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The Hip Slide on the Backswing
We see many golf tips on how to use hips on magazine or books about golf swing. But very few players use their hips correctly.
Most amateurs slide their hips during the backswing and lose lots of distance as a result.
When I was in high school, I used to slide my hips to the right all the time. So I wasn't hitting it very far. But when I fixed this problem, I gained more than 20 yards with my woods.
Tiger Woods said he pays special attention to his hips. He wants to make sure that his hips turn rather than slide to the right.
He also said that turning of his hips is one of the signs that he is accumulating power.
When you slide to the right, you not only lose power but also have to slide back to the ball to hit it. This makes it very difficult to hit consistent shots.
Why You Lose Distance
When you slide to the right going back, it moves your weight a little to the right at the start but will force you to put most of your weight to your front foot at the top of your swing.
If you slide to the right, you almost have to shift your weight to the left to keep your balance.
This is called a reverse pivot.
On the downswing, you have to slide back to hit the ball because your lower body (hips) moved too far away from the ball.
This extra move will kill your momentum. You may think you are short hitter, but if you are sliding to your right, you have lots of potential to hit it much further.
Tiger Woods keeps the Angle of His Right Leg
Tiger Woods said to prevent his hips from sliding to the right, he tries to keep the angle of his right leg constant throughout the backswing.
He had this image since he was a kid.
He also said to keep your weight on the inside portion of your right foot.
If your weight goes outside of your right foot, your hips will have to slide to the right. So try to keep it inside.
To be precise, your right hip move a tiny bit to the right as you shift your weight. So don't worry about it if it moves slightly to the right on the backswing.
But thinking turn instead of slide will give you more power for sure.
Simple Drill
Here is a simple drill to help you turn instead of slide on the backswing.
First, grab your 7 iron.
Now, put your feet together. Place the ball in the middle of your feet.
With your feet close together, it will be much harder to slide to the right because you'll lose balance.
Start with a half swing. When you go back, make sure you turn. Try to hit it in the middle of your clubface.
If you become comfortable hitting shots like this, slowly increase your swing speed.