Hip clearance action on the downswing

[Ahadjohn]

Most golfers stare at me blankly when I ask this, but I'd really like to know.

 

So at the top of the backswing and at transition, the left hip needs to rotate so as to get out of the way for the club to swat down, the clubface to square up and to follow the right path. In other words you need to clear the left hip on the downswing.

 

My question is:

 

Does the hip clearance rotation actually provide power to the club motion, or is it simply a positional thing that permits the club to travel on the right path through impact?

 

Or am I asking how many angels can dance on the tip of a pinhead?

 

[mudge]

Hip clearance is more about creating room for the arms and club to swing through 

 

or alternatively as Monte has said It helps get the speed pointed in its ultimate direction 

Edited September 21, 2021 by mudge

[Zitlow]

The left hip is a positional thing. If you're balanced on your right hip at the top all you have to do is pick up or release your right heel and your left hip will clear. Don't overdo it, pick up the heel just enough to clear the ground which starts the momentum. 

 

There's a little more to it than that but the quicker you pick up the heel the faster the club will sling around the ulnar bone of your left arm. It won't happen if you drop your arms or try to speed up your arms. They work with the torso. 

 

Watch his feet and notice his right side from the ground up follows the clubhead into the ball. 

 

[Valtiel]

To my mind, you have three fundamentals at play when you're properly clearing your your lower body as you describe:

1) Sequencing. As soon as your hands/arms overtake your lower body, the club face starts shutting down and you lose control of the head to inertia/momentum. Keeping your lower body leading/ahead ensures that this doesn't happen until after impact, which is what you want. 
2) Space. Like @mudge said, hip clearance creates the space you need for your arms to return to where they started (or as close as possible), but ONLY if you maintain depth as well. To use myself as an example, I have never had a problem with sequencing and clearing my hips, but I do have a depth problem caused by a few things that I am working on, which means even with full hip clearance I am still losing that space because my lower body moves towards the ball in transition. Maintaining depth is just as important in many ways as the rotation itself. 
3) Power. The lower body leading the downswing does have the effect of then pulling your upper body along with it which then acts like the first gear of your downswing. Without that first gear, you get the typical out of sequence weekend hacker swing which simultaneously looks like it takes a lot of effort but produces poor speed and consistency. 

[Lefthook]

The left hip is the end station of the left leg. And the left leg is a very important power source. Therefore...

 

1) shift pressure to the left foot during transition, and leave the right foot behind while you do it.

2) Try to power the downswing with the left foot and the left side of your back all the way through the ball.

3) If you get the left side properly engaged, the left hip will be moved away from the target line by the left leg and the right side will follow through. The idea is to establish a strong connection from the left foot all the way to the left shoulder (and the left hand as well as the club head). Right foot produces a lot of power during transition, though.

 

A too much right sided powered swing tend to lead to  early release and hip stall. It is a completely OK way to play golf, and if you do so, you shouldn't worry about clearing the hips. 

 

[Ahadjohn]

8 hours ago, Zitlow said:

If you're balanced on your right hip at the top all you have to do is pick up or release your right heel and your left hip will clear. Don't overdo it, pick up the heel just enough to clear the ground which starts the momentum. 

 

I tried this today at the driving range - spectacular! I've never hit the ball so cleanly and so straight.

 

I never heard this tip before.

[Nickc]

5 hours ago, Ahadjohn said:

 

I tried this today at the driving range - spectacular! I've never hit the ball so cleanly and so straight.

 

I never heard this tip before.

 maybe you should wonder why!

Edited September 21, 2021 by Nickc

[Ahadjohn]

I do wonder why!?

 

Are you discrediting it?

[glk]

6 hours ago, Ahadjohn said:

 

I tried this today at the driving range - spectacular! I've never hit the ball so cleanly and so straight.

 

I never heard this tip before.

Need to check video.  Ball flight means little when making motion change

[liquorandpoker]

On 9/20/2021 at 10:44 AM, Ahadjohn said:

Most golfers stare at me blankly when I ask this, but I'd really like to know.

 

So at the top of the backswing and at transition, the left hip needs to rotate so as to get out of the way for the club to swat down, the clubface to square up and to follow the right path. In other words you need to clear the left hip on the downswing.

 

My question is:

 

Does the hip clearance rotation actually provide power to the club motion, or is it simply a positional thing that permits the club to travel on the right path through impact?

 

Or am I asking how many angels can dance on the tip of a pinhead?

 

 

It definitely pushed back to make room. 

 

It also counterbalances the club pulling away from you.  It almost feels like throwing a heavy object - you have to push away from the momentum of the object.  It creates a lot of speed.  But you have to be patient with it and let it be a counterbalance move, not racing ahead of the club and hands.  In fact, when I hit the ball really well the club actually feels very heavy because my arms are so relaxed.  

 

 

[aramirez24]

On 9/20/2021 at 10:45 PM, Zitlow said:

The left hip is a positional thing. If you're balanced on your right hip at the top all you have to do is pick up or release your right heel and your left hip will clear. Don't overdo it, pick up the heel just enough to clear the ground which starts the momentum. 

 

There's a little more to it than that but the quicker you pick up the heel the faster the club will sling around the ulnar bone of your left arm. It won't happen if you drop your arms or try to speed up your arms. They work with the torso. 

 

 

I feel like I should pay you for this tip. Absolute aha moment in the garage yesterday. 

[Ahadjohn]

It has been incredibly useful to my imperfect swing.

 

Thank you @Zitlow.

 

And just as @Valtiel describes it helps engage " the first gear of your downswing ".

 

With little time to practice and develop the feeling, I played in a comp on wednesday, scored really well on front nine, then as I got tired, I got confused and overdid it.

 

I will work on this to ingrain the feeling and consign it to muscle memory - so happy!