Proper Hip Rotation | Why Lower Body Movement Is Crucial

Proper hip rotation is one of the most important things to focus on the lower body movement during a swing. It works along with other parts of your body to create a good rhythm, tempo, power, control and accuracy. It also keeps the club face square that prevents erratic shots.

The goal is to continually rotate your hips during the swing sequence. Rotate throughout the swing without swaying or disconnecting it with your upper body. It does sound simple, but many golfers, especially amateurs, still struggle to rotate efficiently.

Why is hip rotation important in golf swing?

Golf swing is a very complex combination of upper and lower body movement. The lower body’s role in the swing provides the player not only better support but also proper mobility throughout the swing. It affects a shot’s precision, accuracy, speed and power build up. Not to mention, it prevents back pain from playing.

If the hips rotates improperly, it compensates on the upper body movement or on your knee support. So when your back hurts after a few swings, you know you’re doing hip rotation wrong.

How does hip rotation affect your swing?

It is impossible to produce a consistent good swing shot without using the hips correctly. There are numerous key benefits of using proper hip rotation in golf swing that many amateur and average golfers often underestimate or overlook.

Create speed - Speed is generated and carried throughout your swing. Your hip turn plays a vital role in building up that speed and delivering it at impact. During a driver swing, a powerful full hip turn from downswing to follow-through is commonly observed from pros.

Clean consistent strikes - Proper hip movement keeps your body in alignment and position. It prevents your body from hanging too far back in the downswing which leads to a more solid contact during impact.

Good repeatable tempo. When your hips are turned properly, you can produce a good repeatable tempo everytime You can build on your timing that you can keep using throughout your rounds while protecting your lower back.

How to do a proper hip rotation throughout the swing?

As mentioned, your hips continually move throughout the entire swing sequence. Remember to turn your hips, not sway.

Backswing - During the backswing, the goal is to maintain lower body stability. To achieve this, your hip rotation should be turning away from the ball. As your shoulders turn, your right leg and hip should be flexed, where you can build up a good speed. When your chin reaches your shoulder, your hips should be nicely turned and in position for the downswing.

Downswing - Continuing your rotation through downswing without breaking the connection of your upper and lower body is very crucial at this point. Allow the tempo that you build up to naturally flow through your downswing timing. Do not force your hip rotation or it will mess up your game. Your goal here is to properly rotate through impact and end with your hips square on the target with a square club face.

Use SwingPro Plus to warm up and practice hip rotation drills.