The Biggest Secret? Slide Your Hips

[acegolfer]

One problem - i couldnt replicate the swing with the driver. Getting my hands in front of the ball at impact feels very odd when hitting a ball on a tee. Any thoughts or tips on how to replicate the same swing with a driver?

For driver tee shots, your hands are not supposed to be in front of the ball at impact.

[Pyranha]

For driver tee shots, your hands are not supposed to be in front of the ball at impact.

That is most definitely not true. Look at almost every single one of the photo sequences that Iacas posted waaaay back on the first page of this thread and you'll see that at impact the hands are still leading the club head. Even with a driver having the hands lead the clubhead into impact is still a HUGE key for consistency and distance.

-C

[Shanks A Million]

For driver tee shots, your hands are not supposed to be in front of the ball at impact.

Find a picture of a tour player who's hands aren't ahead of the ball at impact with a driver.

[acegolfer]

For driver tee shots, your hands are not supposed to be in front of the ball at impact.

I stand corrected. I got confused with ascending blow. My bad. The club must be delofted (shaft leaning forward) for every shot.

[jl923]

Thats the problem with my driver swing - too steep and descending blow. Any drills to fix the problem or at least get my body to understand what the swing should feel like? My irons and woods are getting better but the driver is so bad.

[$2 Nassau]

Think I'm possibly sliding the hips a little too much lately. Especially with driver, hitting it very low. Straight, but low, not the worst thing in the world but I think I'm actually coming in a little too shallow for too long (if that makes sense) and delofting the club a little too much.

[BallStriker]

Think I'm possibly sliding the hips a little too much lately. Especially with driver, hitting it very low.

There are a lot of great nuggets of info in this thread -- the one that may apply to your problem is Eric's statement that many people who work on the hip slide do it too quickly (i.e., thinking you have to 'fire' the hips forward very quickly) -- that may be what you are doing to get the feeling that they are sliding too much. Bottom line (per Eric's good advice) is that you don't need to fire them, just slide them forward in sync with the swing.

[iacas]

Thats the problem with my driver swing - too steep and descending blow. Any drills to fix the problem or at least get my body to understand what the swing should feel like? My irons and woods are getting better but the driver is so bad.

You're probably coming over the top. It's tough to have too steep a descending blow coming from the inside. Not impossible, just unlikely, especially if your handicap is within about 20 of being correct.

Think I'm possibly sliding the hips a little too much lately. Especially with driver, hitting it very low. Straight, but low, not the worst thing in the world but I think I'm actually coming in a little too shallow for too long (if that makes sense) and delofting the club a little too much.

Unlikely. Ball flight tends to go up when you push the hips forward more. Your upper center may be going forward as well. It's unlikely you're de-lofting the driver too much. Can't say for sure without a video though.

[GolfBear]

I found this video from Steve Bann (a truly underrated swing coach) and it seems to be addressing the hip slide vs. spin issue.



As a side note, this thread might be the single most informative thing I've ever read on golf instruction. Iacas, if Erie wasn't 4 hours from me I'd drive there and kiss you! In a manly sports kinda way though!

Last night I played so poorly I actually considered stepping away from the game for a while. I've been struggling with a lot of inconsistency lately and I've taped my swing a number of times in an effort to diagnose the problem. One mistake I've made is only taping it from down the line so it's difficult to see the hip slide. I'm convinced that a failure to "slide" is my biggest fault and "spinning" is causing me to throw the club out over the top.

I have to get to the range today...............

[nokmond]

I'm struggling to get a feel for sliding the hips - what does it feel like to you gents?

[BallStriker]

I'm struggling to get a feel for sliding the hips - what does it feel like to you gents?

Try and concentrate on keeping your weight forward -- that will keep you in a very good position to slide the hips on the downswing (I know some who actually begin the slide before the top of the backswing, but I can't/don't try for that). I really think the key to a good hip slide is being in the right position at the top of the backswing -- and that is remaining centered over the ball (and not getting back over the outside of your back foot). In fact, I find it nearly impossible not to make a good slide of the hips when I am in a good position on the backswing. Try working on this at home in slow motion...that will exagerate the feel of keeping the weight forward and you centered over the ball. GL

[iacas]

I found this video from Steve Bann (a truly underrated swing coach) and it seems to be addressing the hip slide vs. spin issue.

I like the video. I kind of skipped through it fast but that's a good drill. Andrew Rice has a similar drill with a bigger beach ball, and I've personally used the concept of "push your hip into a foam mattress" (and keep pushing it) to get someone to really push their hips target-ward.

As a side note, this thread might be the single most informative thing I've ever read on golf instruction. Iacas, if Erie wasn't 4 hours from me I'd drive there and kiss you! In a manly sports kinda way though!

We teach classes. We have a full-day school on August 21 and it's got one spot remaining. You will improve - measurably - if you come. I'd recommend staying over another day and playing the golf course. Perhaps I'd be able to play with you.

One mistake I've made is only taping it from down the line so it's difficult to see the hip slide. I'm convinced that a failure to "slide" is my biggest fault and "spinning" is causing me to throw the club out over the top.

Early rotation (and the corresponding issue of the weight being too far back) is the single biggest cause of coming over the top, yes. Let us all know how the range session goes today. There are a number of feelings to get the hips going forward more - you may struggle for awhile to find the feeling that works best for you.

I'm struggling to get a feel for sliding the hips - what does it feel like to you gents?

Several feelings are possible. Left knee maintains its flex longer and pushes down and forward. Right knee slides forward and gets longer. Right (or left) hip pushes forward. Zipper (or tailbone) push in front of left foot (tailbone works better - if you think zipper some people rotate too fast, too early). Pushing the right hip past your left ear. In many cases there's no thought of the downswing (with the arms) at all. That happens "naturally." Also, note that it's not just how far forward you move, but how long into the downswing you do it. It should feel like, quite often, that you're still pushing forward just after impact. Note too that if you fall forward that's good except for one thing - your upper center went forward too. But at least your lower center went forward.

Try and concentrate on keeping your weight forward -- that will keep you in a very good position to slide the hips on the downswing (I know some who actually begin the slide before the top of the backswing, but I can't/don't try for that).

In general I would agree. Good post.

[StricklandPropane]

This helped immensely for my woods. I went from topping every other shot to hitting 50 in a row solidly (occasional hooks and slices but solid contact). I've never done that before.

Problem was I couldn't get it to work at all on my irons. I'd either hit it about 20 yards less than before or shank it.

I don't understand how it felt like such an athletic swing with my woods, but so discombobulated with my irons.

[GolfBear]

So I didn't make it to the range last night but I did get outside long enough to hit a dozen or more of those Pelz yellow foamy balls. Initial results were promising.

Tonight I made it out to the range and hit about 90 balls. HOLY CRAP...OMG...HOLY CRAP. The over the top swing is almost virtually gone and it appears that the more pronounced shift has either de-lofted my clubhead or increased my speed because I just gained a full club. I tried a couple of different drills, used shafts for position cues but I couldn't be happier with the absolutely immediate difference. I still feels unnatural to consciously push my hips so I tried to focus on the knee. Neither is perfect but it the last 72 hours I've learned a whole lot more about my golf swing. Now I just need to work on it to make it feel natural.

If you're struggling with an over the top swing, pull hooks or big nasty banana balls I'm begging you to check your hip slide.

[Shanks A Million]

Hips and legs are so important to the swing. I made this mistake two days ago. My girlfriend has a gym at her apartment complex (and she stays in nice shape!), so we worked out, and I did the bike, and leg presses, calf presses, etc. My legs were very worn out. So, I go down to the range, and couldn't hit it solid to save my life. Thought it was the swing, but over at the chipping green, I was terrifying the hole, chipped a few in, even hit the pin with a flop shot.

My short game has always been good (hence the 6 handicap with the 15 handicap swing), but it was on fire. I think the reason my short game is better is that my swing on chips is actually fairly solid, but on the full swing, lack of flexibility makes me try to overextend, and get my hands shallow. When I chip, they get nice and deep, and the hips slide much better, and the front clears.

As my flexibility gets better, and my hips can cooperate more, and my hands can get deeper, my swing gets so much better. Even a very poorly struck iron goes fairly well anymore. Deep hands and hip slide are so underrated, and the new pro here knows that. He got my hands deep, and what a difference! The hip slide was nearly automatic with the deep hands, because you must clear them to get the hands through!

[Stretch]

Hips and legs are so important to the swing.

Yes! This is my main focus for the forseeable future. Not just starting the hip slide but

maintaining it into impact and beyond. I went back to the S&T; book yesterday for a refresher on the topic and was struck by how extended and progressive the lateral motion is supposed to be in this pattern. Emphasis mine:

When your left arm reaches parallel to the ground on the downswing (halfway down), your hips have slid about an inch toward the target compared to the top of the backswing, putting your weight 70/30 on the left side. Your left knee has moved about an inch in front of your left ankle, as a result of the lateral motion. When the shaft parallels the ground, your hips have moved another inch toward the target, and your left knee is now two inches in front of your left ankle. Your weight is now 80/20 on the left. At impact, your hips have shifted another inch toward the target, with 90 percent of your weight on your left side. And by the time your right arm is parallel to the ground after impact (halfway through), your weight is 95/5 and the lateral hip slide is complete. The popular advice to make a slight "bump" toward the target with the hips does not transfer enough weight to the left side soon enough or for long enough.

[iacas]

Emphasis mine:

The emphasized part is a good one and something I try to harp on just a little bit too. It's not HOW FAR you go forward, it's also THE RATE at which you go forward.

If you go forward three inches and then start spinning before you hit P5.5 or so, then you've stopped moving forward too early. You've perhaps done so TOO FAST. It's really not a huge move. We're not asking people to move their hips forward eight inches. But three to four inches, yes, and not with a lot of initial speed. When I'm hitting the ball like I want to it feels like a very subtle push forward, but it's a maintained pushing that lasts a long time.

[Tugglife2]

What a great informative thread.

The best way to consciously practice this would be to keep my weight on the inside of my right foot on the backswing, then on the downswing shift my weight and push forward shifting weight to the outside of my left foot?