Andrew Rice Golf

Posts Tagged ‘over the top’

Ben Hogan's Hip Slide (Ravielli)

The hip slide, weight shift, hip drive or whatever you want to call it is one of the most important, yet overlooked elements in the golf swing. Golfers have become so brainwashed against any form of lateral movement that I believe the vast majority of us are trying to stay as quiet and centered as we possibly can.

Here are a few interesting points about hip action:

• The downswing does not mirror the backswing. There should be no lateral hip motion in the back swing, while the downswing must have a good measure of shift towards the target.
• The weight shift to the front foot is entirely attributable to the hips gliding towards the target in the downswing. The head and upper body must remain over or slightly behind the ball as the hips shift, thus creating body curve.
• Remember that hip action incorporates either lateral motion or rotation (for all intents and purposes!).  The downswing is intiated by lateral motion over to the front foot and then followed by rotation.  This is very important sequencing here.
• Hip slide creates the room necessary in the downswing for the arms and club to drop to the inside.  Too much spin or rotation from the top and you can only come over the top.
• Not only does the hip slide create room for the arms to get to the inside, but it also positions the weight so that the ball can be struck with a descending blow.  The weight must be on the front foot for any golfer to consistently hit down on the ball.

This video from my YouTube channel presents an excellent case as to why the hip slide in the downswing is vital to a proper path and attack angle into the golf ball.

The Hip Slide

Particularly if you slice or fade the golf ball, drive the weight onto the front foot to initiate the downswing. This really is the best slide to have.

Related articles and drills on the Hip Slide:

Sandtrap.com – this is an excellent discussion on the hip slide and its importance to quality ball striking.

Hip Slide - an excellent presentation by Jim McLean as he explains Hogan’s lateral slide.

Hands and Arms at Impact Drill

Drive the Hips into Impact

Golf’s #1 Impact Drill

I have come to believe that the majority of modern day golf instruction is based primarily around instructor style preference. Way too much of the information being peddled is ‘form’ based vs. ‘function’ based.

In studying the top golfers of all time there are no two swings that are alike. Who is to say that Ben Hogan’s flat plane is better than Jack Nicklaus’ vertical arm move? Who is to say that Sam Snead’s slight over the top move was better than Nick Price’s drop down transition?

Tom Watson

At the end of the day it all comes down to IMPACT! It is the one position in which all of the great players are decidedly similar. From Patty Berg to Lorena Ochoa and Tom Watson to Peter Thompson – all these players are almost identical at impact. If this is the case, which, trust me, it is, then the look of the swing should play less of a role in a golfer’s improvement and the focus should be more on impact.

Here are the elements of a great impact position:

• the weight is noticeably on the front foot; 80% or more
• the handle always leads the clubhead
• the head remains over the ball, while the hips have shifted to the target; this creates what I refer to as body ‘curve’
• the clubhead travels down (downswing!) into the ball; this includes fairway woods and the driver!

The next time you take a lesson make sure your teacher works towards getting you into a better position at impact. It is the only way you will start to hit better golf shots!