The Trick to Getting a More Powerful Golf Swing 

The most common complaint I hear from amateur golfers is “I can’t seem to turn my hips”. I get this complaint so frequently that I actually expect any golf related client to report this feeling or problem. The follow-up comment to this complaint is that “I think I need better hip mobility” and while there may be some truth to that statement you might be shocked to learn that your ability to stabilize your hips is more likely the cause of that sensation than your available mobility.

Initiating the golf swing with your hips is one of the keys to higher club head speed, increased torque and ultimately a more powerful golf shot. The issue with initiating your swing from the hips comes from a lack of control in a rotated position. Rarely throughout our daily activities do our hips encounter end-range rotation and even more rarely do they ever have to fire explosively out of that position. This lack of experience typically means we are unaware of how to control our hips in the positions that are required for the golf swing and therefore our body will never feel “right” in these positions. So before you spend hours upon hours stretching your hips and getting nowhere with your golf game try this workout to increase control and awareness around the hip and let the results speak for themselves.

The first movement in this sequence is a shin box get-up. This drill is a spin on a classic mobility exercise (the shin box) but it adds a lift to increase the demands on stability and motor control around the hips. Get into a classic shin-box position and sit up nice and tall. From this point your going to drive into the ground with your front leg and raise up into a modified kneeling position. This next part is the key: slowly lower back to the ground, seriously GO SLOW! Controlling the eccentric phase of this exercise is where the magic happens. Once you hit the bottom of the movement rotate your legs over to the opposite side and repeat. I like sets of 8-10 per side here and lets do three sets before moving on. A little side note, add a weight in the goblet position to increase the challenge.

The second exercise in this workout is a standing hip airplane. This is a classic single leg stability drill that is hard to do well. Standing on one leg you’re going to hinge forward from the hips and try to get to a stable flat back position. A slight bend in your stance leg is encouraged and you should actively be driving your back leg toward the ceiling. An absolute must in this movement is to keep your pelvis level, there is a strong temptation to let your hips open up to the stance leg as you hinge forward. When you get really strong at the hinging portion of this movement you can add in the “airplane” portion. To do this you are going to open your hips away from your stance leg when you are at the bottom of the hinge. You’ll return your hips to level before returning to the top of the movement and that will be one rep. Aim for 12-15 reps per side and two sets here before advancing to the next move.

Number three is very similar to hip airplane, but we are going to drop that back leg down to the ground and grab a nice heavy weight to do some kickstand deadlifts. These are a great drill for increasing the raw strength of the hip in a single leg position. You want to make sure you are using as heavy of a weight as possible or available to you for this movement. Just like the hip airplane, you’re going to keep your spine nice and neural while hinging over your stance leg, which only has a slight bend in it. Sets of 6-12 are good here depending on the weight you’re using, but I want this to be challenging for however many reps you are choosing. Complete four sets before moving on to the last drill.

The final drill in this workout is a developmental transition from 7/8 month side-lying to crawling (10 month position). Here you’ll start in a shin-box position, but you’ll fall toward your down leg and plant your elbow to the ground in this position. From here, make sure you push the floor away with your elbow to create a stable/packed shoulder. A slight roll forward will help to position you and allow you to drive down with your knee and use your femur (leg bone) as a lever to lift your hip off the floor. Once at the top, the key is a nice slow controlled lowering phase. Repeat this transition 8-10 times per side for 2 sets to cooldown and finish off this hip stability workout.

Try this routine 2-3 times per week and take note of how much further you can make that golf ball fly! Any questions or comments feel free to give us a call or send us an email and we’ll help you figure out exactly what you need to take your golf game to the next level.