the same.
It wasn’t just technique.
It was how they utilized both dominance zones.
There’s a trail-hand driven acceleration in the backswing and early downswing.
Then there’s a lead-hand driven dominance in the follow-through.
Two regions.
Two power applications.
One harmonic motion.
That’s what I represent in what I call the Big Arc Swinger pattern.
It’s not about copying their swings.
It’s about understanding how they used their hands.
Single Dominance Swings
Not all patterns emphasize both zones equally.
Some swings are more single-dominance oriented.
The Trail Power Hitter style, for example, is clearly trail-arm dominant. Think early O’Grady, Langer, Woosnam.
Here the trail arm does most of the heavy lifting in its dominance zone.
The lead-hand follow-through dominance is less emphasized.
Similarly, backside-oriented swings like Trevino or Peter Thomson represent a different release style — but still show clear dominance behavior.
The pattern dictates how the hands are used.
When Dominance Is Ignored
Most right-handed golfers are trail-hand dominant.
And yet many don’t use it at all.
The common “out-to-in” motion often kills the trail-hand dominance zone completely.
You cut across it.
You remove the space for acceleration.
And in doing so, you also disturb the lead-hand dominance in the follow-through.
It feels restricted.
Because it is.
Fit Is Everything
Pattern fit determines whether dominance becomes a strength or a weakness.
A trail-dominant player often fits naturally into a trail-powered protocol.
A lead-dominant player may thrive in a pattern where the lead hand can shine.
It’s not about right or wrong.
It’s about understanding how your power is applied.
When the hands are allowed to dominate in their proper zones, the swing becomes more athletic — and more achievable.
That’s where development accelerates.
Swing Development for Real
If you’re serious about swing development, the best question you can ask yourself is this:
Which pattern fits you?
Take the quiz below. It only takes two minutes.
START THE JOURney – FIND YOUR OLD SChool PATTERN
Your inspirations and your subconscious view of the golf swing matter more than anything when it comes to making a lasting swing change. The goal is to find the pattern that fits you best. Take the quiz and check out the best choice for you below:
FMM EDUCATIONAL PATTERN PAGES
-
Trail Power Hitter Pattern: The Invisible Vertical Power
THE GOLF SWING IS INVISIBLE You can’t see what I really do. I…
-
Aggressive Fluid Release Pattern: Cracking the Hogan Enigma
Cracking THE IMPOSSIBLE ENIGMA? First attempt: seven years ago. There I failed with…
-
Big Arc Swinger Pattern: From Nicklaus to Woods to Scheffler
What’s a big arc golfer? You see that person with a swing that…
Main Website Pages
-
FMM Video Articles — See It. Read It. Understand It.
In early 2025, I started my YouTube channel (find it here), and the format has really grown on me. It allows me to explain, demonstrate, and cover things that text simply can’t. The real…
-
All Articles Library – All Creations in One Place
Everything I’ve created over the years. You have different filterings according to the list below. Wish to watch Youtube videos instead? Then click here to open Wish to visit my Skillest Profile (coach app)?…
-
FMM Academy – Which Pattern Fits You?
Golf instruction has never suffered from a lack of information. It has suffered from a lack of understanding. The FMM Academy was built to help golfers understand why great swings work, how different players…
-
Swing Styles Articles – Explaining Old School Variations
I categorize golf swings into different styles for the sake of clarity and understanding. No golfer fits perfectly into a single swing style, but without a structured framework, you’re essentially shooting in the dark….
Old School General Articles
-
Ben Hogan vs Jack Nicklaus Grip: What’s the Real Difference?
All the old-timers cared about one thing first and foremost. Almost as if it were the gatekeeper to their swing worlds. The grip. Why is it so important? Because it directly connects to how…
-
How Lee Trevino Built One of Golf’s Most Accurate Swings
Most golfers trying to hack the golf swing just ruin it, and some, like Lee Trevino, win six majors. From an accuracy perspective, I would say that his motion is the most efficient I’ve…
-
Why Jack Nicklaus Swing Work – Free of Modern “Rules”
Most people have Ben Hogan as their swing god, and sure, he’s awesome, but my personal favorite will always be Jack Nicklaus Swing. The Golden Bear. It’s the simplicity and effortless feel of it…
More FMM Project Articles
-
The Swinging Protocol – In the Core of all Great Golfers?
I have a special interest in the golf world, and that is to understand what actually built the best swings of all time. Not just how they look, but what truly built them. What…
-
A Powerful Golf Swing Clips It – Stop Chasing Divots
We are all performing golf swings based on inner images, muscle memory, and athleticism. These different subconscious images will shape how we perform our motion. A powerful golf swing clips it in a shallow,…
-
Perform Your Backswing in Front of Yourself – The Vertical Lift
The backswing might be the most difficult part of golf. Do it right, and while there are no guarantees of a perfect result, do it wrong and you’ve almost certainly ruined your chances of…
