Backswing is all in the hips...

Today I want to talk to you about the movement of your hips on the backswing.

There has been much written over the years on movement and today I’ll give you my take on it. Before I talk about the backswing, I want to make sure that we get you set up to the ball correctly at address, as a poor set up will impact your ability to make a good backswing.

In today’s pictures I am playing a mid-iron, and this should be addressed with your weight evenly distributed, your ball just forward of centre and your feet around shoulders width apart (pic1).

I see many players trying to overly resist their lower body to‘load’more power.

For most players, this leads to a restricted and short backswing with very little power (pic 2).

I believe that you must twist your hips around a central axis as you swing away from the ball.

The result of this action, is that your left knee will kick in a little and your right leg will have to straighten slightly (unless you are a contortionist that is!).

When you reach the top of your backswing, your upper body should be nicely loaded on top of your lower body with your weight central (pic 3).

With a little hip twist practice in front of the mirror, you’ll be good to go.