Hip Turn in the Backswing...It's a Game Changer!

When I first learned golf as a teenager, I was taught to restrict my hip turn in my backswing. Even though I now know that's terrible advice, I did it for so long that I struggled quite a bit with turning my hips properly (or even at all) in the backswing. It felt so natural for me to not turn my hips that turning them just felt weird and threw me off completely. I had resolved to simply try to play my best without turning my hips, since everything I tried just made me hit the ball much worse.

Recently, however, that all changed. I came across a tip that said to allow the left knee to come forward a bit on the backswing, towards the ball. When I did this just standing up without a club in my hand, the first thing I noticed was that when I got my left knee to bend forward, my right leg immediately straightened, and I felt my right rear pocket move backwards (deeper, as Monte likes to put it). In other words, my hips actually turned! When I started hitting balls with that thought, it was a major breakthrough for me. It got my arms, shoulders, and the clubhead in a much better position going back. When I start my downswing, I feel the "squat" everyone talks about that I had never felt before. I even feel my pelvis going backwards a little bit, which was something I'd read about with Monte's "Zipper Away" drill, but had never been able to come close to replicating when I was restricting my hip turn. It just happened naturally, without me having to think about it. I always struggled with pulls and leftward shots, but since I've incorporated hip turn in my backswing, I've been hitting the ball dead straight, or even a slight push (and I never used to push anything before).

TL;DR

If you struggle with hip turn, try feeling that your left knee bends slightly and goes out towards the ball on the backswing, which will cause your right leg to straighten, and get your right back pocket deeper. If you get it right, you'll hopefully find an amazing chain reaction of good things happens on the downswing and into impact.

Now I know why Monte looks at all these swings and says, "you need to get the right hip deeper." Mr. Scheinblum is an absolute golf guru who speaks the truth!

Monte gave me an easy thought and test for proper hip turn in the backswing. Move the right hip belt loop behind the right foot, and then check to make sure you can lift both your left heel and right toe up in the air simultaneously at the top of your backswing. I use that as a check on the range before every shot. It has definitely helped.

Monte gave me an easy thought and test for proper hip turn in the backswing. Move the right hip belt loop behind the right foot, and then check to make sure you can lift both your left heel and right toe up in the air simultaneously at the top of your backswing. I use that as a check on the range before every shot. It has definitely helped.

I'm sure there are dozens of ideas or "feels" that will get the hips turning more properly in the backswing; it just depends on which one clicks for you. A great coach like Monte I'm sure will have several at his disposal. But what you said about lifting the left heel and raising the right toe is a great checkpoint. Before I started turning my hips, I never felt any inclination to lift my left heel on the backswing and I always wondered why Jack and the old school golfers always did it. Now, I totally get it! It tends to happen naturally the more you turn your hips.

I had an epiphany a while back with this and it was mostly due to my own ignorance on how the body moves: I never really know how to “turn the hips”. I always thought of turning the hips and turning the chest as the same concept, but with the “hips” it’s important to load the right glute in the backswing. You have to turn into the right hip, not really “turn the hips” although the pelvis does move and the right leg loses flex.

To turn into the right hip, it feels like I’m moving the zipper into my right front pocket. It also feels like it’s the rotation of my chest that is causing the hips to turn as opposed me forcing it to happen.

Starts at 3:20

Who's the idiot who told you to restrict your hip turn? It's anatomically damaging, not only to the lower spine but the leading knee and ankle, and even the leading hip.

Who's driveling all this nonsense? I've always turned my hips on my backswing, because its how the human body is built to move. If you restrict your hip turn, you not only lose 30 yards or more, you hurt yourself doing so. Of course, when people realize they're losing power, they swing harder and harder trying to make up lost speed, so they end up tearing up their body when it shouldn't be that way if you were just to move the body correctly.

I'm glad you found this out, most people destroy themselves before they ever come to this realization, if they ever realize it at all (Tiger Woods, Jason Day, etc.)

I also think that if you have a more natural setup position, with the relaxed upper spine and an erect posture, not leaning downward so much you can't turn, or having a ramrod straight back, that you'll certainly find more power and accuracy.

It's just proper golf swing mechanics, not the bull most modern swing teachers are spewing. You can't reinvent either the human body or physics.

If Monte S. is saying to turn your hips on the backswing, I'd have to respect the man. I've heard some of his stuff, him being a former long drive champion and whatnot, and most long drive competitors need health as much they do long drives, so they tend to swing properly, because swinging that hard, with around 150 mph speed on the clubhead, something's bound to go if you're not swinging correctly. I respect Monte for his wisdom.

I used to have a swing speed radar, not the most accurate device out there but doesn't give varying results. I could get that thing up to 124 on average mph, but not with a planted heel swing. I had to lift my leading heel, turn my hips, swing as hard as I could, and in general have proper mechanics otherwise I'd hurt myself. I don't know if I was really swinging 124 mph, it certainly felt like I was, since I was hitting the ball dead straight the toe end of the club was moving around the same the heel, so the radar would take the toe end of the club and read the speed of that, and so it seems about accurate. All I know was the ball coming off the clubface was dead pure, dead straight, and going around 300 in the air. Now I've dialed down my swing to an easy 104 mph, really don't know why. I'm just afraid to break my driver face if I swing that hard is all lol. But really, I need to swing way harder if I'm to increase my length, and that requires more turning of the hips on the backswing, and a heel lift.

Learn to swing properly from the guys of old, back in the 50's and 60's, maybe even the 30's like Tommy Armour or Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan (The real Hogan, not the one people like to talk about post-accident, I'm talking pre-accident when his hips weren't messed up), and maybe even Jack Nicklaus. Learn to swing like these guys, and your swing will be fine.

preached by Toski, Flick, Nicklaus, Snead, Wieskopf, any of the old school ballers. listen and save your back too

Monte gave me an easy thought and test for proper hip turn in the backswing. Move the right hip belt loop behind the right foot, and then check to make sure you can lift both your left heel and right toe up in the air simultaneously at the top of your backswing. I use that as a check on the range before every shot. It has definitely helped.

yup gave me the same drill

Monte gave me an easy thought and test for proper hip turn in the backswing. Move the right hip belt loop behind the right foot, and then check to make sure you can lift both your left heel and right toe up in the air simultaneously at the top of your backswing. I use that as a check on the range before every shot. It has definitely helped.

 

yup gave me the same drill

PepsiDuck, spetzle,

Thanks for sharing this tip. Have had the odd video lesson with Monte and have all his videos but hadn't heard this one. I'm intrigued because for a period last summer I was consciously raising my right toes off the ground at the top of my backswing not just as a drill but also out on the course. It was the first time I have ever felt the kind of pressure in the right heel at the top that everyone talks about. I've always put my inability to feel this pressure down to having a slightly shorter right leg. Raising my right toes really helped me but I started to get self-conscious about it and stopped doing it. Would love to hear Monte's thoughts on this. Was I taking this too far or if it worked should I not worry what it looked like?!

PepsiDuck, spetzle,

 

Thanks for sharing this tip. Have had the odd video lesson with Monte and have all his videos but hadn't heard this one. I'm intrigued because for a period last summer I was consciously raising my right toes off the ground at the top of my backswing not just as a drill but also out on the course. It was the first time I have ever felt the kind of pressure in the right heel at the top that everyone talks about. I've always put my inability to feel this pressure down to having a slightly shorter right leg. Raising my right toes really helped me but I started to get self-conscious about it and stopped doing it. Would love to hear Monte's thoughts on this. Was I taking this too far or if it worked should I not worry what it looked like?!

Lateral balance seemed to be an issue for a few of us a couple weeks ago at the Palm Springs clinic, and it wasn't until I got on the Boditrak pressure thingie that we discovered this issue for me. When your pelvis shifts away from the target (3 o'clock), it must compensate and shift back toward the target prior to impact. The checkpoint of left heel and right toes up ensures that your pelvis has remained "centered" as you turn. Otherwise, it will feel awkward at best, or make you fall over, at worst.

RPB (right pocket back) that Greg Norman advocated is my only swing thought. I had tried to just turn right shoulder back but it was not as helpful. The checkpoint mentioned here from Monte is something I will add as well. Great thread!

I had an epiphany a while back with this and it was mostly due to my own ignorance on how the body moves: I never really know how to turn the hips. I always thought of turning the hips and turning the chest as the same concept, but with the hips its important to load the right glute in the backswing. You have to turn into the right hip, not really turn the hips although the pelvis does move and the right leg loses flex.

 

To turn into the right hip, it feels like Im moving the zipper into my right front pocket. It also feels like its the rotation of my chest that is causing the hips to turn as opposed me forcing it to happen.

 

Starts at 3:20

Nice video man! I watched it and loved the info.

PepsiDuck, spetzle,

 

Thanks for sharing this tip. Have had the odd video lesson with Monte and have all his videos but hadn't heard this one. I'm intrigued because for a period last summer I was consciously raising my right toes off the ground at the top of my backswing not just as a drill but also out on the course. It was the first time I have ever felt the kind of pressure in the right heel at the top that everyone talks about. I've always put my inability to feel this pressure down to having a slightly shorter right leg. Raising my right toes really helped me but I started to get self-conscious about it and stopped doing it. Would love to hear Monte's thoughts on this. Was I taking this too far or if it worked should I not worry what it looked like?!

 

Lateral balance seemed to be an issue for a few of us a couple weeks ago at the Palm Springs clinic, and it wasn't until I got on the Boditrak pressure thingie that we discovered this issue for me. When your pelvis shifts away from the target (3 o'clock), it must compensate and shift back toward the target prior to impact. The checkpoint of left heel and right toes up ensures that your pelvis has remained "centered" as you turn. Otherwise, it will feel awkward at best, or make you fall over, at worst.

I'm signed up for the London clinic later in the year so will be interested to see what Boditrak says.

Tried the drill and it really feels like it could improve weight distribution consistency from swing to swing. Before trying it, I swear my weight could go anywhere on any given swing! Admittedly I'd been focussing on other things. As you said, a great checkpoint!

Monte gave me an easy thought and test for proper hip turn in the backswing. Move the right hip belt loop behind the right foot, and then check to make sure you can lift both your left heel and right toe up in the air simultaneously at the top of your backswing. I use that as a check on the range before every shot. It has definitely helped.

Hm... I tried this and no matter how weird of backswing I tried to do I still was able to lift my left heal and right toe at the same time. Does that mean I'm loading properly?

Monte gave me an easy thought and test for proper hip turn in the backswing. Move the right hip belt loop behind the right foot, and then check to make sure you can lift both your left heel and right toe up in the air simultaneously at the top of your backswing. I use that as a check on the range before every shot. It has definitely helped.

 

Hm... I tried this and no matter how weird of backswing I tried to do I still was able to lift my left heal and right toe at the same time. Does that mean I'm loading properly?

No cause one can turn their hips level and and shift pressure properly. Hips have to also be turned on an inclined angle - trail hip up, lead hip down.

I had an epiphany a while back with this and it was mostly due to my own ignorance on how the body moves: I never really know how to “turn the hips”. I always thought of turning the hips and turning the chest as the same concept, but with the “hips” it’s important to load the right glute in the backswing. You have to turn into the right hip, not really “turn the hips” although the pelvis does move and the right leg loses flex.

 

To turn into the right hip, it feels like I’m moving the zipper into my right front pocket. It also feels like it’s the rotation of my chest that is causing the hips to turn as opposed me forcing it to happen.

 

Starts at 3:20

Nice presentation. (At least, I think it was. I was so distracted by his mish-mash of accents, I almost couldn’t pay attention to what he was saying.)

Isn’t day now the poster boy for NOT turning his hips enough and that’s why he has back problems? Just seems ironic he’s the model for using hips properly

Rotating the right hip back makes room for the reconnection of the right elbow in the proper location on the downswing which opens the hips properly without thinking about it.

Day didn't injure his back because of his golf swing. This has been discussed here many times before. Secondly, turning into the trail hip is a separate conversation from keeping the address flex in the knees.