Should My Hips Move On The Backswing?

A very common issue that I see with a lot of beginners, intermediates and even some advanced players, is the hip sway. The hip sway is when the hips tend to move too far to the right during the backswing. This often results in the pressure going to the outside of the right foot. What then happens is that not enough weight moves onto the front foot on the downswing which therefore is responsible for the majority of 'thin' and 'fat' shots.

Now should the hips move at all? A general rule of thumb is that the left hip can stay very much in the same spot or move a little to the right during the backswing. You actually would prefer the left hip to move a little to the right as it helps to rotate the body behind the ball. As mentioned you don't want to move the weight too much to the right but you also don't want to overdo it and end up with the left hip moving the opposite direction to the left.

If the left hip does move to the left, it can cause a reverse pivot. This simply means when the weight shifts too much to the left on the backswing, the downswing will tend to compensate and start moving back to the right on the downswing causing again 'thin' shots and 'fat' shots. The first steps to take when rotating the hips correctly is ensuring you set-up is in the correct position. You want to make sure that in the set-up, you bump your left hip an inch or so to the left with your right shoulder slightly tilted. You also want to ensure the head is just behind the ball. You will know your set-up is correct when the left hip and the left shoulder form a straight line.

The next step is that you want to place pressure inside both feet in the set-up, particularly the right foot. Now as you take the club back you want to feel the clubface move first before the body. You want the clubface to travel to the instep of your right foot before you start rotating your body. You then want to make sure that as you get to the top of your swing, the pressure always remains inside the right foot.

If you'd like any further help in understanding how to rotate the body, just contact myself at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Golf Coaching Centre.