Getting the hips freed up

[jnug]

Gosh some days I feel great about the progress that I am making and some days I just feel like I am never going to get there. The fact is I am 58 years old and took the game up a second time a bit later than I should have. While 58 is not old in absolute terms it is old in athletic terms and my body has got a fair number of athletic miles on it.

While today was temperate enough in the Northeast to make two and three hour sessions possible, I constantly find myself struggling to get all the parts working together. In my case I might occasionally get my swing plane too upright and start to get outside in with my swing. However that is manageable. My real problem is the length of time it takes for me to get my hips going. I would say that on average it takes thirty minutes of swings before I get my hips moving at all and even then, not much. It can be as much as an hour before I am able to move my hips freely and really make the transition and the kind of weight transfer that you need to make especially for the longer irons.

Does anyone have any drills or exercises that are intended to help get your hips moving? On the one hand I suppose I can continue to just swing the clubs until my hips get freed up but I think it would be better for my game if I could get my hips freed up earlier in a practice session. I certainly won’t be able to devote an hour to tuning up before a round of golf either.

 

[Bool]

I don't mean this as a joke, but yoga is great for flexibility. I thought that stuff is crap, then I tried it once....it's hard as hell! I've been doing it on a regular basis at home and find I can twist a lot more than before.

 

[derelict]

For me, swinging with my feet closer together helps me feel the hip turn. Also helps not to over swing.

 

[jnug]

You know that is not a bad suggestion as I am inclined to think it is an issue of flexibility exacerbated by age. When I truly could call myself an athlete my forte was quickness.
Age won’t turn tight, fast acting muscles into longer more flexible muscles. So you might be onto something. I think what I need is something in my warm up regimen specifically designed to stretch out my hips and get them moving more freely or a golf drill that has that effect.

There is a drill that calls for placing a rod between your legs extending out beyond where your ball position would be and taking shortened swings always landing your club on the target side of the rod. It is really designed to help you get your hands ahead but if your hips are lagging good luck getting your hands ahead. Since the drill is designed around the hands it only calls for shortened backswings, hardly the kind of thing that calls for much hip action. I don’t wonder if taking that drill out to full swings would be an option. Although if I am going to do that I would do just as well to put a ball down there and swing at it. I need something that will free up my hips much faster than that, maybe a 5 minute drill or flex exercise specific enough to get the job done.

 

[CharlieMoy]

whichever way you need to turn your hips more (whether it be back or forward) you can maybe turn that foot a quarter turn or more, or less, to help with that.

 

[Golf Chick]

I don't mean this as a joke, but yoga is great for flexibility. I thought that stuff is crap, then I tried it once....it's hard as hell! I've been doing it on a regular basis at home and find I can twist a lot more than before.

I agree, I'm currently doing yoga and it helps with flexibility!

 

[IceyShanks]

For me, swinging with my feet closer together helps me feel the hip turn. Also helps not to over swing.

I agree, I use a feet together drill to get the feel of a smooth draw.

 

[derelict]

I stumbled upon the feet together thing completely by accident. I was playing a round and I could not figure out why I could not hit the ball straight off the tee.. finally my brain registered that I felt like my stance was very wide and I was not rotating smoothly... I was forcing swings and they were going right and left. I stepped up to the tee, narrowed my stance so I felt like I was almost just standing next to the ball, not getting ready to hit. Took an easy backswing and POW... not only straight but Loooooong....

Linking the hips, shoulders, arms, wrists all together are the key to hitting the ball long and I find that when I am swinging easy and comfortably, it goes much straighter and much farther...

 

[jnug]

I will remember the feet together drill. This whole experience has actually turned out to be a good thing as it has gotten me to concentrate on staying well balanced and swinging within myself. My swing has been very consistent the last few sessions and my results have been equally consistent. Today I was able to hit all of my irons pretty good all the way from the PW down to the 4 iron and even hit the 3 iron decently.

Thanks everybody.