Hi Paul. Excellent tip. Thank you for breaking everything down step by step. Wanted to share with you all of my golf team now have and use alignment sticks and it took a few times but in the last month of practice sessions I did not have to remind them about how to set up their station on the range. Also with chipping on the practice green I take a shag tube that has 23 balls and I have one golfer who now with chipping will chip all 23 balls on then putt them out and out of 10 sessions her average total putts is 27 So some she chips in and the rest putts out so that is a great one putt % she uses your chipping club selection. We just have a mix of color balls in tube and white one are 1 to 1 ratio yellow 1 to 2 and so on and she changes clubs and holes depending on ball color. Great tip and put to good use with my High School golf team. Thank you. FYI the team finished 11-3 on the season and 2nd at Sectionals. Not bad for a team with two seniors and 7 freshman. I will come to your golf school soon.
Make a good day.
Coach Ahrns
I was at the driving range this afternoon and was actually wondering if I was driving my hips too much. I was pushing some to the right but thought it was b/c I wasn’t squaring the club at impact. When I slowed things down, the ball went straighter and I also felt more in control during the swing. Having said that, when using a iron, how can I tell I’m firing too fast versus not squaring the club face at impact?
The same way. You only have one swing. All rules apply to all clubs. Now, if you want more power you need to manually roll the wrists and get it hooking. Once you can do this consistently you then start driving the hips harder. In doing so the ball will straighten out without blowing it way right. So keep working on rolling it so you can take it up a notch in the future
Hi Paul ,
I too push some shots right. I think it’s because I’ve not mastered rolling the wrist. I don’t think I push my Hips fast enough yet for it to be my hips.
As you have so many good tips, you can get a bit lost on what to work on first. Do you think it’s best to work on driving the hips first and master that, then move onto rolling the hips?
Paul,
I think that I have got my swing to follow your pattern. I seem to be able to drive my hips to power my shot. My concern is that I am not achieving much club head speed for those shots. I swing my driver at a 78 to 85 MPH and my Irons at between 65 and 74 MPH.
These speeds are reflected in the distance the shot travels. What should I be doing to achieve greater club head speed and therefore more distance
You need to be turning way faster and keeping the wrists way looser.
In a golf swing you have mass swinging around an axis. How do you get mass to swing faster? ANSWER: You turn the axis faster. You do nothing with the mass. Your body rotation is powering the swing. Your body turn faster by driving the legs and hips faster. If you ave hit with the arms all of your golfing life you are not good at using your legs and hips. So you need to be constantly and consistently working on driving them harder. You do this nightly with these drills:
okay paul here is my dilemma..i am probably the only hacker u know,who even when he uses his hips/legs to start the downswing,the head rather than tilting right-as u suggest-sways left,and sometimes,causes loss of balance,is this because the hands/arms are not pwerless,but rather exerting too much control.or is it something else,and what would u reccommend 2 stay on the ball,or in back of it???
This would be because you are shifting your weight too soon to the left leg. If you shift right away of course you will be leaning left on the downswing.
I recommend a more gradual weight shift. You can find it here:
Good tip to gage if the proper hip motion is applied. I’m doing pretty well and I can consistantely get the tight feeling at the top be restricting my hip turn. Now what’s the trick to eleminate the tension on the way down? I’m all wound up and now I got to become loose? Easier said than done. Suggestions?
You are eliminating tension on the way down by uncoiling. You coil (tight) you uncoil the other way. If you are tight in your arms YOU are trying to hit. You need to be thinking about uncoiling. Hit easier shots to get the arms out of the swing then speed up ONLY the lower body to hit it farther.
Paul I have been playing to a 7 h for about 2 years I started your system this past summer and have seen a vast improvement in my ball striking consistence while employing your methods I just a little confused I’m trying to drive my hips faster to improve club head speed which by has caused a jump of about 7mph this year but I have also have had a lot of fades or pushes I was a draw player but have turned into a fader. In your video it sounds if you drive your hips to much you will push as your spine tilts to much. So is there a happy medium to gaining faster hips and not pushing the ball or I’m I missing something. On another note I’m trying to arrange a weekend to come out and take full days lesson or would weekday be better
Thanks for improving my game
Thom
If you want to increase your power by turning your hips faster you have to understand that when you do so the face will come through open with your current release. This is because you body rotation is now ahead of where it normally is. The more the body is ahead the more the face will be held open. To combat this, you do my roll over drill and get it hooking first. Once you are consistently hooking it (30 yards left or so) you then attempt to drive the lower body faster to gain more power and straighten it back out. As you do, watch your ball. If it still goes left you need to start the body faster so it gets ahead of the club coming down. If you blow it right you have not hooked enough shots.
For lessons it is really up to your schedule. Both weekdays and weekends are good. I guess if you can do a weekday that would help out others who can only come on weekends.
I have reached a great level of pure striking the ball on the range. Each day I hit 5 balls with every club in my bag. If I miss a
dead straight shot during my 5 shots I rake in 5 more and do over. Each time I change clubs I look for a ten to fifteen increase in distance. This works through all my irons my three rescue cLubs 5,4,3 iron replacements and then as I move to the five wood the strike is fine but no increase in distance? The same for my three wood and worst of all the same for my driver?
So I am stuck at 190-200 yards not enough to reach our par four greens. Too much pressure on my short game so lots of high 80’s no improvement on score last five games?
1. Maybe the shaft is too weak or cracked or loose.
2. Maybe the club is too short.
3. Maybe you are hitting it on the wrong launch angle thus putting too much spin on it.
4. Maybe you are trying to this club too hard because it is a wood. The harder you hit, the tighter your wrists, slower the club will swing.
5. Maybe you are chicken winging this club a little more due hitting harder or the length of the club (see #3 above).
6. Maybe you think you are hitting this club but really you are not.
7. Maybe you have a mental block when hitting this club.
There are many things you can be doing wrong. Go through the list and narrow it down. If your 3 wood is going the right distance then it it this 5 iron. If so, get rid of it.
Hi Paul,
Great tip. The golf pro that I have been working with said my hips are moving forward in the down swing can you tell me what I should be doing to fix this? What this will do to the ball flight? He has me setup with a chair against my butt and I am to keep it there through the down swing is this the correct drill I should be doing?
By turning more you will gain power, possibly lower the fight and stop pushing and push fading it. I used to slide many years ago. Glad I got rid of it.
I am 72 have lost a lot of flexibility. I use to be a low handicap golfer but was losing distance and getting frustrated. I bought Martin Chucks tapes (not putting him down it is me not him) but putting my weight on left leg, not turning my wrists, keeping my head still and shoulder turn more up and down instead of 90 degree turn I was push fading and was hitting my drives about 180 yards (use to him them 300 yards) was scoring over 100 on the course.
I have practiced every day for hours and yesterday I shot 42 on the front and 35 on the back nine and could have been better except I live in Chicago and the leaves and stems were all over the greens so I missed a lot of 10-15 foot putts. I was ready to quit golf 18 handicaps players were kicking my butt. Yesterday they could not believe the difference they said I was like a new golfer. I am now hitting 6 irons farther than I was hitting my driver. I am doing hrs of your stretching and trying to apply the mental aspect also. I feel so much more relaxed as I was hitting at the ball as hard as I could instead of point b not being the ball. Love golf again and cannot wait till next year. Will keep doing inside drills and exercise. Thanks for all your tips, they are great and will tell all my friends.
Now you are on track. My new line is: You don’t have to be strong to be loose!
My other line is: The looser something is the faster it will swing.
When you stop the hand action you now are basing your swing on how strong you are. So why can a little kid or petite person hit the ball 280+? If they can, it means there is a different way to swing a golf club. This “way” have you turning your body and keeping your arms turned off so your wrists are loose. Loose wrists means faster clubhead speed. It also means more consistency because you are not manipulating the clubface.
Keep at it. Thank you for your promo to others. I truly appreciate it.
Paul ,The whole purpose of your teaching is to power the swing with the hip rotation .So if you want maximum distance and therefore drive hard the hips to achieve that ,you must play “catch up ” with the upper torso (I didn’t say the arms ) and drive it faster also !
It is a spring-like effect. Uncoil the lower and the upper would not stay coiled forever. If the upper body has to uncoil why would you think about uncoiling it?
Thank you Paul for this tip…. I think I am driving my lower body too hard-fast!!! so I push my shots always to the right… I will slow down.
I have another sensation: there is a few time that I hit my ball so perfect and flush that it goes high and dead straight. The sensation is my club face was “SLAPPING” at the ball and turn it over to position 2….
Anyway, I am also working on my timing issue. I don’t know the drill after the hip turn 45 degrees, what do I do with my shoulders and arms? Thanks.
Thanks Paul
Been working on alignment and speed of lower body this tip has answered ALL the questions to the issues I am trying to overcome. Now back to work.
Paul,
I’m new to Ignition Golf as of six months ago. In that time you cured a 40-year-old slice with my driver. I couldn’t be happier! Unfortunately, my irons are suffering and they used to be my strong point. Could you please direct me to one of your videos that will help me correct the dreadful curse of striking the ground behind the ball when using my irons?
Thanks
Typically when the irons are bad and woods are good the person is too tiled with iron and trying to hit down. Hitting behind the ball is too much weight on the back foot at impact.
I’m still working on all the stuff trying to get it all together ( nothing falling thru the cracks ). I’m fairly happy with my play. Hugh improvement chipping and putting using your methods. I’m still hitting a fade. Today at the range I decided to set up with my club face severely closed . I’m thinking huge hook. I hit a huge slice. So I set up with the face severely open and hit a huge draw. What does that say about my swing?
I thought I understood the roll over drill,but was unable to hook the ball. After seeing and doing the stick drill I finally get it. I will say, making good contact with the ball while doing the drill is not the easiest thing to do.
Glad you get it. Keep in mind this is a drill to create hook spin. You are not trying to hit great shots. Keep doing it until you are good at rolling and can easily hook it.
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32 Responses to “Advanced – Driving Hips Check”
October 29, 2013
DeborahAhrnsHi Paul. Excellent tip. Thank you for breaking everything down step by step. Wanted to share with you all of my golf team now have and use alignment sticks and it took a few times but in the last month of practice sessions I did not have to remind them about how to set up their station on the range. Also with chipping on the practice green I take a shag tube that has 23 balls and I have one golfer who now with chipping will chip all 23 balls on then putt them out and out of 10 sessions her average total putts is 27 So some she chips in and the rest putts out so that is a great one putt % she uses your chipping club selection. We just have a mix of color balls in tube and white one are 1 to 1 ratio yellow 1 to 2 and so on and she changes clubs and holes depending on ball color. Great tip and put to good use with my High School golf team. Thank you. FYI the team finished 11-3 on the season and 2nd at Sectionals. Not bad for a team with two seniors and 7 freshman. I will come to your golf school soon.
Make a good day.
Coach Ahrns
October 31, 2013
Paul WilsonDeborah,
Glad you liked it. Thanks.
This is great news. They are learning important habits that will last a lifetime.
I like the chipping with colored balls. That’s a great idea.
Wow. That’s a great season for the team you have. Imagine where they will be next year.
October 30, 2013
DucVuPaul,
I was at the driving range this afternoon and was actually wondering if I was driving my hips too much. I was pushing some to the right but thought it was b/c I wasn’t squaring the club at impact. When I slowed things down, the ball went straighter and I also felt more in control during the swing. Having said that, when using a iron, how can I tell I’m firing too fast versus not squaring the club face at impact?
Duc
October 31, 2013
Paul WilsonDuc,
The same way. You only have one swing. All rules apply to all clubs. Now, if you want more power you need to manually roll the wrists and get it hooking. Once you can do this consistently you then start driving the hips harder. In doing so the ball will straighten out without blowing it way right. So keep working on rolling it so you can take it up a notch in the future
December 4, 2015
RegLakeHi Paul ,
I too push some shots right. I think it’s because I’ve not mastered rolling the wrist. I don’t think I push my Hips fast enough yet for it to be my hips.
As you have so many good tips, you can get a bit lost on what to work on first. Do you think it’s best to work on driving the hips first and master that, then move onto rolling the hips?
December 5, 2015
Paul WilsonReg,
How could you have missed this tip:
Golf Swing Timing For More Distance: https://ignitiongolf.com/timing-more-distance/
Work on the wrists first then the hips. This way it saves you a step.
October 30, 2013
JohnFraserPaul,
I think that I have got my swing to follow your pattern. I seem to be able to drive my hips to power my shot. My concern is that I am not achieving much club head speed for those shots. I swing my driver at a 78 to 85 MPH and my Irons at between 65 and 74 MPH.
These speeds are reflected in the distance the shot travels. What should I be doing to achieve greater club head speed and therefore more distance
October 31, 2013
Paul WilsonJohn,
You need to be turning way faster and keeping the wrists way looser.
In a golf swing you have mass swinging around an axis. How do you get mass to swing faster? ANSWER: You turn the axis faster. You do nothing with the mass. Your body rotation is powering the swing. Your body turn faster by driving the legs and hips faster. If you ave hit with the arms all of your golfing life you are not good at using your legs and hips. So you need to be constantly and consistently working on driving them harder. You do this nightly with these drills:
DRILL: Swing Off Ground: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-swing-off-ground
DRILL: Listen to Club Swinging: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-listen-to-club
Drill: Swing Off Ground Variation: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-variation-favorite-drill/
Drill: My Favorite Drill
October 30, 2013
richmosneyokay paul here is my dilemma..i am probably the only hacker u know,who even when he uses his hips/legs to start the downswing,the head rather than tilting right-as u suggest-sways left,and sometimes,causes loss of balance,is this because the hands/arms are not pwerless,but rather exerting too much control.or is it something else,and what would u reccommend 2 stay on the ball,or in back of it???
October 31, 2013
Paul WilsonRich,
This would be because you are shifting your weight too soon to the left leg. If you shift right away of course you will be leaning left on the downswing.
I recommend a more gradual weight shift. You can find it here:
Weight Distribution: https://ignitiongolf.com/weight-distribution
October 31, 2013
PaulSacchettiHi Paul,
Good tip to gage if the proper hip motion is applied. I’m doing pretty well and I can consistantely get the tight feeling at the top be restricting my hip turn. Now what’s the trick to eleminate the tension on the way down? I’m all wound up and now I got to become loose? Easier said than done. Suggestions?
October 31, 2013
Paul WilsonPaul,
You are eliminating tension on the way down by uncoiling. You coil (tight) you uncoil the other way. If you are tight in your arms YOU are trying to hit. You need to be thinking about uncoiling. Hit easier shots to get the arms out of the swing then speed up ONLY the lower body to hit it farther.
October 31, 2013
EdwardLindwallPaul I have been playing to a 7 h for about 2 years I started your system this past summer and have seen a vast improvement in my ball striking consistence while employing your methods I just a little confused I’m trying to drive my hips faster to improve club head speed which by has caused a jump of about 7mph this year but I have also have had a lot of fades or pushes I was a draw player but have turned into a fader. In your video it sounds if you drive your hips to much you will push as your spine tilts to much. So is there a happy medium to gaining faster hips and not pushing the ball or I’m I missing something. On another note I’m trying to arrange a weekend to come out and take full days lesson or would weekday be better
Thanks for improving my game
Thom
October 31, 2013
Paul WilsonThom,
If you want to increase your power by turning your hips faster you have to understand that when you do so the face will come through open with your current release. This is because you body rotation is now ahead of where it normally is. The more the body is ahead the more the face will be held open. To combat this, you do my roll over drill and get it hooking first. Once you are consistently hooking it (30 yards left or so) you then attempt to drive the lower body faster to gain more power and straighten it back out. As you do, watch your ball. If it still goes left you need to start the body faster so it gets ahead of the club coming down. If you blow it right you have not hooked enough shots.
You can find the roll over drill here:
Manually Square the Clubface: https://ignitiongolf.com/impact-squaring-clubface
Manually Square the Clubface (Follow Up): https://ignitiongolf.com/impact-squaring-face-follow-up
Lessons
For lessons it is really up to your schedule. Both weekdays and weekends are good. I guess if you can do a weekday that would help out others who can only come on weekends.
October 31, 2013
GeraldJoyceHi Paul,
I have reached a great level of pure striking the ball on the range. Each day I hit 5 balls with every club in my bag. If I miss a
dead straight shot during my 5 shots I rake in 5 more and do over. Each time I change clubs I look for a ten to fifteen increase in distance. This works through all my irons my three rescue cLubs 5,4,3 iron replacements and then as I move to the five wood the strike is fine but no increase in distance? The same for my three wood and worst of all the same for my driver?
So I am stuck at 190-200 yards not enough to reach our par four greens. Too much pressure on my short game so lots of high 80’s no improvement on score last five games?
Can you help?
Gerald joyce
(JJ)
October 31, 2013
Paul WilsonGerald,
There could be many reasons for this:
1. Maybe the shaft is too weak or cracked or loose.
2. Maybe the club is too short.
3. Maybe you are hitting it on the wrong launch angle thus putting too much spin on it.
4. Maybe you are trying to this club too hard because it is a wood. The harder you hit, the tighter your wrists, slower the club will swing.
5. Maybe you are chicken winging this club a little more due hitting harder or the length of the club (see #3 above).
6. Maybe you think you are hitting this club but really you are not.
7. Maybe you have a mental block when hitting this club.
There are many things you can be doing wrong. Go through the list and narrow it down. If your 3 wood is going the right distance then it it this 5 iron. If so, get rid of it.
November 1, 2013
RALPHBARBIERIHi Paul,
Great tip. The golf pro that I have been working with said my hips are moving forward in the down swing can you tell me what I should be doing to fix this? What this will do to the ball flight? He has me setup with a chair against my butt and I am to keep it there through the down swing is this the correct drill I should be doing?
Thanks for all your help,
Ralph
November 1, 2013
Paul WilsonRalph,
Glad you liked the tip. Thanks for the feedback.
If your hips are moving ahead of the ball you are sliding. You need to be turning. I did a tip on this here:
Slide: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-slide
By turning more you will gain power, possibly lower the fight and stop pushing and push fading it. I used to slide many years ago. Glad I got rid of it.
How To Cure Pushes and Push Fades: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-pushes-push-fades/
November 7, 2013
geraldkoenningI am 72 have lost a lot of flexibility. I use to be a low handicap golfer but was losing distance and getting frustrated. I bought Martin Chucks tapes (not putting him down it is me not him) but putting my weight on left leg, not turning my wrists, keeping my head still and shoulder turn more up and down instead of 90 degree turn I was push fading and was hitting my drives about 180 yards (use to him them 300 yards) was scoring over 100 on the course.
I have practiced every day for hours and yesterday I shot 42 on the front and 35 on the back nine and could have been better except I live in Chicago and the leaves and stems were all over the greens so I missed a lot of 10-15 foot putts. I was ready to quit golf 18 handicaps players were kicking my butt. Yesterday they could not believe the difference they said I was like a new golfer. I am now hitting 6 irons farther than I was hitting my driver. I am doing hrs of your stretching and trying to apply the mental aspect also. I feel so much more relaxed as I was hitting at the ball as hard as I could instead of point b not being the ball. Love golf again and cannot wait till next year. Will keep doing inside drills and exercise. Thanks for all your tips, they are great and will tell all my friends.
November 8, 2013
Paul WilsonGerald,
Thank you for the feedback. I love hearing it.
Now you are on track. My new line is: You don’t have to be strong to be loose!
My other line is: The looser something is the faster it will swing.
When you stop the hand action you now are basing your swing on how strong you are. So why can a little kid or petite person hit the ball 280+? If they can, it means there is a different way to swing a golf club. This “way” have you turning your body and keeping your arms turned off so your wrists are loose. Loose wrists means faster clubhead speed. It also means more consistency because you are not manipulating the clubface.
Keep at it. Thank you for your promo to others. I truly appreciate it.
October 18, 2014
RaymondCHASTELPaul ,The whole purpose of your teaching is to power the swing with the hip rotation .So if you want maximum distance and therefore drive hard the hips to achieve that ,you must play “catch up ” with the upper torso (I didn’t say the arms ) and drive it faster also !
October 19, 2014
Paul WilsonRaymond,
It is a spring-like effect. Uncoil the lower and the upper would not stay coiled forever. If the upper body has to uncoil why would you think about uncoiling it?
July 7, 2018
RayLiuThank you Paul for this tip…. I think I am driving my lower body too hard-fast!!! so I push my shots always to the right… I will slow down.
I have another sensation: there is a few time that I hit my ball so perfect and flush that it goes high and dead straight. The sensation is my club face was “SLAPPING” at the ball and turn it over to position 2….
Anyway, I am also working on my timing issue. I don’t know the drill after the hip turn 45 degrees, what do I do with my shoulders and arms? Thanks.
Ray
July 8, 2018
Paul WilsonRay,
Driving the hips hard and fast is good but you need to do this first:
DRILL: Golf Swing Timing For More Distance: https://ignitiongolf.com/timing-more-distance/
There might be a better feeling than slapping found in these tips:
Snap Part 1 – Lower Body: https://ignitiongolf.com/snap-snap-part-1/
Snap Part 2 – Wrists: https://ignitiongolf.com/snap-snap-part-2/
Snap Part 3 – Putting It Together: https://ignitiongolf.com/snap-part-3/
I think I answered the question in these tips.
July 13, 2018
BarryDykesThanks Paul
Been working on alignment and speed of lower body this tip has answered ALL the questions to the issues I am trying to overcome. Now back to work.
July 15, 2018
Paul WilsonBarry,
Very good. This is a big part of knowing how fast to drive the lower body.
July 14, 2018
Paul SMarkertPaul,
I’m new to Ignition Golf as of six months ago. In that time you cured a 40-year-old slice with my driver. I couldn’t be happier! Unfortunately, my irons are suffering and they used to be my strong point. Could you please direct me to one of your videos that will help me correct the dreadful curse of striking the ground behind the ball when using my irons?
Thanks
July 15, 2018
Paul WilsonPaul,
This is easy to fix.
Typically when the irons are bad and woods are good the person is too tiled with iron and trying to hit down. Hitting behind the ball is too much weight on the back foot at impact.
Good Woods Bad Irons: https://ignitiongolf.com/good-woods-bad-irons/
Fat: https://ignitiongolf.com/fat-shots-cure/
July 14, 2018
NormanKlineI’m still working on all the stuff trying to get it all together ( nothing falling thru the cracks ). I’m fairly happy with my play. Hugh improvement chipping and putting using your methods. I’m still hitting a fade. Today at the range I decided to set up with my club face severely closed . I’m thinking huge hook. I hit a huge slice. So I set up with the face severely open and hit a huge draw. What does that say about my swing?
Thanks Norm
July 15, 2018
Paul WilsonNorm,
Your wrists are too tight and you are hitting.
Just do the roll over drill. This should take 5 mins. I have had people master this in 4 repetitions.
Slow down and roll it from the top:
DRILL: 3 Ways To Roll It Over: https://ignitiongolf.com/3-ways-to-roll/
Roll Around The Stick: https://ignitiongolf.com/roll-around-stick/
Clarifying the Roll Over Drill: https://ignitiongolf.com/clarifying-roll-drill/
Please Learn How to Hook It: https://ignitiongolf.com/please-learn-hook/
Do it at the range and at home. You do not need to hit balls to master this.
July 16, 2018
NormanKlinePaul,
I thought I understood the roll over drill,but was unable to hook the ball. After seeing and doing the stick drill I finally get it. I will say, making good contact with the ball while doing the drill is not the easiest thing to do.
Thanks
Norm
July 16, 2018
Paul WilsonNorm,
Glad you get it. Keep in mind this is a drill to create hook spin. You are not trying to hit great shots. Keep doing it until you are good at rolling and can easily hook it.