The Biggest Secret? Slide Your Hips

[Zeph]

A lateral hip slide is simply the rear hip rotating behind you to the target in the back swing IF you completely wind up. As you turn the hips in the downswing the camera sees an illusion - the lead hip appears to be sliding to the target but it is NOT, it is rotating back to the left heel.

What are you talking about? How can it be an optical illusion? An illusion is something you get when recording a golf swing with an iPhone and seeing the shaft bend the wrong way. The hips definitely slide towards the target, quite a lot actually. The backswing rotation is pretty much just that, a rotation, no sliding going on there.

What appears to be magic in the pro swings is a natural reaction to a proper windup to the top. Stretch the elastic bands in a wide and deep arc then unwind the hips to LET the down swing happen. Physics does the hard part in fulfilling the downswing imperatives.

The hips doesn't do anything if you don't tell them to. Just unwinding from the top of the backswing will get you nowhere, the weight must transfer to the front foot, which is achieved by sliding the hips. There is nothing natural about the golf swing, everything has to be taught.

[iacas]

You might want to replace the title of the thread with "The Biggest Secret: Kick your right Knee". The sliding of the hip is likely to be the result of weight transfer. What triggers the transfer could be the kicking in of the right knee or the thought of rolling the right foot (i.e. Jack Nicklaus/Grout tip).

Sure, but the end goal is to get the hips going forward, and I can think of three ways to do it:

a) kick the right knee in (bank it inwards, towards the target) b) drive the left knee down and forward c) push the tailbone forward So however you accomplish it, the end result is that you want to slide your hips, not just do something with your knee.

[colin007]

Sure, but the end goal is to get the hips going forward, and I can think of three ways to do it:

do you mean "right knee" in point A?

[iacas]

do you mean "right knee" in point A?

Yep. Thanks.

[DocWu1948]

Jeez. I spent the last month at the range trying to turn my hips during my swing and things sure stunk whenever I tried to do it in earnest. So this thread bobbed back up to the top and I was lucky that I happened to see it. Makes sense to me now.

[kilbyman]

Wanted to bring this up again because I think it has really helped my golf swing. I use a slight kick in from right knee to get things going. I have noticed that this forces my right elbow into my body, which makes it near impossible for me to slice driver or pull short irons (I believe these tendencies from me were from coming down on a steeper swing plane than my backswing, putting me much steeper than my address plane).

I also have an observation (which I'm sure might not be original to me)... OTT swings are a direct result of not shifting a bit of weight on to the front side to start the downswing. If this is not there, I think that the only plane down that results in hitting the ball is OTT. In other words, turn but no hip slide = OTT, but starting with the slide = nice, flat, powerful swing plane.

[david_wedzik]

I also have an observation (which I'm sure might not be original to me)... OTT swings are a direct result of not shifting a bit of weight on to the front side to start the downswing. If this is not there, I think that the only plane down that results in hitting the ball is OTT. In other words, turn but no hip slide = OTT, but starting with the slide = nice, flat, powerful swing plane.

BINGO! This is the difference between strikes on the front side of the circle vs. strikes on the backside of the circle (backside=good).

Dave

[Andrew Rice]

There has never been, nor will there ever be, a great player who does not slide the hips to the target in the downswing. Imagine a pitcher in baseball not stepping to home plate?
This is the most important part of the golf swing - get your hips and weight forward at impact, so that your hands can be ahead of the ball and you can deliver a descending blow. The hips should actually 6-10 inches closer to the target at impact than they were at address.
Keep in mind that what a player writes and feels might be different to what they actually do, so take what you read carefully, but you can always count on what you see.

[ks8829]

But when you are returning to the ball your hips are rotating forward or uncoiling rather that sliding forward, sliding forward without rotating with cause you to block your shots and leave your hips open and not squre to the target in my humble opinion.

[Zeph]

To get speed on the club, parts of the body must be in front of it, no doubt about that. Since we rotate the club back, we must rotate to return it to the ball.

1) Rotate the club back
2) Shift the weight forward
3) Rotate the body forward, club trail behind

Take a ball and throw it as hard as you can. What do you do?

1) Pull the arm back
2) Shift the weight forward with the waist
3) Rotate the body, arm, hand and ball trail behind

Now, try throwing the ball with the upper body also shifting weight forward. You lose a lot of power. The dynamic fundamentals behind throwing a ball and swinging a golf club are exactly the same, it's just that swinging the club is 342 times harder.

[david_wedzik]

But when you are returning to the ball your hips are rotating forward or uncoiling rather that sliding forward, sliding forward without rotating with cause you to block your shots and leave your hips open and not squre to the target in my humble opinion.

Yes...of course that is true. When the hips (lower center of gravity, COG) push forward and begin releasing from their bend (or flex) it enables them to keep turning properly. As that happens we get to a position of Forward...Rotated. Both things happen...the sliding/push forward of the weight with the lower COG and the opening as well. The point of this thread is to let golfers know that, from the top, we don't simply "open" up our hips.

Dave P.S. At the end of your post you said "leave your hips open and not square"...I'm pretty sure you meant closed.

[moreira85]

So is this really right? Looks very unsynced but I am going to try it.
http://www.pga.com/instruction/off_the_tee/

can the first move just be a lateral push off with the right foot towards the target or do the hips have to turn the way this video shows?

[Hoselrockets]

Ok, so I'm going to guess this is a good video to slide the hips? Obvisously I ask because I'm not an expert?

[Jooma]

The answer is very simple because your swing serves the purpose of propelling a golf ball as far as you can. If you consistently slicing you must ROTATE hips to the left – as horizontally to the ground as you can, if you consistently hooking (I wish I was) SLIDE your hips to the left, slightly dipping your right side.

[iacas]

The answer is very simple because your swing serves the purpose of propelling a golf ball as far as you can. If you consistently slicing you must ROTATE hips to the left – as horizontally to the ground as you can, if you consistently hooking (I wish I was) SLIDE your hips to the left, slightly dipping your right side.

You got those right... but exactly backwards.

[rafal]

This is a very helpful thread, increasing the hip slide (I always had small hip slide in my swing) I've gained yardage and solid contact. I also never slice anymore, instead this move made me hit a rather consitent hook with my longer irons and woods. So good distance and consistent contact came at a price of hooking more...Is there something I can do to lessen the new tendency to hook with this move?

[colin007]

You got those right... but exactly backwards.

erik, i have been practicing for a few weeks with the S&T; model, and im worried if i might be overdoing the hip slide deal. i am hitting balls that either start at the target and go left, or start a little left of the target and go farther left. i have the club face several degrees open at address. will too much of a hip slide do that?

[iacas]

erik, i have been practicing for a few weeks with the S&T; model, and im worried if i might be overdoing the hip slide deal. i am hitting balls that either start at the target and go left, or start a little left of the target and go farther left. i have the club face several degrees open at address. will too much of a hip slide do that?

Generally, no. More hip slide will keep the face open. You might not have enough hip slide, or you might be releasing the club and not maintaining the flying wedge in your right wrist. If you have an S&T; question, please post in the S&T; threads.