Virginia Golfer March/April 2024 VG_MarApr24_Digital | Page 37

have students stand with an object behind them , such as a barstool , wall or golf club box . As you turn your trail glute toward the target , you should feel as if you are actively pushing your hips back into that object behind you .
Imagine you are playing basketball and the tallest guy on the opposing team is going for a rebound and you need to box them out . Fixing your hip depth while you rotate in the backswing can drastically improve your chances of staying on plane , shallowing the club in transition , and reducing the chances of early extension in the downswing .
Here are three of my favorite drills to help correct your pelvis pivot in the backswing . All of these drills can be done from anywhere and don ’ t require hitting a golf ball .
Door Drill : Start by standing against a door with your trail foot / leg touching the door . Take your iron golf posture and cross your arms across your chest / shoulders . While keeping your eyes focused on the ground , turn your hips and body without hitting the door with your leg or hips . You will see more space created between the wall and trail leg at the end of your backswing than at the beginning .
Alignment Stick Drill : For this drill , you will need to make sure you have belt loops on your pants or shorts . Start by placing an alignment rod through your front belt loops . Take an iron and make a stance like you are going to hit a ball . The goal is to get the lead side of the alignment stick to turn and be about 45 degrees . You can determine this by placing another alignment stick or golf club on the ground ; you will place it starting at the inside of your trail heel and running toward your lead toe . When you are making backswings , we are trying to match the two sticks .
Resistance Band Drill : This resistance band drill is a great way to feel how your body is supposed to move in the backswing and will force you to utilize the ground while making a proper pivot . You will want to take a resistance band and place it under your trail foot , then grab the band with the trail arm . While the trail arm is hanging straight make sure there isn ' t any slack on the band , for this you may need to grip down on the band . From there you
Resistance Band Drill
will be trying to stretch the band without bending your arm or pulling on the band when you turn . This will make sure you are pushing up out of the ground to prevent your trail leg from having too much flexion , while also getting you to create more hip depth .
Door Drill
Alignment Stick Drill
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