Hi Paul…I’m with those that have problems with completing the rotation of the hip turn. Specifically, I seem to be able to initiate a rotating hip turn, but then the hips stop rotating and I push the ball to the right. When I check my position my legs haven’t touched and I wonder why I can get my right leg to complete the circular rotation. I watch your swing and there seems to be a pronounced pitot/rotation on the ball of the right foot to the left. I’ve had some success with this and when I dont’ complete the pivot/rotation on the ball of the right foot, my right hip tends to come forward towards the ball instead of rotating and I push the ball to the right. Am I on the right tract and what drill do you recommend to help reinforce and ingrain the complete the hip rotation, especially with the back leg. Thanks
What I am discovering is that it’s often difficult for me to maintain stability when I try to swing hard. I either sway, leaving the club face open, or I fail to get my weight shifted fully to my forward leg, causing me to compensate with my arms, producing a pull or pull slice. When I slow the swing down, I get much better results, but I lose a lot of power. Is the fix to strengthen the legs and core? I’m 6’1″ tall, so I have my height working against me in terms of staying solidly over the ball. What’s your recommendation, Paul? Thanks.
You need to be doing constant practice swings up in the air developing the speed and doing these swings in perfect balance. If you can’t go faster in practice swings, you can’t do it with the ball. So every night take out your driver and do the swings in the air. Build it up. Watch:
Thanks, Paul. Excellent advice. I watched all three tips and immediately started practicing them at home with a spare driver in front of the TV while watching the final round of the Dell Technologies Championship.
(I see progress already. Pretty confident I’m swinging harder than the pros, when they’re putting. My long-term goal is to swing even faster than they chip. I think I can, I think I can, I KNOW I can!)
Thanks for your advices. They helped me a lot to improve my swing and distance since I started to follow you last spring. I have taken down the line videos of my practise and real swing (with a ball). The practise swing starts looking pretty good actually. I have noticed that I still keep coming a bit steeper to the ball and my right heel is less off the ground … I am not any more flat footed when coming to the ball but my body is less turned to the target compared to what it is when doing the practice swing. I know you keep saying to do 3 practise swing before making a real swing. Should I just keep doing that or is there any other magic tricks to teach the brains to master the real swing as well as the practise swing.
You should be doing 3 practice swings 1 ball when at the range working on your swing. When you play 2 practice swings are fine.
Glad you are starting to get it. Sounds like you are close.
So if I saw my right heel still a little flat I would ne doing nightly practice swings over and over until it was fixed. This means you need to fire the lower body harder than you currently are. So every night you go into the backyard and do practice swings. I would be doing them up in the air:
You need to do this so many times that this is the power source in your swing. If you go to play right now and can’t do it you are still hitting. So you need to do this more and more. Like I said, every night over and over until you know for a fact you are powering it with your legs and hips.
Paul,
Great tip as usual! As helpful to me as touch legs and touch head. But I find when I am looking at the back of the ball or looking at the ball before swinging it makes me want to hit the ball and my arms get involved. Any tips on what I could do to prevent this and still maintain looking at the ball? Thanks.
You just have to swing easy. If it mind boggling that people cannot hit easy shots. Just try it. You are hitting easy shots to get used to not hitting. You get used the to the new feeling then realize you are going to hit it even longer than before once you make the switch to legs and hips.
If you do not have this thinking your thinking is to always hit and hit hard. Or hit your best shots. This is NOT how it works. Just because you hit a few good shots doesn’t mean you have it. This is luck. You need to do hit great shots the majority of times. Then you truly have it. As you know, this takes work and practice but it also take the right thoughts. So quit trying trying to hit your best shots for a while until you get the feeling of not using them. This might take a week, month whatever. I need you do keep doing it. Then once you know this feeling you will drive the lower hard for more power. Once you do that you will hit it longer and better than ever with what feels like no effort.
During my many years of playing I used to do all sorts of things to “find” my swing when I thought it left me. To take my hands out of the shot I used to swing feeling the ends of my arms just before the wrists. This, of course, was when I had real bad knees and just used an arm swing. Another thing I did was after taking the club to the top of the swing with the driver I used to just let my arms and the club gravity fall as I swung. This used whatever semblance of a body turn I could muster with bad knees and the ball went straight, just only about 200 yards. I had learned how to turn my arms off before I met Paul. Just another way of thinking about it.
Interesting thought. I am open to anything that might help people get the feeling of not hitting. Gravity is an okay thought but I find that the person just lets it drop with no minimal body rotation. Maybe it’s gravity at the moment you start down then focusing on the lower body. In your case with bad knees you would think hips instead. Again, if it gets someone to stop hitting I am fine with it.
Remember the Chubby Checkers hit “Twist and Shout!” At the top of the backswing, think, “Twist and swing!” For encouragement, repeat, “Come on and work it on out! You twist so fine!” If you’re swaying, sing, “Come on and twist a little tighter now!” And as you get better and want more power, introduce the line, “Come on and twist a little faster now!” It’s all in the twist…and the wrist. Once you’ve put together the whole package, ooh, baby, you’ll look so fine.
I have been trying the baseball swing and it works well but it seems to be a “whole body” move meaning that the hands seem to get involved as soon as the swing is triggered. I would imagine that any pull on the arms would engage the hands so it seems that there needs to be more focus to ensure that the release is a free and effortless motion. Maybe doing the baseball swing but mindfully making sure the release is accomplished. It’s like when many instructors talk about making the “swoosh” of the club on the target side of the lead leg. Many will say this is hanging on but I think it’s easier to do if you have turned and kissed the knees.
Paul – Maybe you can use this: It made things crystal clear to me when I heard it. David Ferehty was interviewing Paul Azinger when David said that there must be 10,000 things to keep in mind when swinging the club. Zinger replied, “No, there’s just three. It’s turn, turn, swish. Not turn, swish, turn.”
Yes, keeping it simple is critical. Those are good thoughts. Turn first then swish (I’ll add ending up in the follow though so you do exactly the same swing each time).
Paul ,I reviewed today this excellent video lesson .Looking at you swinging with your head steady and the hips rotating reminded me of what my dental surgeon told me :”YOUR BODY IS SUSPENDED FROM YOUR JAWS “.
PAUL RUNYAN mentioned the top of the SPINE being your “SUSPENSION POINT .”
In this video you demonstrate this beautifully :your hips turn around your SUSPENSION AXIS .
Paul, do you have any tips about starting the downswing slowly with the hips? I do not come over the top, but I seem to turn on the lower body too quickly and the club gets stuck behind me. So I am trying to slow down the beginning of the downswing and flash a bit later. Does this make sense?
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27 Responses to “From The Very Top”
September 2, 2018
AndyCohenI notice especially with irons that I also have to think and act coming inside when I’m doing.. back to the ball…Do you agree??
If I dont I dont hit the ball as consistently square.
September 2, 2018
wkalaidjianHi Paul…I’m with those that have problems with completing the rotation of the hip turn. Specifically, I seem to be able to initiate a rotating hip turn, but then the hips stop rotating and I push the ball to the right. When I check my position my legs haven’t touched and I wonder why I can get my right leg to complete the circular rotation. I watch your swing and there seems to be a pronounced pitot/rotation on the ball of the right foot to the left. I’ve had some success with this and when I dont’ complete the pivot/rotation on the ball of the right foot, my right hip tends to come forward towards the ball instead of rotating and I push the ball to the right. Am I on the right tract and what drill do you recommend to help reinforce and ingrain the complete the hip rotation, especially with the back leg. Thanks
September 2, 2018
WillCooperWhat I am discovering is that it’s often difficult for me to maintain stability when I try to swing hard. I either sway, leaving the club face open, or I fail to get my weight shifted fully to my forward leg, causing me to compensate with my arms, producing a pull or pull slice. When I slow the swing down, I get much better results, but I lose a lot of power. Is the fix to strengthen the legs and core? I’m 6’1″ tall, so I have my height working against me in terms of staying solidly over the ball. What’s your recommendation, Paul? Thanks.
September 3, 2018
Paul WilsonWill,
You need to be doing constant practice swings up in the air developing the speed and doing these swings in perfect balance. If you can’t go faster in practice swings, you can’t do it with the ball. So every night take out your driver and do the swings in the air. Build it up. Watch:
Up In The Air Drills – Maintaining Balance: https://ignitiongolf.com/air-drills-maintaining-balance/
DRILL: How To Really Increase Power: https://ignitiongolf.com/how-to-really-increase-power/
Listen to Club Swinging: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-listen-to-club
September 3, 2018
WillCooperThanks, Paul. Excellent advice. I watched all three tips and immediately started practicing them at home with a spare driver in front of the TV while watching the final round of the Dell Technologies Championship.
(I see progress already. Pretty confident I’m swinging harder than the pros, when they’re putting. My long-term goal is to swing even faster than they chip. I think I can, I think I can, I KNOW I can!)
September 4, 2018
Paul WilsonWill,
I love at home practice. This is a great way to work on it.
You can do it. Work on it daily.
September 2, 2018
RaymondCHASTELIf you practise regularly with MIKE BAUMAN’s ULTIMATE SWING TRAINER rubber bands you’ll soon get the lower body rotation first ingrained
September 3, 2018
Paul WilsonRaymond,
Yes, you can use that too. I have mine on the door and I regularly use it.
September 2, 2018
MichaelJansenI can do this drill more easily and more consistently if I make a full shoulder rotation and better still if I hesitate briefly at the top.
However if I make only a 3/4 shoulder turn it seems like my timing is off and I am back hitting with my arms.
Am I understanding this correctly?
Thanks… Mike J.
September 3, 2018
Paul WilsonMike,
This is not for 3/4 swings. Go to the top then do it. This is when you start down so go all the way to the top.
September 2, 2018
RichardJesterPaul what flex driver shaft you? I have the M4 with x-fex shaft. I am 60 and still hit the good.
September 3, 2018
Paul WilsonRichard,
I use an Accra FX300 X flex. If you have the speed X is fine. Harder to hit it left this way.
September 3, 2018
JariAnttonenHi Paul,
Thanks for your advices. They helped me a lot to improve my swing and distance since I started to follow you last spring. I have taken down the line videos of my practise and real swing (with a ball). The practise swing starts looking pretty good actually. I have noticed that I still keep coming a bit steeper to the ball and my right heel is less off the ground … I am not any more flat footed when coming to the ball but my body is less turned to the target compared to what it is when doing the practice swing. I know you keep saying to do 3 practise swing before making a real swing. Should I just keep doing that or is there any other magic tricks to teach the brains to master the real swing as well as the practise swing.
September 4, 2018
Paul WilsonJari,
You should be doing 3 practice swings 1 ball when at the range working on your swing. When you play 2 practice swings are fine.
Glad you are starting to get it. Sounds like you are close.
So if I saw my right heel still a little flat I would ne doing nightly practice swings over and over until it was fixed. This means you need to fire the lower body harder than you currently are. So every night you go into the backyard and do practice swings. I would be doing them up in the air:
Up In The Air Drills – Speed: https://ignitiongolf.com/air-drills-speed/
Up In The Air Drills – Separation: https://ignitiongolf.com/air-drills-separation/
A you do them think of the hips turning and heel lifting. Then memorize that feeling.
I would also be swinging up at it slightly to stop the over the top steepness in the downswing.
Watch:
DRILL: Stop Coming Over The Top: https://ignitiongolf.com/stop-coming-over-the-top/
Drill: Swing Up with Driver: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-swing-up-driver/
You need to do this so many times that this is the power source in your swing. If you go to play right now and can’t do it you are still hitting. So you need to do this more and more. Like I said, every night over and over until you know for a fact you are powering it with your legs and hips.
It’s An Unmistakable Feeling In Your Legs: https://ignitiongolf.com/unmistakable-feeling-legs/
Also, watch the back of the ball as you make the move. This will keep you behind it too.
September 6, 2018
MarkCosenzaPaul,
Great tip as usual! As helpful to me as touch legs and touch head. But I find when I am looking at the back of the ball or looking at the ball before swinging it makes me want to hit the ball and my arms get involved. Any tips on what I could do to prevent this and still maintain looking at the ball? Thanks.
Mark
September 6, 2018
Paul WilsonMark,
You just have to swing easy. If it mind boggling that people cannot hit easy shots. Just try it. You are hitting easy shots to get used to not hitting. You get used the to the new feeling then realize you are going to hit it even longer than before once you make the switch to legs and hips.
If you do not have this thinking your thinking is to always hit and hit hard. Or hit your best shots. This is NOT how it works. Just because you hit a few good shots doesn’t mean you have it. This is luck. You need to do hit great shots the majority of times. Then you truly have it. As you know, this takes work and practice but it also take the right thoughts. So quit trying trying to hit your best shots for a while until you get the feeling of not using them. This might take a week, month whatever. I need you do keep doing it. Then once you know this feeling you will drive the lower hard for more power. Once you do that you will hit it longer and better than ever with what feels like no effort.
Watch:
It Is Luck: https://ignitiongolf.com/bad-swings-luck/
Taking Out Your Frustrations: https://ignitiongolf.com/taking-out-frustrations/
DRILL: This Is The Best Drill You Should Be Doing Right Now: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-three-quarter-distance/
September 13, 2018
JimBenjaminDuring my many years of playing I used to do all sorts of things to “find” my swing when I thought it left me. To take my hands out of the shot I used to swing feeling the ends of my arms just before the wrists. This, of course, was when I had real bad knees and just used an arm swing. Another thing I did was after taking the club to the top of the swing with the driver I used to just let my arms and the club gravity fall as I swung. This used whatever semblance of a body turn I could muster with bad knees and the ball went straight, just only about 200 yards. I had learned how to turn my arms off before I met Paul. Just another way of thinking about it.
September 16, 2018
Paul WilsonJim,
Interesting thought. I am open to anything that might help people get the feeling of not hitting. Gravity is an okay thought but I find that the person just lets it drop with no minimal body rotation. Maybe it’s gravity at the moment you start down then focusing on the lower body. In your case with bad knees you would think hips instead. Again, if it gets someone to stop hitting I am fine with it.
September 16, 2018
WillCooperRemember the Chubby Checkers hit “Twist and Shout!” At the top of the backswing, think, “Twist and swing!” For encouragement, repeat, “Come on and work it on out! You twist so fine!” If you’re swaying, sing, “Come on and twist a little tighter now!” And as you get better and want more power, introduce the line, “Come on and twist a little faster now!” It’s all in the twist…and the wrist. Once you’ve put together the whole package, ooh, baby, you’ll look so fine.
September 16, 2018
WillCooperThe Beatles, actually. Chubby’s was “The Twist”. “C’mon, baby, do the twist!”
September 19, 2018
Paul WilsonWill,
That’s perfect and memorable.
September 19, 2018
JimBenjaminPaul,
I have been trying the baseball swing and it works well but it seems to be a “whole body” move meaning that the hands seem to get involved as soon as the swing is triggered. I would imagine that any pull on the arms would engage the hands so it seems that there needs to be more focus to ensure that the release is a free and effortless motion. Maybe doing the baseball swing but mindfully making sure the release is accomplished. It’s like when many instructors talk about making the “swoosh” of the club on the target side of the lead leg. Many will say this is hanging on but I think it’s easier to do if you have turned and kissed the knees.
Jim
October 11, 2018
RonnCampbellPaul – Maybe you can use this: It made things crystal clear to me when I heard it. David Ferehty was interviewing Paul Azinger when David said that there must be 10,000 things to keep in mind when swinging the club. Zinger replied, “No, there’s just three. It’s turn, turn, swish. Not turn, swish, turn.”
I immediately thought of you.
Ronn Campbell
October 11, 2018
Paul WilsonRonn,
Yes, keeping it simple is critical. Those are good thoughts. Turn first then swish (I’ll add ending up in the follow though so you do exactly the same swing each time).
Thanks,
May 4, 2019
RaymondCHASTELPaul ,I reviewed today this excellent video lesson .Looking at you swinging with your head steady and the hips rotating reminded me of what my dental surgeon told me :”YOUR BODY IS SUSPENDED FROM YOUR JAWS “.
PAUL RUNYAN mentioned the top of the SPINE being your “SUSPENSION POINT .”
In this video you demonstrate this beautifully :your hips turn around your SUSPENSION AXIS .
May 30, 2019
mikeschickPaul, do you have any tips about starting the downswing slowly with the hips? I do not come over the top, but I seem to turn on the lower body too quickly and the club gets stuck behind me. So I am trying to slow down the beginning of the downswing and flash a bit later. Does this make sense?
June 4, 2019
Paul WilsonMike,
You need to watch this ASAP:
DRILL: Golf Swing Timing For More Distance: https://ignitiongolf.com/timing-more-distance/
Driving Hips Harder But Hook It First: https://ignitiongolf.com/driving-hips-hook-first/