Getting hips open at impact

[Trout14]

Is this enough? I’m 45 and work really hard on my game. This alignment stick drill seemed to help give me awareness of where my hips are in the swing. Any suggestions or tips appreciated

 

 

 

[gentles]

Why do you want open hips at impact? All else being the same that will shift path left - is that what you're hoping to achieve?

 

Open hips at impact tends to match up with a shallower club and more closed clubface on the way down. Without those things you run the risk of just yanking the hands left with an open face.

 

Take a super strong grip and try hit it with a square face...you will be surprised at how open you can get your hips without even consciously trying!

[Trout14]

Why do you want open hips at impact? All else being the same that will shift path left - is that what you're hoping to achieve?

 

Open hips at impact tends to match up with a shallower club and more closed clubface on the way down. Without those things you run the risk of just yanking the hands left with an open face.

 

Take a super strong grip and try hit it with a square face...you will be surprised at how open you can get your hips without even consciously trying!

[Trout14]

Most great players seem to have hips more open at impact and I’m just trying to improve. . They also tend to flatten the swing plane on downswing. It seems to go Hand and hand with other great swing attributes. The golfer that has open hips most likely has forward shaft lean and consistent contact. That is why I’m trying to get my hips more open at impact.

 

I did see the drill you mentioned above. When you say super strong grip do you also want to close the club face at address and get it back to square at impact?

[chigolfer1]

Thought this would be good food for thought: Malaska - how to get your hips to work

 

[iteachgolf]

Most great players seem to have hips more open at impact and I’m just trying to improve. . They also tend to flatten the swing plane on downswing. It seems to go Hand and hand with other great swing attributes. The golfer that has open hips most likely has forward shaft lean and consistent contact. That is why I’m trying to get my hips more open at impact.

 

I did see the drill you mentioned above. When you say super strong grip do you also want to close the club face at address and get it back to square at impact?

 

You’re working on things in the wrong order. Hips more open would make you worse. Get the club shallowing and the hips will get more open on their own

[Man_O_War]

what does the ball flight tell you when you swing as above?

Swing looks pretty darn good. You are a little off plane on the downswing, makes your follow through a little off and cramped when the club exits your left shoulder, but you shift your weight well without any casting.

Not far off buddy.

[Jay28]

My 2c.

I move my hips move forward (lateral) slightly and then turn them (left hip moves back behind me). I find that the MORE open I am the more powerful and accurate the shot. Not sure it's possible to be too open at impact IF you maintain posture. The more open the better (again - as long as you maintain posture and don't lift)

I'd say try and get even more open so it feels like your hips are already facing the target BEFORE impact.

Here's Rory and Dustin just before impact...weight almost fully on left side and hips WAY open.

 

[MonteScheinblum]

More is not better. See Nicklaus, for example.

Open hips and staying in posture are results of a laundry list of other things.

[MK7Golf21]

standing up and being less open go hand in hand. It's the reason all the guys who really stay down in their posture are generally really open and they aren't even trying that hard. Learn to really get down into the shot with a shaft that isn't steep and you will be really open without trying.

[juststeve]

Don't chase positions. There have been great golfers that demonstrated a large range of hip positions at impact. Were I to try to force my body into the position Dustin Johnson gets to I'd wind up in traction. So would many of you.

Steve

[LyinEye]

+1

[Krt22]

And those who stand up early and stall only make it worse trying to rotate the hips earlier/faster.

[tthomasgolfer605]

More depth and width in the backswing would help from pulling down steep.

[cleatis]

If that was my swing on video. The lack of hand depth would tell me I need more shoulder turn and less right arm bend.

[Arthur_Vandelay]

But isn't standing up a symptom of being too steep? So really the solution is to properly shallow the club, which will force you stay in proper posture, which will force you to get open? Just curious, as my swing is a little too steep.

[ferrispgm]

It will depend on the player...for some you may be able to get them to shallow the club and everything else mostly falls in line....for some you may need to work on the other parts so they can shallow the club.

[MonteScheinblum]

Often but not always.

Hips opening too early

Slide

Right shoulder down early and too much

Looping hand path

Too much forward bend at address

Too close

Too far

Not extending in backswing

All of those things can force coming out of posture and hips not opening without a vertical shaft. As to the original point, you can’t just stay in posture and get more open. Effect fixing.

 

[MK7Golf21]

I would agree and many times a player will still need to learn to go down and get the ball because it is not a natural movement, it just won’t work out very well and will be harder if you are off somewhere.

Think all all the players who are known for that open look with a bent right arm, Hogan, Trevino, Snead, mahan, Dustin. They all get way down into the shot, that’s what creates that look.

[dap]

I agree. Almost all who early extend do not have their hips very open at impact if at all. Good players rotate their hips open and then extend towards the target. Poor players don't get enough hip rotation early and thus when they extend it's towards the ball. The result is standing up and the goat humping look.

There have been great players that early extend. Nicklaus is often mentioned but he himself considered it a fault according to Mike Malaska. Nicklaus worked hard keeping the hip back and not thrust towards the ball.

Some of the most dynamic ballstrikers on tour get the hips open very quickly on the downswing such as Cameron Champ, Rory McIlroy,Justin Thomas,and Bubba Watson. Their hips are already back to square at P5 and way open at P6. This sets the hips in position to extend towards the target producing a lot of late power.

In my opinion if you don't rotate your hips open early enough and without sufficient speed it's going to be hard fighting early extension. It's not that hard to understand. If your hips are too closed when you extend then you will hump the ball. If they are open when you extend you will hump the target which is what good players do.

[Dr. Hack]

For me you really cant be too open with the hips as long as the rest of your body is connected. Only exception is with wedges when sometimes you want a little bit of a flip/early extension, in my opinion. The best way to assess rotation from an outside perspective is in the transition and in the follow-through. Initiate dowsnswing with hip rotation...check. But the right hip needs to keep coming all the way down and around in the finish. You're not quite doing it yet, but close.

My "feel" is a band of tension running the length of my left arm, all the way down my side into my left hip. This is pulled tight in the transition at the top of my swing as I initiate rightward spine tilt and leftward hip rotation. This is kept taught throughout the entire downswing and is a great source of power for me. Kelvin Miyahira wrote an interesting article about this, describing it in terms of fascial anatomy, on his old blog. Works for me. As long as this feels tight I know i'm leading/rotating with the lower body.

[NoFancyUsername.]

Cause and effect. Everyone is different. No set rule.