The Mechanics Of A Good Hip Turn In The Golf Swing (Video) - by Pete Styles
The Mechanics Of A Good Hip Turn In The Golf Swing (Video) - by Pete Styles

Now if we look at the specifics of what the hips are actually going to do during the swing and a couple of key areas for you to focus on to make a more efficient hip action. From a good address position, I'm setting up here with an 8 iron. We want to turn the hips in the backswing. We want to move them into the right leg for myself during the backswing. But it's quite important that as it happens, I don't see a big lifting of my lead leg. Now unless you've got really severe lower back problems, lack of flexibility or struggle with hip mobility, I’d like to try and keep that lead leg very flat to the ground or maybe just the tiniest little heel lift.

That will just allow a bit of flexibility to let this hip come around. We really don't want to see this big release of the front foot that's going to cause us problems with stability and lack of consistency particularly with the strike and actually a bit of lack of power. So really work on keeping that heel in position. We then also want to see that the hips stay relatively level during the backswing. We don’t want to see a massive dipping or lifting of each hip. So if the right hip goes up and the left hip goes down, that shows a certain lack of stability through the legs and through the knees as well. Now during your backswing, I’d like to focus on what your left hip does. So feel how the left hip turns slightly in front of the knee and comes across to the middle. And then focus very cleanly on what the left hip does in the downswing. The left hip moves across and then spins. Now clearly what your left hip does, your right hip is effectively during the opposite of. So when you left hip goes this way, your right hip will go back. And then as you come through, your left hip will go back and your right hip will come forward. Obviously they are very connected. But I do think it helps to focus on one particular point. So you might just pick your left hip bone and if I can think about what my left hip bone is doing, I can think about that more cleanly. My right hip bone will just do the opposite part. One last thing that I think a lot of golfers really encourage them to do the right thing is to get your belt buckle turning to target. So if looking down the line here, setting up nicely. If I can finish with my belt buckle to target in this position, chances are I’ve done a huge amount of the rest of my golf swing correctly. So nice setup, turn away, turn through and finish belt buckle to target nice and balanced. Now if I don't have my belt buckle pointing at the target, chances are that I’ve under-rotated or I’ve lent back or if I go too far and point the belt buckle this way, I'm going to be off balance. So think about that belt buckle to target and that’s a great way of getting your backswing to start – sorry your downswing to start nice and quickly. Turn to the top, belt buckle around to target. You should feel fully through fully balanced. If you can work on those key attributes for your hips, you’ll be hitting the ball much better, more consistently and longer in no time at all. 2016-07-15

Now if we look at the specifics of what the hips are actually going to do during the swing and a couple of key areas for you to focus on to make a more efficient hip action. From a good address position, I'm setting up here with an 8 iron. We want to turn the hips in the backswing. We want to move them into the right leg for myself during the backswing. But it's quite important that as it happens, I don't see a big lifting of my lead leg. Now unless you've got really severe lower back problems, lack of flexibility or struggle with hip mobility, I’d like to try and keep that lead leg very flat to the ground or maybe just the tiniest little heel lift.

That will just allow a bit of flexibility to let this hip come around. We really don't want to see this big release of the front foot that's going to cause us problems with stability and lack of consistency particularly with the strike and actually a bit of lack of power. So really work on keeping that heel in position. We then also want to see that the hips stay relatively level during the backswing. We don’t want to see a massive dipping or lifting of each hip. So if the right hip goes up and the left hip goes down, that shows a certain lack of stability through the legs and through the knees as well.

Now during your backswing, I’d like to focus on what your left hip does. So feel how the left hip turns slightly in front of the knee and comes across to the middle. And then focus very cleanly on what the left hip does in the downswing. The left hip moves across and then spins. Now clearly what your left hip does, your right hip is effectively during the opposite of. So when you left hip goes this way, your right hip will go back. And then as you come through, your left hip will go back and your right hip will come forward.

Obviously they are very connected. But I do think it helps to focus on one particular point. So you might just pick your left hip bone and if I can think about what my left hip bone is doing, I can think about that more cleanly. My right hip bone will just do the opposite part. One last thing that I think a lot of golfers really encourage them to do the right thing is to get your belt buckle turning to target. So if looking down the line here, setting up nicely. If I can finish with my belt buckle to target in this position, chances are I’ve done a huge amount of the rest of my golf swing correctly.

So nice setup, turn away, turn through and finish belt buckle to target nice and balanced. Now if I don't have my belt buckle pointing at the target, chances are that I’ve under-rotated or I’ve lent back or if I go too far and point the belt buckle this way, I'm going to be off balance. So think about that belt buckle to target and that’s a great way of getting your backswing to start – sorry your downswing to start nice and quickly. Turn to the top, belt buckle around to target. You should feel fully through fully balanced. If you can work on those key attributes for your hips, you’ll be hitting the ball much better, more consistently and longer in no time at all.