St. Johns October 2019 Newsletter P1_STM81329 October Newsletter | Page 7

NOTE FROM THE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL
Hip Mobility and Improving Contact
Two of the most common swing characteristics golfers struggle with are Swaying and
Sliding during the golf swing. Simply put, a Sway is any excessive lower body movement
laterally away from the target during the backswing and a slide would be excessive lateral
movement towards the target in the downswing. Both a Sway and a Slide certainly cost
the golfer power and energy during impact, but let’s focus on how lateral movement
negatively impacts the consistency of contact.
A common reference point to determine the low point of your golf swing is to find the
location of your sternum at impact. For most golfers, the club will tend to find its lowest
point of the swing arc underneath your sternum or the buttons on your golf shirt. When
we think about solid, ball-first contact we want to remain centered to slightly ahead of
the golf ball for the purest strike at impact. As our lower body shifts laterally (especially
in the backswing), this becomes increasingly difficult as the low point of the golf swing is
constantly changing. If our ability to rotate the hips is limited due to lack of mobility or
injury there will be a strong tendency for the golf swing to be dominated by both Swaying
and Sliding causing impact to be inconsistent.
One of the quickest ways to increase Hip Mobility is to flare out both feet approximately
twenty degrees at address. This small adjustment places the hips into internal rotation
reducing the Sway in the backswing and the Slide in the downswing. Once the feet have
been flared outwards, it should be easier to feel the right hip trace back over the right
heel during the backswing and the left hip tracing back over the left heel during the
downswing. Using proper hip rotation during the golf swing will increase centeredness
and promote a higher level of consistency throughout the bag, especially striking the irons.
Play Well,
John Mousley
PGA, TPI
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