The role of the lower body/hips in the golf swing?

[Chicago Seminole]

Hi, I was looking for some help regarding my swing. I have an above average understanding of swing mechanics for the upper body, but I am a bit clueless about how the hips should work.

My swing alternates between three very different shots. My natural swing is a high draw. I can hit a straight draw for around 270-280 yards on one hole, and on the next drive my shot is a high push/fade more than 35 degrees off target. The third shot is a vicious duck hook/ toe shot that starts slightly left for a 150 yards, and then in makes a nasty 90 degree turn to the left.

I am convinced that other than standing too upright at times, and the occasional bowed wrist at the top, these three shots are the result of either: timing my lateral shift and turn perfectly, sliding too far lateral and pushing from inside, and spinning out of the shot too early and duck hooking over the top.

Does this analysis seem right? Does anyone else start their downswing with a "swing thought" of pushing off the back foot and sliding he hips first? Anyone know a good drill that teaches the proper lower body movement? Thanks,

[double_j]

It's tough to say without seeing video, but I would argue that you're probably casting the club and coming over the top a bit on the mishits. It's not a matter of your hips not turning, it's a matter of you initiating the down swing with your hands instead of your hips.

I'm sure there's a ton of drills to make sure you lead with your lower body but I can't seem to think of any right now. I tend to swing loosely back and forth and focus on catching the rhythm of my hips leading the downswing. Your hands will naturally fall into place with no effort. My main swing thought is 'fire the hips' or 'get that right hip to the target'.

[Zeph]

I won't try diagnosing your swing without video, but I can share my own experiences. My problem has always been that the hips don't slide forward enough and rotate too fast. The club was not done moving back by the time I had rotated my hips back to 0 degrees. My swing thought now is to have a little pause at the top of the backswing to let the arms and club settle before the downswing starts. I start the entire body at the same time, but the hips race forward and ahead of the arms, they can't keep up, so I'm not afraid of them getting too fast. What normally happens is I don't get the hips far enough forward, or rotate too early, which ruins the timing and throws the arms out in front, losing club face angles and speed.

There are many swing thoughts to start the downswing, you just have to find one that works for you. For me, it is to get the upper and lower body starting at the same time, and from there just push the hips as far as possible. The hands are in the proper place and will just follow. I can speed them up if I want a bit more distance.