Golf lesson

Golf Downswing Sequence – How to Clear the Hips in Golf by Herman Williams, PGA

Posted on by Eldridge Knowles

For online golf lessons: http://www.hermanwilliamsgolf.com
In this online golf swing lesson, Herman Williams, PGA explains the Golf Downswing Sequence, specifically How to Clear the Hips. Too often amateur golfers are trying to aggressively clear the hips in the downswing without making a proper transition to start down. As a result this either throws off the entire downswing sequence or leads to an armswing that comes “over the top” on the downswing.

Watch as Herman explains how there is no true pause at the top of the backswing and then demonstrates how to shift and clear in the forward swing. He also shows how important it is to get into a proper finish position keeping the hips pressed forward toward the target … we like to call it “finishing against the wall.”

Link to video: http://youtu.be/pzU8ogHitZs

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31 thoughts on “Golf Downswing Sequence – How to Clear the Hips in Golf by Herman Williams, PGA”

  1. Hi Herman, Best golf instruction on video and youtube, you know how to
    teach! Some pros talk you to death or simply do not know how to teach
    essentials, You do! 🙂 How about some videos on the short game and maybe
    putting? I would welcome it. (Hcp. 9) 

  2. Herman, I think you are the best versed coach in youtube. You break things
    down short and quick and make things very clear. It’s just that, as you
    said in this video, the transition is very difficult. I break things down
    in a few steps and then try to make smooth transition between those but
    lots of times, I end up hitting the ground pretty severely… And how come
    you don’t have any videos for short games and drivers? I would like to see
    those :)

  3. Nice. Glad I’ve never seemed to have to think about any of that stuff. I’ve
    always just naturally moved through the ball and turned through the ball,
    but it’s nice to see a logical description of it.

    Even without these issues it’s taken me a long time to get my swing sorted
    out. I still need the right combination of straightness in the left arm,
    extension on the take-away/backswing and powering through with the right
    hand to get my power-fade to turn into a straight ball. Getting a strong
    enough grip and keeping the backswing from breaking down has taken a lot of
    evolution.

    By “breaking down” I mean getting too much bend in the left arm so that I
    fail to maintain leverage and can’t get the club-face back to square. Lose
    leverage and you’ll never get back to square. I’ve never had a golf lesson,
    but being an auto-didact in all things, that is what I have learned about
    the driver swing.

    My formula (talking the driver here): a strong enough grip, plus enough
    straightness in the left arm, plus a powerful enough hit through with the
    right hand keeps the ball from going right, then enough extension on the
    take-away keeps me from being able to come over the top and go left
    (assuming I move through the ball, which I have always done).

    That formula is simple enough for me to be able to keep it working, but as
    I said, I don’t think I ever had any issue with any of this moving through
    and clearing the hips stuff. If I did I probably never would have sorted it
    out.

    Holy cow what a complicated thing it is to hit a little ball straight.
    Gotta say though, hitting it straight adds a LOT of distance.

  5. “We would not actually completely pose here”, ” As you finish the
    backswing, the lateral movement begins.” I love these:)

  6. Herman, you are partially right. All the great ball strikers, Hogan,
    Couples,etc, combine a lateral shift plus an opening of the hips so by the
    time they get to impact the hips are open,the shoulders are square,and the
    low point of the swing is in front of the ball. They all do it a little
    differently depending how much they’re off the ball at the top of their
    backswing.

  7. Great video … When I started playing golf all I heard about was clear the
    hips, that led to early extension and a whole lot of back pain … This is
    definitely a great explanation of what I’ve been figuring out after many
    videos and lessons

  12. good lesson…btw, should my Right hip ever extend past my left foot
    ??…you are bowing left but I think you may be doing that for demo
    /clarity purposes only…thx

  13. Great videos. Clear, concise and easily understood. Do you have any
    thoughts or videos on maintaining the forward spine angle on the
    downswing? I have a tendency to ‘stand up’ on the downswing leading to
    inconsistent ball contact.
    Thanks.

  17. Best lesson ever for me… This fixed my over the top problem… And
    Rob W, watch Rory squat, slide and then clear the hips… Thanks
    Herman… :-)

  18. Thanks so much. I really needed clarification on that. One of my
    instructors said that it was “an illusion” when I said that when I
    watch pros swing I see a lateral move when shifting weight on the
    downswing! And was instructed not to move laterally. But I knew that she
    was wrong and went searching for a video. Thanks!

  19. once again, brilliant video and perfectly explained. I have been struggling
    with EXACTLY what you describe at the beginning of the video. hips spinning
    all over the place. this fixed it almost instantly. thanks a lot Herman.
    best on youtube mate

  22. Herman Thanks for the video. I can see the difference with me hitting my
    iron shots more solid and can feel the club going into the socket and going
    through. Although i am not having the same success with the driver. I
    really struggle hitting my driver straight when doing this drill even in
    slow-mo i leave it way out to the right close to a slice. I would defiantly
    appreciate the help with this. Thank you.

  26. Thank you Herman for your wonderfully informative Hermanization….
    Young 17 years of age LPGA star Lydia Ko just won the 2014 Swing-Skirts
    LPGA Classic Championship at Lake Merced Golf Club in San Francisco…, and
    Lydia’s downswing was consistent in the proficient execution of “the
    clearing of the hips” instruction provided by you in this very informative
    video. I’m wondering if you caught a glimpse of Lydia in action this
    weekend (April 27, 2014) and if it was Lydia’s compelling performance which
    inspired you to produce this wonderful video? Excellent work Herman and
    keep on Hermanizing the aspiring golfers in the great game of golf..
    Joy, Love, and Peace ~ Jaime

  28. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. All of your videos have been awesome. I do
    come over the top because of my first move is often my hips. This wll help
    me tremendously. I am trying to qualify for the state am in Alabama May
    19th. I take my golf seriously. I have tried to implement everything you
    have said even changing my grip. I’m starting to see great results thanks
    to you. This key is really going to help! -Chad

  30. Thanks Herman! Some time ago I wanted a transition video and now I’ve got
    it. Over our winter here I worked on getting a bigger x factor on the
    downswing by trying to hold the shoulders back while letting the hips
    shift, clear, and post, and at the same time pegging that left arm against
    the chest all the way down (dustin Johnson style). I think it has yielded
    me some extra yards and perhaps some accuracy, and it seems like I am
    getting a burst of speed right at impact. so far so good after 3 actual
    rounds. Thanks for your help and insight, as always it was very well
    explained.
    The Birdien’ Fool

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