Anybody that has been around youth baseball or softball has
undoubtly heard the term
”
squash the bug
”
.
Anybody that has been around youth baseball or softball has undoubtly heard the term “squash the bug”.
This refers to the pivot the back foot does during the swing allowing your hips to open up while your weight stays back and balanced. Since a lot of us grew up playing baseball we have a tendency to apply this same move to our golf swing… WRONG!
During the golf swing we do not want to open the hips up initially. This will cause you to come over the top of your swing and hit pulls or slices. The move that you want in your golf swing is more of a slide not a pivot of the hips.
At the top of your backswing, you want your front hip to slide towards the target slightly as if someone had a rope attached to the belt loop above your left hip and was pulling it. This hip “slide” drops your hands into the proper position so you can now deliver them into the hitting area.
Only after the front hip slides laterally a few inches does the hip pivot and clear. But you see it is a result of the front hip sliding first not pivoting first.
The next time you are practicing get your swing to the top of your backswing, then move your front hip like you normally would. If the hip starts to pull to the left and behind you, then you are pivoting and not sliding.
To help cure this, stick a club in the ground next to the outside of your left foot so the club sticks up vertically. Then slide your hips so you can touch the club with your hip. This is the first move to your improved downswing.
Remember, when all else fails take a lesson. You’ll be surprised how much we can help.
To schedule a lesson with PGA-certified instructor Don DeLorenzo, call Gilroy GC at 848-0490.
