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I wasn't playing so well today, hitting the ball fat quite a bit. Then I realized my old nemesis had returned - sliding my hips laterally back during my backswing.

Any good tips or drills to work on to help prevent doing this?

Thanks!

I have the same problem. Practice your backswing in a full-length mirror, so you can see when you turn them and when you slide them. Then keep watching and practice turning the hips and get that feeling ingrained in your muscle memory.

Yeah, I was just doing that in the yard with the reflection in the windows. Why is it so easy when there's no golf ball there to hit?

Turn your left hip to your right toe.

It's about your left hip on the backswing.. and your right hip on the forward swing.

A cool resistance and balance drill can be done with bungy cord. Fasten the cord around your hips, and then to a stationary post/door/tree/cart. Setup away from the post so that when you set up the cord is pulling your hips toward your back foot.

This will force you to fight against the pull of the cord, and against the urge to slide back. If you do give in to the cord's pull you will go down, but you will in time be able to turn your hips without sliding them drastically.

Take your stance with your right knee flexed slightly towards your left and feel that your weight stays inside the right foot throughout the swing - look at Gary Player's swing

I can put a band-aid on the problem. Move the ball back an inch or two in your stance. Other wise seek the advise of a PGA professional willing and able to 1) diagnois the problem. 2) demonstrate to you in a mannor that is understandable, the correct way to swing. I would go with door number 1 for now. Good Luck!

I may have some more insight on this. I was struggling with the same thing, but in my lesson last weekend my teaching pro told me to concentrate on dropping my right hip when I begin my downswing. My hips were level on the downswing, and that was what was allowing them to slide rather than turn. If you concentrate on dropping the right hip lower than the left when you begin your downswing, it will force the left hip to turn and open up rather than slide.

I basically have two swing thoughts right now: 1)Wrist flat during backswing 2) Drop right hip on the downswing. The first is helping me hit straighter, and the second is helping me consistently get a nice high ball flight. Try it and see if it works.

Mr856A, Looking forward to hearing if any of our suggestions assisted you. Best wishes.

I'd be a bit careful about moving the ball back in the stance since this will make you very steep on the downswing with deep divots and the propensity for more and fatter shots.

A good drill is to actually practice with the ball on a tee (use your 7iron), play it off your left toe (rt handers) and close your stance severely while taking te club back as normal. This encourages you to get your weight through to your left side while simultaneously encouraging extension and a "U" shaped arc as opposed to a "V" shaped arc.