Every golfer needs to pivot in their backswing, But not everyone pivots the same way. Understanding how your body naturally moves is the key to unlocking your potential for power.
If you aren’t sure about your own pivot, here’s a quick and easy way to screen yourself:
-Get into good golf posture, by bending from the waist until your middle fingers touch the top of your knee (see photo at left for reference).
-Put the club across your thighs and move your right hip back and away. If possible, have someone restrict your head from moving to the right if you a right-handed golfer or to the left if you are left-handed golfer.
-From this position, check to see where your lead knee points and you will find out what your natural power pivot is. The three possible pivot styles are listed below.
FRONT POST
Front post golfers like Bryson DeChambeau or the LPGA’s Na Yeon Choi prefer to stay more on the front ball of their left foot on the back swing. This will result in the left knee staying more on top of the left foot. Players that have this pivot style will use more launch/verticals to create and maximize their power.
CENTER POST
Players like Tiger Woods, Rory McILory, Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda are center post golfers that glide a moderate amount onto their trail leg on the back swing. This will result in the left knee moving more toward the inside of the left foot. This is a very common and traditional. Players with this pivot style will utilize rotation as their main power source.
REAR POST
Gary Woodland and Lydia Ko are both rear post golfers who like to shift to their trail leg on the backswing, then use lots of lateral force on the downswing to get back to their left side and into position at impact. This will result in the left knee moving more towards the right on the backswing. Glide is the main power source with this pivot style.
Identifying your individual power pivot or post will result in more consistent and powerful golf shots. Give the test a try to find out what is most natural for you!
To add more pop to your swing, get a driver fitting from the experts at our sister company, True Spec Golf.
