Acquiring a good pivot in your golf swing is imperative as it provides power and helps you in swinging the club around your body on the proper swing plane.

Assuming you have a correct stance (read in the Tips Section, Ball Position: The Facts You Have Never Heard), the pivot it best described as a simple, efficient turn. Contrary to popular belief - there is no "weight shift" that occurs. We want the golfer to view himself/herself as a "tilted corkscrew" and only use rotation to turn on the back swing.

Viewed from a "face on" view, a good pivot would be described as follows. At the top of the back swing with a driver:

-The left hip would remain adjacent to line "B" (a line drawn vertically upwards from the back of the golf ball).

 

The hips rotate or twist in the back swing, but do not shift or "sway"

-The shoulders have completed a 90 degree turn and the spine has remained angled away from the target - approximately 20 degrees away from line "B". The nose and shoulder will appear to be over the right knee.

 

 

Ben Hogan had a wonderful pivot and is a good example to study. As an analogy, think of how you would lean your body to hit a baseball or skip a rock across a lake. Your spine needs to lean away from the direction you are hitting/throwing.

The benefits of a good pivot are:

-Efficient power is generated through coil and rotation.

-It prevents an over swing and arching of the spine at the top.

-Your hands will be in the correct "slot" at the top

-It allows for an easy transition to "drop" the club to the proper plane on the downswing

Drill:

Practice in front of a mirror with a chair against your left hip. At the top of your back swing you should still be connected to the chair with your left hip AND your nose and shoulder should be over your right knee.

>More Golf Tips by Anne Cain

I have played golf for 30 years; the last 10 years as a 5 handicap. I have taken over 50 lessons with golf professionals. Half of these lessons used videos and computers. I am just now TRULY learning to play "The Greatest Game Ever Played" thanks to the Anne Cain Golf Academy. Prior to taking a lesson with Anne, I was concerned that her use of video and computer technology would be too technical and rob me of my "feel". I could not have been more mistaken! Anne combines this advanced equipment with her personal instruction skills and uniquely incorporates proper mechanics into your very own "feel". On a scale of 1 to 10, comparing Anne's instruction methods versus other instruction with video and computers, the other lessons ranked a 4 and Anne's lessons rank an 11!

Chris Stone, Jacksonville, Florida

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