There are almost as many theories about the golf swing as there are instructors. And one of the least understood aspects of the swing is the rotation of the hips into an “open” position just before impact.

Most contemporary golf instructors believe that it is necessary to “clear the hips just before point of impact” so that the hips are out of hand reach. According to this theory, if you don’t “hip clear”, your hands and arms will be hampered and unable to attack the ball with force.

This is sometimes used as an explanation for why too “upright” posture is not a good thing. According to this line of thought, when you stand too close to the ball, your hands won’t be able to make a clean pass in front of your body because on the way down your hips will get in the way.

But while hip rotation is very important to the effectiveness of the golf swing, it’s not because the hips interfere with anything. In fact, I don’t see much point in this idea of ​​“clearing the hips”. Your hips are not in the way of your hands. In fact, turning the hips toward the target pushes the rear end more toward the hands and puts the hips more in the way than if you didn’t turn them.

Most of us, whether we swing a lot or not, are not in the habit of hitting our hips with our hands when we swing golf clubs. The reason is simple: our hips do not interfere with our swing, and to suggest this as an explanation for the importance of hip rotation is simply misleading.

In my own research, on the course and in my basement “lab,” I’ve found that hip rotation puts the club on a more powerful and direct path toward the ball as it arrives at point of impact. But from what I know, this has very little to do with getting your hips out of the way of your hands.

What happens when you rotate your hips is that this allows you to get your shoulders and arms into the optimal power position. This happens because the upper and lower body move in sync. In the golf swing, as in most other movements involving the human body, the upper body, including the shoulders and arms, moves in harmony and in response to the movement of the lower body: the legs. hips and legs.

Think of a power hitter in baseball. Those classic photographs of Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson or Barry Bonds making contact with the ball always tell the same story. His arms are fully extended, hips are rotated to an open position, head is back, and they are perfectly balanced with most of his weight now centered on his front leg and hip. In fact, they have used the front leg and hip as a pivot around which the upper body rotates. Eliminate that pivot (swing with just your shoulders and arms) and you’ve got a much less fluid, much less coordinated, and much less powerful swing.

In the golf swing, this connection of the upper and lower body is less obvious because the golf swing is a combination of vertical and horizontal. But the principle is the same. Rotation of the hips pulls the upper torso and brings the front shoulder into the correct position (the left shoulder for a right-hander) at the point of impact. Ben Hogan described this hip movement as a matter of throwing the front hip around and back against the wall, one of the most useful images in all of golf instruction.

Try it in slow motion. Position the clubhead along the path of the swing, approximately 18″-24″ behind the ball (on the inside/outside arc). Make sure your lead hand and arm are straight as they should be at impact position. Now rotate your hips so that the clubhead moves towards the ball (keeping your hands and arms locked in the previous position).

Note that when your clubhead reaches the ball, your hips will be “clear” and your front shoulder will rotate as well. The lead arm will be in the correct “power position” with the arm and shaft of the club forming a more or less straight line to the ball.

Now pick up your stick and swing it more horizontally like a baseball bat. If he’s had any baseball training, his hips will naturally lead the swing and his shoulders, arms and “bat” will follow.

In fact, trying to swing “all arms” without hip rotation will feel awkward and out of sync. Your arms will not be able to follow the impulse that wants to bring them to a natural end. This is why golfers who do not “finish” their swing by turning their lower body will often return the club to the starting position.

The basic principle here is one that golf teachers have taught since they began analyzing the swing: upper body follows lower body. Coming to a better appreciation of this principle can only have a positive impact on your golf swing.