Lesson 2

Lower Body. (Changed - 19/12/ 2011)

In this lesson we are dealing with the function of the lower part of the body, therefore you must thoroughly learn how the lower body functions before moving onto the next logical lesson which is how the upper body rotates during the golf swing.

This lesson is relevant to a right handed golfer. A left handed golfer should simply reverse any reference for body actions.

The lower part of the body plays a very important part within the golf swing because when it is set up correctly, it establish a solid foundation for a successful golf swing.

During the back swing movement, the hips play a restrictive role, but during the down swing and the follow through movement the hips adopt total control over the rotational movement of the passive the upper body unit, therefore it is vital that the set up of the lower part of the body is correct.

I can assure you, and I speak from experience, that if you can perform the golf swing movement whilst the muscles of the lower part of the body are held in a firm condition and the hips are stopped from swaying away from the original address position during the back swing movement, these actions will more than compensate for any failings you may have at the moment with the movement of the upper body and the general swing movement.

Therefore if you want to make progress with your golf swing it is vital that you concentrate on learning this aspect of the golf swing before moving on to other parts of the golf swing. Do not try to change the rest of your golf swing until you have practised the action of holding the lower part of the body rock solid and also stop the hips from swaying away from the original address position during the back swing movement, until it becomes second nature to you.

So take your time with this section and practice practice and practice this movement, because you must ensure that every time you address the ball, the muscles of your lower body are held in this firm condition and you are conscious of the need to stop the hips swaying during the back swing movement.

During the down swing movement, you have to teach yourself to rotate the hips towards the target area - without any swaying whatsoever.

Therefore thoughout the complete golf swing movement you must rotate the hips whilst firmly held over a point directly over the centre of your hips.

If you move on to ther next lesson too quickly you will not make the progress that you desire.

Therefore there are few basic principles of the lower part of the body that must be adhered if you wish to play very good golf.

The first is that the muscles of the legs, the thighs and the buttocks must be held in a firm condition throughout the golf swing, and secondly, it is absolutely vital that the hips are not allowed to sway away from the original address position, not even a fraction of an inch and thirdly, the right leg must never ever become fully straightened as you perform the back swing movement.

Further, during the down swing and the follow through movement you must try to totally eliminate any swaying movement of the hips.
(Any swaying movement of the hips during the down swing/follow through movement will cause the ball to slice.)

If you look carefully at the video that I have made, concentrate on my right hip and compare it with the back ground. You will see that my hips do not sway away from the original address position for even a fraction of an inch as I perform the back swing movement - this is how firmly you must learn to hold the hips whilst performing the back swing movement.

I cannot stress too strongly how important it is to keep these muscles in a firm condition at all times

In addition, whilst the muscles are held in this firm condition, you must ensure that the hips remain centralised over the centre of your stance at all times, especially as the back swing movement is performed, which can only be successfully done by keeping the heel of the left foot firmly planted on the ground throughout the complete back swing movement.
You must definitely not allow the heel of the left foot to lift off the ground during the back swing movement.

Exercise.

As an exercise to illustrate the firmness of the muscles in the lower part of the body, if you allow your legs to bend thus lowering your body, hold the legs in this bent condition for a moment before beginning to straighten them and you will note that as you begin to straighten the legs, all of the muscles of the lower body become very firm.

This is this firmness of the muscles of the lower part of the body that must be achieved, but importantly, strictly maintained throughout the complete golf swing movement.

In addition, it is also important to understand that the angle of the legs that is set at the address position must be maintained from the moment you begin to back swing right through to the completion of the golf swing movement - and only at the very end of the golf swing movement should the legs be allowed to straighten.

Have a look at the frontal video and side view video of the leg action and note how the leg angles are strictly maintained throughout the majority of the golf swing movement. Whilst you are looking at these videos, also notice that my left heel does not lift off the ground during the back swing movement.

You must concentrate very hard in order to stop the hips from swaying away from the original address position during the back swing movement and also stop them from swaying towards the target area during the down swing /follow through movement.

Please Note.

Throughout the back swing movement the hips must put up a slight resistance to the rotational movement of the upper body unit.
However, when the hips eventually rotate away from the frontal facing position, it is absolutely vital that they do not sway away from the original address position.
(To assist in stopping the hips from swaying you must ensure that the feet are placed at least equal to the width of your shoulders.)

I cannot over stress that you must ensure that as the hips rotate away from the frontal facing position during the back swing movement they must not be allowed to sway away from the original address position.

Similarly, the hips must not sway towards the target area as you perform the down swing/follow through movement.

I can assure you that stopping the hips from swaying away from the original address position, even for a fraction of an inch, especially during the back swing movement, is one of the key components to making a clean contact with the ball.

If you do nothing else but follow my instructions regarding the lower body, your golf will still improve dramatically.

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