Instruction
Trying to clear your hips could be hurting your golf swing
As most golfers know, the downswing starts from the ground up. The proper kinematic sequence is as follows: the hips move left and open up to the target, followed by the torso, then the arms and finally the club. Slow-motion video and modern technology has shown us this.
Despite the knowledge of the proper kinematic sequence, however, players are better off practicing the start of their downswing a different way. They should strive to keep their hips closed (relative to the target), let their arms swing down and only then allow their hips to clear as the arms swing through.
“Why,” you’re probably asking?
In my experience, golfers who consciously try to get their hips open at impact by aggressively clearing them from the start can create timing issues… and the dreaded two-way miss. Yes, for maximum speed, golfers still need to hit shots using their hips, but they need to make sure they use them at the correct time.
When golfers stay more closed off with their hips and upper body in the start of the downswing, their lower body will bump left toward the target and their club shaft will shallow out as their arms transition down. This is a key move for delivering an inside, powerful path to the golf ball. Once in this closed position, you can then hit the ball with the right side of your body as hard as you want, producing maximum power and speed. This will also keep the clubhead square to the body through the shot as your right side rotates around your left side; a major key for consistency.
When we add speed to the swing, centrifugal force will take over if you allow it, and our hips and body will naturally clear as we swing our arms. The downswing does not need to be a consciously controlled movement, rather an instinctive move toward the target. The majority of amateurs are way too active with their bodies, especially their hips, and they don’t often realize it until they see it on film.
Amateurs often get in trouble when they try to re-create still images that were taken at full speed from tour players; for example, open hips at impact. This gives players and even instructors the idea that these images should be taught. When I walk up and down driving ranges, I constantly see players rehearsing their downswing trying to get their hips open as possible at impact or clearing them as fast as they can early in their swing. This is a false sense of power and is not necessary if our body angles and backswing sequence are correct.
Watch PGA Tour players’ rehearsals and practice swings before their shot. Notice the sequence: they swing their arms and hips, never aggressively trying to clear their hips early.
In the video below you’ll see practice swings of Henrik Stenson and Patrick Reed. Do you see them aggressively trying to clear their hips?
Clearing your hips early can cause several faults. Some players will come “over the top,” as clearing early can cause your upper body to open early, pushing your arms out from your body, producing an out-to-in swing path and the dreaded slice. Better players who clear early can still manage to stay closed off with their upper body and shallow out the shaft, but they then have to square the clubface with their hands and will become “handsy” at impact, or the club will get stuck behind them.
My favorite drill to combat clearing early and to get the proper feeling of how your hips and body move on the downswing.
- Take your normal stance when addressing the ball.
- Drop your right foot back behind your left (if you’re right-handed).
- Swing from this position.
This will give you the feeling of being closed off with your lower body. To golfers with over-active hips, this will feel like more of an arms swing, but they will still notice their hips have rotated.
Once you have the feeling of the correct downswing timing, you will instantly notice how much more effortless your swing feels. Better timing and fewer moving parts equals better ball striking and a swing that is much easier on your body.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Grant
Jun 15, 2019 at 11:05 pm
Awesome article! Why is it that with holding my right hip back like your saying is really tough with the driver and 3wood? With the longer clubs it’s more difficult. I don’t have issues with the 4 iron at all. I shoot in the 70s so idk. Snaphook toe shots.
stephenf
Nov 4, 2016 at 1:38 pm
People will probably argue with you (a lot of them will be 15-handicappers who know everything about theory), but what you’re saying is time-tested and correct.
What all these people so wrapped up in “rotation” don’t understand is that it will happen more or less naturally if your path and plane are decent. Throwing yourself into big efforts at rotation usually results in the rotation forces (mainly the torso and hips) shoving the club around and destroying the swing and its path.
It’s also true that a big rotational move early in the downswing forces you to hold _back_ through impact if you’re going to save the shot at all. Which is to say that if you really want your hips and shoulders to “clear,” don’t do it early. Once the path gets outside and steep at the outset of the downswing, it’s all rescue from that point on, and usually not a successful one. That’s the kind of swing where everything just stops moving through impact.
I used to get people to toss a ball a few feet and then try to throw it 30 yards and 70 yards. Unless you’re just totally nonathletic, you’ll step into the throw and rotate more aggressively as a response to what you’re trying to do with the swing of your arm and the snap of your hand, whether it involves more force or less force.
You’re probably aware of people like Seymour Dunn, and after them people like Toski et al., who have repeated one of the best lines I’ve ever heard. I used it often when I was playing competitively and teaching: “Never confuse something that happens with something you have to try to do.”
Kelvin Kelley
Nov 15, 2016 at 1:53 am
Stephen, thanks for the comment
Mark
Oct 30, 2016 at 8:09 am
I read this article and then watched some golf. I can definitely see this in their swings.
I’ve always had a problem with over active hips (and right leg) at the start of the downswing.
This move fixed that!
First round doing this at University Ridge with aerated greens, shot a 70!
Several thumbs up on this one!
Kelvin Kelley
Nov 15, 2016 at 1:52 am
Great to hear Mark!
Sometimes a Smizzle
Oct 22, 2016 at 9:15 pm
I heard over on youtube that if you have fast hips, you have to feel like you start your swing with your hands. It worked for me. I rotate crazy hard and hit it pretty far. But i always hit a snap hook because my hands couldnt catch up and i would twist the club while trying to get it caught up. Fix: start the swing with the hands. I had slow motion vid of the two different swings i would post if my phone hadn’t been wiped recently ????
Double Mocha Man
Oct 21, 2016 at 10:10 am
Ya gotta love golf advice. Two days ago we had the boys telling us to clear our hips. Today we have Mr. Kelley telling us not to clear our hips. Sheesh, I’ll just buy an Iron Byron and take that onto the course to stand in for my golf game. Can Iron Byron putt?
Geo
Oct 21, 2016 at 9:41 am
I do this drill and it feels good. I try it with my normal swing after and I clear the hips early and i feel all the problems. Hard to get the feel from the drill. Is there a better maybe transition drill that might help?
Kelvin Kelley
Oct 22, 2016 at 12:36 am
Feel your hips stay closed off when you swing your arms down, the way the drill forces you to feel
Pingback: Trying to clear your hips could be hurting your golf swing | Swing Update
john
Oct 20, 2016 at 8:18 pm
interesting article.
if you slide forward with the hips bringing that club way on the inside can mean the player has to ‘flick’ their wrists at the ball to be able to make effective contact and not end up with the massive downward AoA that Henrik Stenson has – which in itself creates far more inconsistency. Turning through it is the only way to be consistent, you just need to separate the hips and shoulders properly and that is the issue you’re talking about here – not the need to slide forward and throw the club way on the inside and way behind you.
TR1PTIK
Oct 20, 2016 at 7:02 pm
I’ve struggled to grasp this concept, but the more I watch tour players closely the more I realize the truth of this.
During one of the last lessons I had this past season, my instructor told me to “feel” like I was starting down with hands and arms first and to stay over the ball as if I were trying to hit a “smother hook” (his words). When I got it right I could tell a noticeable difference in how the swing felt. It was considerably more effortless and we saw club speed jump by almost 4mph simply because my sequence was better.
My biggest problem now is getting this motion ingrained and firm up my wrists a little at the top. I have a tendency to cock the wrists too much and then release early. I have a 105~ ss on average, but could only muster about 1.43 (at best) smash factor leading to significant loss in distance. GREAT ARTICLE!
Kelvin Kelley
Oct 22, 2016 at 12:37 am
Glad you enjoyed it!
Pickle
Oct 20, 2016 at 5:19 pm
Great advice. I wish I had it 5 years ago. I spent 3 years trying to rotate my hips open faster so I could hit it farther. Went from a +4 to a 1. Opening hips too early caused all kinds of swing plane issues – steep, a bit over the top, and army’s. I’m slowly getting my old swing back. But it’s taken a long time and I do the Drill you mention every range session.
Kelvin Kelley
Oct 22, 2016 at 12:39 am
Pickle, good to hear this drill helps you!
Joe Burnett
Oct 20, 2016 at 5:00 pm
This article is exactly right. Many amateur golfers hear “get your hips through,” but they actually may be getting them through way too early. You have to have your lower body and upper body coinciding with each other perfectly.
This is why it’s important to get lessons from a professional and not one of your buddies!
Kelvin Kelley
Oct 22, 2016 at 12:38 am
Joe,
Thanks for the advice.
Ramrod
Oct 25, 2016 at 7:53 pm
‘You have to have your lower body and upper body coinciding with each other perfectly’.
No you don’t. As somebody said above, you need the upper and lower body to work INDEPENDENTLY. If you spin your hips and shoulders at the same time you’re coming way over the top, out to in, and all manner of other bad things.
Richard Grime
Oct 20, 2016 at 4:05 pm
I’m not too sure about this. I hit too far from the inside. Too narrow and lose posture in the downswing, clearing hard left brings me down on a more outside path but still not too steep. If I overdo it then start left hip diagonally right first then clear left.
Gonzo
Oct 20, 2016 at 10:49 pm
You are overthinking your hips. You are probably losing posture because you are not maintaining the flex in your rear leg. It’s probably straightening at some point which for most people not name Rory or Brooks doesn’t work. Article is exactly right, you cannot actively think about turning or bumping your hips in a fraction of a second it takes to make your downswing.