Everyone can use a little more power in their swings, but how do you accomplish that?
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If there’s one commonality all golfers share, it’s the desire for more power. Even the longest players in the world are looking to squeeze an extra few yards out of their drives, and you should, too.
Swinging harder is a great place to start (duh), but you also need to swing with the proper technique. A hard swing with poor fundamentals won’t produce the results you’re searching for.
One of those fundamentals comes in the form of hip sway. It’s a key ingredient for a powerful swing, but something that can sap power if not done correctly.
A solid swing will produce hip sway toward the target as the golfer begins the downswing. However, it is easy to neglect. Instead of swaying, some players will spin out of the shot early, which leads to steepening the swing and losing power.
A great drill to teach yourself to sway can be done with just a club and a water bottle, and comes from our friends at GOLFTEC.
Place a water bottle behind your trail foot, and make a swing. When you do this, try not to knock the bottle over from spinning out of the shot.
Instead, sway toward the target and feel like you’re trying to get your trail knee to touch your lead knee. This will keep you from knocking over the water bottle and produce proper hip sway.
Just like that, you power will increase, and your scores should get lower, too.
Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.