Driving · Tip
Keep Your Seat Back to Stop Pushing Drives
Part of our driving programs for slice, push or pull. Build a program with it
A ball that starts right and stays right isn't always a slice. A push often comes from your hips moving toward the ball and you standing up. Your arms lose their room. The club gets stuck behind you. The fix is to feel like you sit back a little as you turn through. Keep your rear end close to where it started. That keeps space for your arms to swing down and through on line.
Step by step
- Picture a wall touching your rear at setup.
- Keep your seat on that wall through impact.
- Feel your lead hip move back and around.
- Hit half-speed shots holding posture.
- Speed up once the ball starts on line.
Why it works
When your hips move toward the ball and you stand up, the space between your body and your hands shrinks. Your arms cannot swing down freely, so the club stays behind you and the face points right of the target at impact. Keeping your seat back holds your posture and lets your lead hip turn back and around, which leaves room for the club to approach on line.
Common mistakes
- You slide your hips toward the target in the downswing.Feel your rear end stay against an imagined wall while your lead hip turns back and around.
- You stand up through impact and lose your spine angle.Hold the bend from your hips until after the ball is gone.
- You hit full-speed shots before the move feels steady.Hit half-speed shots first and add speed only when the ball starts on line.
How you'll know it's working
- The ball starts at or near your target line instead of right of it.
- You feel your lead hip turning back, not moving toward the ball.
- Your contact is centered and your arms feel free through impact.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Set up with your rear end lightly touching a wall or a club shaft held behind you, and make slow swings that keep contact.
Harder: Make full-speed swings on the course or with a target line marked, keeping your seat back while the ball still starts on line.
Common questions
Why do I push my driver to the right?
A push often starts with the club approaching from too far inside, which can happen when your hips move toward the ball and you stand up. The face points right and the ball starts right and stays there.
How do I stop my hips moving toward the ball in the downswing?
Feel your rear end stay close to where it started at setup, as if a wall were behind you. Turn your lead hip back and around instead of pushing it forward.
