How to play good golf without rotating the hips?

[Augster]

Hey,

 

I’m sick of trying to work through this BS. I “bumped” to my left side most of my life basically ruining my left hip for golf. 
 

I’ve tried to rotate my hips all season with limited success. I played awful all year, but pain free for the most part. Knees and hips. 
 

Without golf, I wouldn’t even know that I have hip pain. Literally EVERYTHING else I do, no hip pain. Basketball, racquetball, biking, swimming, climbing stairs, walking. Nothing gives me hip pain except golf. 
 

Anyway, I’m sick of it and want to play good golf again. I’m sure there are golfers that have frozen hips, or some other physical limitation, that prevents “proper hip movement” and still have adapted to play good golf. 
 

Is there anything out there, YouTube, websites, what have you, that teach golf with limited hip movement? 
 

I know the “Swing Surgeon” has a swing like that (into the catchers mitt, up the tree), but I don’t know of any others. 
 

Point me in the right direction folks. I was a 3.2 on 7/4/21, and today I’m an 8.5. It’s been 15 months of just terrible scoring and missing (and shanking) wedge after wedge after wedge. 
 

Let me know what you’ve got. 
 

Thanks!
 

 

[skraly]

I don’t have much advice to give you except to say if “bumping to the left side” is causing you hip pain, you’re doing something wrong.

[Valtiel]

Do you have any videos of your swing to show what you *are* doing with your hips? It's such a weird and unintuitive aspect of the swing that most people do wrong and it might just be a matter of learning how to do it "correctly". 

[Curmudg3on]

There is always the idea of switching to a southpaw.

[MonteScheinblum]

It’s a backswing issue

[Augster]

32 minutes ago, DennyJones said:

There is always the idea of switching to a southpaw.

The ONLY problem with that is I’m playing my best ever from 70 and in. Pitching, chipping, putting, I’m better than I ever have been. 
 

But once power transfer has to occur, and fully cocking the wrists, and full rotation, I’m just lousy. Either flinching from the pain when it’s there, or going tentative to avoid the pain and ruining any kind of kinetic chain. 
 

I’m thinking of going WAY more vertical, I’m 6’5”, to try to get leverage that way. More “swinging”, up and down, and less rotation. But there’s not a lot of instruction out there for a swing like that. Kind of like Scotty Scheffler. 

[Fuscinator]

Hit the ball with your hands and just let your body react in support of your hands. 

[ShortGolfer]

Do what I do.  Play from the forward tees so you don't need the distance.  Maybe if you play from the forward tees and don't have to swing hard your body may be able to recover while still playing golf.

[Augster]

Just now, ShortGolfer said:

Do what I do.  Play from the forward tees so you don't need the distance.  Maybe if you play from the forward tees and don't have to swing hard your body may be able to recover while still playing golf.

Maybe. It doesn’t explain the shanked and pulled wedges from, today, 125 (on a tee), 106 (on a tee), and 109 from the fairway. 
 

Those are pretty short holes already. 
 

I don’t really have the pain with driver, usually, because I’m hitting up. So there’s early extension, etc., that keeps the hips from turning too far. 
 

But full irons, where there is supposed to be a negative AoA, just disgusting. 

[rd1959]

I get that pain sometimes, but I have a reason for mine that might not help you. I've had degenerated discs in my lower back (L-3, L-4, and L-5) for quite a while. What happens with degenerated discs is when they have been injured (for lack of a better word) over time the vertebrae (bony part) will develop rough surfaces which rub against the disc (spongy part) causing inflammation. The disc swells and puts pressure on whatever nerve exits the spine in that area causing pain. In my case, like you, it only creates pain when repeatedly swing a golf club. Just like you, I would aggressively "bump / throw my leading hip which would cause the pain you describe. I finally adopted a swing recommended for seniors (fitting because I am a senior) that eliminates the "bumping" motion. My swing now is a more natural rotate back, rotate forward motion. I lost a little yardage, but it's better than yelling OUCH! every time I swing. 
Just to reiterate, this worked for me. If your back is healthy then, it probably won't be much help for you.

[BombinJim]

Perhaps a torn labrum in the hip? Mine is from other sports but definitely feel it if I’m overly tight or dehydrated. Anyway, get examined. Once I learned I had the tear I followed the docs instructions and didn’t do  anything that hurt my hip (a** to grass squats, etc.) and I don’t notice much of an issue most of the time.

[Zitlow]

Most people damage their backs, hips and knees by trying to spin on an invisible axis around their spines. The hips rock up and down to establish an axis for the backswing and downswing. 

 

This is an iconic picture of Snead. Look how his right hip is tilted up. His left side is turning under and around his posted up right side. His weight is balanced on his right hip and leg which serve as the axis for the backswing. Then it reverses in the downswing, his right side will swing under and around his posted up left side. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by Zitlow

[Nard_S]

" Hips don't rotate" says my chiro and she ought to know.

 

 

[Augster]

26 minutes ago, Zitlow said:

Most people damage their backs, hips and knees by trying to spin on an invisible axis around their spines. The hips rock up and down to establish an axis for the backswing and downswing. 

 

This is an iconic picture of Snead. Look how his right hip is tilted up. His left side is turning under and around his posted up right side. His weight is balanced on his right hip and leg which serve as the axis for the backswing. Then it reverses in the downswing, his right side will swing under and around his posted up left side. 

 

 

 

 

Nice. Good pic also. 
 

Interesting. With all of the material I’ve seen, read, heard, etc., nobody I’ve read really talks about how vertical the hips are supposed to go. It’s always “turn and turn” or “swing in a barrel”, or “drop the bucket”. 
 

I’ll do some more YouTube digging, or look through my Monte videos to see if it’s discussed. 
 

What/who do you suggest?

 

Thanks. 
 

 

[Augster]

Here’s a link to a recent swing in my backyard net. My right toe has been killing me (not diagnosed yet but it’s at least an ingrown toenail), so I’ve adapted to sliding the trail foot so as not to aggravate it. 
 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by Augster
Added face on video

[Klubster]

This is how we were taught to swing when I started playin.  Any wonder why everyone my age has back problems?

[rd1959]

4 minutes ago, Augster said:

Here’s a link to a recent swing in my backyard net. My right toe has been killing me (not diagnosed yet but it’s at least an ingrown toenail), so I’ve adapted to sliding the trail foot so as not to aggravate it. 
 

 

I can't see anything out of the ordinary. You could possibly try inversion therapy. With my back in the condition it's in, hanging upside down helps align my spine and stretch the muscles.

 About your right toe, it could possibly be gout.

[Llortamaisey]

1 hour ago, BombinJim said:

Perhaps a torn labrum in the hip? Mine is from other sports but definitely feel it if I’m overly tight or dehydrated. Anyway, get examined. Once I learned I had the tear I followed the docs instructions and didn’t do  anything that hurt my hip (a** to grass squats, etc.) and I don’t notice much of an issue most of the time.

Could have an impingement causing the tear and that’s perhaps why he only feels it when he swings.  

[rd1959]

 I don't know about everybody else, but I was also taught to swing at 85% You can't keep swinging at 100% on every shot like they do now without something hurting eventually.

[Augster]

I added a face on video from May. 

[rd1959]

33 minutes ago, Augster said:

Nice. Good pic also. 
 

Interesting. With all of the material I’ve seen, read, heard, etc., nobody I’ve read really talks about how vertical the hips are supposed to go. It’s always “turn and turn” or “swing in a barrel”, or “drop the bucket”. 
 

I’ll do some more YouTube digging, or look through my Monte videos to see if it’s discussed. 
 

What/who do you suggest?

 

Thanks. 
 

 

That's the way it's supposed to work but some people try to get too aggressive in the back to front transition. Younger people can get away with doing that, but us old people, due to age and lack of physical fitness can throw something out of whack pretty easily.

[glk]

Left foot way too turned out.  That restricts the left side on backswing.  Left foot flare only needs to be around 10*-15*.     Can see how restricted your pelvis turn is due to this.  No surprise your left hip has pain from repeating this.  
 

here is but one example.   https://www.instagram.com/p/CfXi3ghvqoT/?hl=en

 

[Krt22]

You aren't regaining enough flexion in transition IMHO, which makes rotating harder. 

[CROUSE99]

29 minutes ago, glk said:

Left foot way too turned out.  That restricts the left side on backswing.  Left foot flare only needs to be around 10*-15*.     Can see how restricted your pelvis turn is due to this.  No surprise your left hip has pain from repeating this.  
 

here is but one example.   https://www.instagram.com/p/CfXi3ghvqoT/?hl=en

 

I think this is probably right.  I say "probably" simply because I'm not expert.  But if you look at videos of Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Hogan in their primes, you'll see a lot of hip rotation in the backswing.  There is no attempt to create tension between the lower body and upper body early in the backswing.  They let their back legs straighten to accommodate this.

[Trippels]

As mentione above, lead foot way too flared. This means you also can't lift the lead heel in the backswing, which would make for a much more free and bigger hip turn. 

 

Monte will probably add more tips.

[nsxguy]

Edited September 15, 2022 by nsxguy

[Golfbeat]

I would try the Manuel de la Torre method. In his method the legs are purely reactive. There are some really good threads on here.

Edited September 15, 2022 by Golfbeat

[Augster]

Thanks for the suggestions. 
 

I’ll look into Manuel’s stuff. I tried it before. 
 

It’s also been suggested to give the Todd Graves/Moe Norman swing a try. I’ve watched a few videos on that last night and practiced a little and gave it a try for 9 holes today. Not bad. Still dumped a GW on a 109 yard par 3 way left and doubled it, so it’s not some miracle cure. But I’ll give it a few more swings. 

[Zitlow]

Hips don't lie.

 

 

 

[kcpark87]

Am I the only one who is seeing a flip (face on video)?