Harvey Penick was indeed a great golf instructor, but the “Magic Move” in his book and the one discussed in the below video clip is nothing more than proper basic swing mechanics.

I say this because there is actually nothing magic about the move being discussed, as you can be a horrific over-the-top swinger and still be performing the move, and you’d struggle to understand why it’s called a “magic move” at all.

I struggled for years with a steep down swing and over the top move due to the facts, as you all are constantly being reminded by yours truly, that I have a spinal deformity that twists my shoulders open or to my left when standing neutral facing forward and also because I was a left-dominant swinger swing right-handed.

First, the move explained:

So, the dropping of the raised elbow to the side combined with a weight shift to the leading foot, that’s the so-called “magic move,” except I was a very steep and OTT swinger for years performing this exact move:

This is a swing from my early years of swing research, some time in 2008 – I was absolutely hammering the ball, and as you can see if you watch my left leg and right arm on the transition, I was indeed shifting my weight to the leading leg and dropping my right elbow to my side.

Yet there I was, swinging with a massive left-dominant action and coming over the top whilst driving the ball well over 300 yards.

There is hardly any other way to begin the down swing, wouldn’t you think?  Who doesn’t shift their weight to begin the down swing, and even the most casting of swing moves begins with the dropping of the raised arm.

Ben Hogan himself demonstrated the proper transition move:

… but again, I can’t think of anyone on this earth whose first moves aren’t these.

I was still struggling with my own swing – and by struggling, I mean that I could always drive a ball 300 yards and beyond and hit towering irons a country mile, that was never my issue – in terms of down swing plane and club path when I was showing how to begin the down swing here in a video shorts series from 2015:

Pretty sure my first two moves are a combined shift of the weight to my left foot whilst dropping my right elbow.

My point is that there is no “magic move” per se in the golf swing – everything must be correct, from your stance over the ball, the ball position relative to your feet, your grip, your back swing pivot etc.

If anything is off, then no magic move will save you, and that is why I don’t like “Quick Tips To Improve Your Swing” type of stuff you see all of the time online, on TV or in magazines.