Stop the ‘sway’

Taking a lesson or good practice session from the range to the course is one of the most difficult parts of learning and succeeding at golf. One of the most common causes of power, inconsistent contact, and varying swing paths is a lateral slide during your backswing. It’s hard to fix on the course because that sway can feel like a comfortable move. This month’s lesson should help you fix it, though.

If you’re a walker and have a pushcart, setup next to it. The goal is to take a practice swing or two to rehearse the move and to hopefully achieve the feeling of rotation and not a slide. In the pictures below you will see two rehearsals: the one on the left has a lateral slide, you can see my hip hit the pull cart; in the second picture, you can see more rotation. My right hip (right hand player) has moved away from the pull cart, creating more coil and the potential for more speed and power in the downswing.

The second idea is more of a practical “in swing” change that you can work on during the round. When a player has a lateral slide in the backswing often, he/she will experience improper weight distribution in their feet. At the top of the back swing the weight will be on the outside of the trail foot (below left). We would like to see the weight stored on the inside of the trail foot (below right).

The fix is to slightly point your trail foot inside, so it points towards the ball. This will make it very difficult to slide or to have your weight move to the outside of your trail foot. In the beginning you will feel a bit of tension in your trail knee. This is what a proper coil and turn feel like. Pinching in your trail foot will also assist you in moving through the golf ball and into a better finish position.

The goal is always to make the game fun and attainable. If you’re just getting started in the game or you’re looking to take your game up a notch, reach out to your nearest PGA Professional. Best of luck and happy golfing.