Turn in the backswing and downswing-DON’T SLIDE
During my younger years playing golf in Southwest Florida I struggled with a swing mistake early on. I use to slide-sway my right hip and (legs) back in the backswing and then slide-sway my left hip and (legs) towards the target in the downswing. I am convinced to this day that it was due to my size. I was tiny little guy growing up and back then we didn’t have junior golf clubs.
The only way I could get the golf club to move either way was to use my legs sliding back and forth. Don’t get me wrong, I could really play with that method, until I lost my timing. Once there was a little heat on me and my timing changed, my shots were going LEFT and I mean way left. My lateral move had to be in sync or I was in trouble.
Once I realized my mistake I began to practice at home in the living room at night. I would move my mom’s favorite rocking chair next to the couch and then stand between them. WIth the rocking chair on my right and the couch on my left I would practice TURNING without touching them. I would stand there forever until I could make a backswing and downswing without (sliding) touching them with my hips.
On the practice range there was an old aluminum garbage can that I would stand next to and hit balls. I placed the garbage can next to my right side and hit balls without touching the can. As the years passed I carried to golf shafts in my bag with me at all times and I would place one in the ground just outside my right foot and one in the ground just outside my left foot. Using the two stakes trained me to turn in the backswing and not slide.
In recent years I keep two plastic stakes in my bag. I rarely hit balls without using those stakes as a training tool to remind me to not allow the right side to slide in the backswing and to make sure I turn through in the downswing.
Bobby’s bit of wisdom: The golf swing is a turning motion not a sliding move. For immediate feedback stick two sticks to insure a TURN and not a SLIDE.
