Hip SLIDE to initiate downsing

[Monty_Brown]

Hi all,

I've been browsing through a few US forums and came across this thread on Sand Trap which advocates hip slide rather than rotation as the vital first move move to keep the club on a powerful plane in the downswing.

I've been trying it out with some success at the range and have to say it's a good way to think about the swing and makes a lot of sense to me.

Clearly they like it over there as there are 360 pages of posts!

Hope you find it as interesting as I did.

 

[G1BB0]

there's a couple of trains of thought about this, some advocate a slide or bump others say NO, start from the ground up

I reckon use what works for you. My pro has me doing a slight bump with the hips but I am finding it very difficult to initiate

good link tho, cheers

 

[One Planer]

This is something I do.

I start my downswing with a weight shift forward (see below)

Top:

Starting down:

Mine is not so much a slide, more a weight shift forward. I let my arms drop naturally then fire them through impact.

I believe there there was an article in GM a few moons ago in which Hunter Mahan advocated this move forward to start his down swing.

I'll see if I can find it.

 

[USER1999]

Well on the way to S@T then.

 

[Monty_Brown]

Gibbo, one tip they suggest is driving off the right foot to feel your knee kicking in towards the target... seemed to be a more acheiveable tip than many of the ideas I've tried - it's worth a go.

Gareth, from those two pics, you can see that the gap between your left hip closes on the marker post in the background, so it would seem that there is lateral some hip slide. We may well be talking about similar moves, but just triggering them in slightly different ways. Have you got a photo from that sequnece at impact... I'd be interested to see if you hip has continued to move towards the target and closed the gap on that marker in the background.

 

[Monty_Brown]

Murph, true the Pros on that thread are largely S&T merchants, but the examples they show are from a variety of swings... Faldo at his best in the early 90s is an interesting one.

EDIT: In fact I think in the Luke Donald piece in this month's GM, he talks about a hip 'Bump' which is a similar move, albeit given a different name.

 

[DaveM]

I use to slide. But found I was getting infront of the ball. Making me push and slice the ball. Now I just turn back and turn though. But that damn slide keeps trying to join in.

 

[G1BB0]

so is it a good thing or bad? thats my quandry at present. I am off up the range later to work on the drills I have been given but I am going to severely slow it all down.

If I see an improvement long term then I will advoicate the slide no end

 

[One Planer]

Gareth, from those two pics, you can see that the gap between your left hip closes on the marker post in the background, so it would seem that there is lateral some hip slide. We may well be talking about similar moves, but just triggering them in slightly different ways. Have you got a photo from that sequnece at impact... I'd be interested to see if you hip has continued to move towards the target and closed the gap on that marker in the background.

Side on:

DTL:

Hope this helps.

 

[CMAC]

I slide and play single figs, HOWEVER, the slide can and does lead to all sorts of bad shots if its not timed perfectly, just watched Tom Watsons video again and he clearly turns "in a barrell" and I think he's been a wee bit successful for about 80 years!
I'm definitly working on a turn to help compression and lower flight

 

[Monty_Brown]

Well they all get horribly over excited about how good hip slide is on that thread, so it's a yes from the US contingent!

Like anything, it depends what the rest of your swing is doing .. no point sliding the hips forward if the rest of the swing is in a series of horrible positions

The Holy Grail of swings that most of us seem to be after is hitting from the inside with plenty of lag. The Pros posting on that thread are adamant that the hip slide if a good way to achieve that. I'm not in any way qualified to say if it's definitely right, but I'm interested enough to give it a try.

 

[G1BB0]

thats exactly what my pro is saying aswell, if done right I should eliminate my out to in swing. I can do it during and after my lesson but after a day or 2 away it feels all horrible again and as above with regards timing, my timing is crap so ends up a mess

 

[FaldosJumper]

Sadly I think there's no magic move. Have lessons, listen and practice, repeat from step 1... Not groundbreaking news but the best I've ever been told. It's the practice I suffer with

 

[Twire]

The hip slide is how I start my downswing and when it works the results are impresive. But be carefull that the slide doesn't turn into a sway. You still need you head behind the ball at impact.

 

[G1BB0]

yup, I am still doing that a lot Twire, its a natural move for the body/head to make and quite difficult to master (for me at least)

 

[SocketRocket]

If you start the downswing by turning the left hip back and pulling the right knee into the left then the weight shift and kinetic sequence will flow nicely.

Ben told us all about this so long ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_6M_xZvq0

 

[Swinger]

Slide, Bump or Sway. Call it what you want but trying to encourage lateral movement into a swing is a bad idea.

I've always worked on the basis that a good swing is built on a solid base and even hip turn should be limited if possible.

The more moving parts you have the less consistant your swing will be.

Thats what I reckons n e how.

 

[G1BB0]

I think, with all our different body shapes, quirks and what nots it really is a case of what works for you. One mans meat etc

 

[Monty_Brown]

Slide, Bump or Sway. Call it what you want but trying to encourage lateral movement into a swing is a bad idea.

I've always worked on the basis that a good swing is built on a solid base and even hip turn should be limited if possible.

The more moving parts you have the less consistant your swing will be.

Thats what I reckons n e how.

True enough, especially if that lateral move is encouraging a lateral move of the head. However, if you look on that thread, the early images show that nearly all pros reach the moment of impact with their left hip nearer the target than it was as address. Crucially, their heads have remained in the original position however. So I think that some lateral movement can be effective if it is controlled.

 

[CMAC]

Curtis always said its ok to sway!