Have you ever heard your PGA certified golf instructor tell you that one of your swing faults is a sway (lateral slide of hips away from target during backswing) or a slide (lateral slide of hips toward target on downswing)? Well, according to the Titleist Performance Institute, a little over one third of all amateur golfers possess one or both of those faults.
Setting aside your “forgetting” the correct swing, or not knowing basic fundamentals of the swing, the leading cause for a sway or slide is tight hips. During the backswing and downswing, the hips are supposed to rotate with maybe a hint of a weight shift. This requires adequate internal rotation range of motion which we usually don’t practice because it doesn’t always feel good. It can be very frustrating when you KNOW what to do, but your BODY won’t let you do it!
The following are three exercises I prescribe to my clients which help tremendously and directly lead to better success on the golf course!
 WINDSHEILD WIPERS: Internal Rotation: Lie on your back with both legs at 90 degree angles in the air. Place both fists between the knees. Squeeze your knees into your fists and, while flexing your feet, push lower legs and feet outward. Repeat in 3 sets of 20 reps. You will feel a deep tingle/muscle burn in your side gluteal and hip area. |
 SEATED KNEE DIPS: Internal Rotation: Sit with feet wide and knees bent and propped up on your hands. Take turns dipping one knee at a time to the middle on the floor. Start by dropping the knee a little, then a little more as you warm up. Eventually the hip of the dropped leg will lift off the floor. Repeat 20x. |
 FROGGIES: External Rotation: Kneel on the floor with forearms on floor in front of you. Slowly allow your knees to separate to the fullest width. Then, while keep the knees in place, more each foot out a little wider than the knee. Try to hold for approximately 1 minute. |
