Clearing the hips for my swing...

[Travis]

Hey All,

I have always struggled with initiating my downswing with the hips and therefore tend to not get my hips cleared through by the point of impact which for me leads to some serious pull hooks and big high blocks...not knowing which one is coming next leads to a quick buildup of penalty strokes.

I've been working on this problem lately and it has been coming around, but not fast enough. I was wondering if anyone had any tips/drills to help me with this problem. I also tend to be a little fast from the top...I really need to learn to make a smoother transition.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[byerxa]

Obviously video lessons with a good pro is the best thing, but that will not stop me from polluting you with my opinion . From my personal experience I have a nasty tendency to get too quick and "slide" my hips. At that point I lose my spine angle and posture, and I have to hang back. Shot quality is very suspect at that point. Lately I have been focusing on more of a "squat" on the transition. The feel for me is almost like sticking my butt out even more with the start of weight shift. Almost like a stomach crunch while standing. Watching Tiger's swing in slo-mo at the PGA was the image reminder for me. It has helped me tremendously lately and hopefully I can start working on hitting into a more firm left side (which I have never been able to do well).

[leftylucas]

Look at this video, you may be suffering from hip slide rather than hip turn. Hope it helps.

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?doc...arch&plindex=2

[Travis]

That's a good video, with some good advice. I have been guilty of doing that from time to time...especially when I'm going for a little more distance (which is almost always a recipe for disaster)

I still feel that my main issue is getting my hips cleared and out of the way so that my arms can freely swing down the target line. I'm sure this drill will help with that, but I'm not sure it tackles this specific issue.

Thanks for posting it!!

[BigFlopper]

Hey All,

I have always struggled with initiating my downswing with the hips and therefore tend to not get my hips cleared through by the point of impact which for me leads to some serious pull hooks and big high blocks...not knowing which one is coming next leads to a quick buildup of penalty strokes.

I've been working on this problem lately and it has been coming around, but not fast enough. I was wondering if anyone had any tips/drills to help me with this problem. I also tend to be a little fast from the top...I really need to learn to make a smoother transition.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

The pulls are from not turning the hips enough and the arms whipping around your body, and the right blocks are coming from the hips moving too quick and "spinning out".

A couple of pro's I've talked to about moving the hips use the "throw the ball" analogy. Try throwing a ball. Your hips just react to the arm motion and they just do the right thing. Jim McLean used this once too. He used the side arm ball throw.

Try throwing the ball and restrict your hip movement. The arm action feels quick, probably because thats all that moving. It's probably a pull too. Try thowing it by over doing the hips. Really lead the throw with them (not slide, turn). Usually you'll have to fight to get it on target, and it's kind of weak.

I would just worry about starting the downswing at the same speed you ended the back swing (ie a gradual stop, gradual start) and let the hips do the right thing.