Of all the things that can plague a golfer's swing there may be no more common ailment than the reverse pivot. A reverse pivot is when a golfer's hips slide backward during the backswing as his head and spine tilt forward. In the downswing, the hips slide toward the target and the head and spine fall back, away from the target. The result is typically poor contact and a serious drain on power. The way to fix the problem is to stabilize the back knee and hip during the backswing. Two golf instructors, one from the United States and one from England, suggest several drills to fix the dreaded reverse pivot
Half-Swing Chip Shots
Kick the right knee inward and lean your spine to the right. "Picture yourself looking at a clock," says PGA professional Brent Studer from Manasquan, N.J. " Your spine and head are aligned to match the 1 o'clock position while your right knee is pointing at 9 o'clock. Take the club back until the shaft is parallel with the ground, your hands waist-high and the toe of the club is pointing up toward the sky. You should feel most of your weight on the heel of the back foot. At this point, start the downswing by moving your weight on to your front foot. Rotate your arms, hands and club head like a top-spin shot in tennis. Stop your follow-through at waist high. Feel your body weight on the front foot. The head and spine should now be at 11 o'clock. The shaft of the club should once again be parallel and the toe of the club should once again be facing the sky.
Get up and Dance
Set up normally with a six or seven-iron. "The object is to feel the flow of weight from lead foot to back foot and back again during the swing," says PGA Professional Hugh Marr from Surrey County, England. "As the player swings back, the lead foot comes off the floor and moves over to touch the trail foot. This process is reversed in the forward swing, with the downswing being started with the lead foot being planted in its start position. The player should follow through as normal, trying to maintain balance at all times. If executed properly, the player will find it impossible to reverse pivot and longer, straighter shots will result."
Let Your Eyes Wander
Take your eye off the ball. "I know it sounds crazy," says Studer, "but take practice swings doing the following motion: During the backswing, let your eyes follow the club head back to the point where you lose sight of the ball and your head is outside your back hip. Now, on downswing, follow the club head again with the eyes so that during the rotation of the arms through contact your head moves out over your front hip as you follow through. Almost all of your weight should now be on your front foot and your belt buckle should be facing the target."
Take a Baseball Swing
Step into it. "During the backswing lift your front foot off the ground and stop the club three-quarters of the way back," says Studer. "Now, step into the downswing by replanting the left foot to its normal position while making contact to the ball and finally lifting the right foot during the release. This swing is similar to a baseball swing and helps the golfer feel the proper transfer of weight from back to front."
References
- Brent Studer, personal interview
- Hugh Marr, personal interview
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