Instruction
How fixing your pivot can improve your backswing
by ANDREW BREWER Director of Instruction , Bayville Golf Club
Perfecting the Pivot
As a director of instruction , I have noticed a lack of awareness among students in terms of what the pelvis should or should not do in the backswing . A pivot is defined as the central point on which a mechanism turns . The pelvis serves as the golfer ’ s pivot , making it one of the most crucial aspects in the golf swing for generating power and improving accuracy . Learning how to correctly tilt and turn your pelvis can dramatically improve contact , distance , and fix other swing compensations .
The most common issue I see with the average golfer is too much sway of the pelvis away from the ball in the backswing . This is generally due to over-loading into their trail side to create power and can lead to a variety of issues in the backswing , one being the torso and spine extending toward the target too much , which causes a loss of posture in the backswing and leads to a more over-the-top downswing . That is the classic definition of a reverse pivot . What I like to see golfers do to fix this is to feel like they are sending their trail glute toward the target as they start their backswing . This will generally eliminate the sway of the pelvis and keep it centered in the backswing ; as the pelvis becomes more stable with minimal sway , the need for the spine and head to lean toward the target to counterbalance the body simply goes away .
Another common issue I see with the average golfer is maintaining too much knee flexion while they are trying to turn the pelvis in the backswing . This will result in a lack of hip depth , which can cause a loss of posture and can lead to a flat shoulder turn , also resulting in an over-the-top move . To fix this , I like to
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