Lack of lower body movement is extremely common in the amateur golfer.
When standing back on the range, the majority of swings of the amateur will see the downswing power being created through a lunge with the shoulders and pull through with the arms. This leads to a loss in power and efficiency as the upper body has to work harder to compensate for the lack of lower body contribution.
Anthony Kim: hip clearance at impact
(note how the belt buckle is already pointing at the target)
(note how the belt buckle is already pointing at the target)
Looking at the top players on tour, particularly the long hitters such as Anthony Kim, Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson you will notice that during the downswing their hips are clearing ahead of the upper half. This leads to the big muscles driving the downswing, resulting in the final blow being the release of the club at the ball.
The action is much like that of a javelin thrower. The final part of the throw being the release of the arm and wrist following the body clearance.
The action is much like that of a javelin thrower. The final part of the throw being the release of the arm and wrist following the body clearance.
Release position for an olympic javelin thrower
(note how the lower body is already pointing at the target)
(note how the lower body is already pointing at the target)
Working on your hip drive/clearance will undoubtedly result in more power and reduce the strain on the rest of your body, which is caused by trying to generate power from the wrong sources.
Check out www.mytpi.com for fitness ideas for improving lower half mobility and www.dangalegolf.com for direct tips on how to encourage more power from your lower half.
Dan is a coach at The James Andrews School Of Golf in East Sussex.
Check out his website at www.dangalegolf.com
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