Top 100 Teacher: Steal a power hitter’s secret move to smoothly add speed with tilt

Most golfers have been taught to lead their downswings with their hips, then add upper-body rotation and, finally, arm speed so that everything lines up correctly at impact. Advanced 3D motion capture, however, proves that swinging like this doesn’t allow you to accelerate your arms (and club) fast enough to compete in the modern power game. Plus, it overemphasizes rotation. 

Don’t Do This

Feel the distance between your right shoulder and right hip decrease on the downswing. Right-side tilt means working your right side down, not just around.

Do This

Turning’s great, but all power drivers tilt as well as rotate, getting their right sides to point toward the ground as they swing from the top toward impact. It’s the tilt that adds speed. An effective way to groove a power tilt is to imagine decreasing the distance between your right shoulder and right hip as soon as you start your downswing. Your right arm and shoulder change their position and orientation more than any other body parts during the backswing. They need time and energy to get back close to their original starting position. It should feel like your right side is working down more than it is around. Your swing speed will skyrocket.