Skip to content

It’s one of the most common problems in golf — here’s an easy way to fix it

  • by

Live:

Luke Kerr-Dineen




Sliding is one of the most common — and most problematic — issues in the golf swing. But there’s an easy drill to fix it.

GOLFTEC

We write about the concept of sliding a lot around these parts, and for good reason: It’s really bad for your golf swing! According to GOLFTEC’s wide-ranging SwingTru study, it’s one of the key separators of skill between high and low handicaps. High handicaps sway too much on the backswing — so much that by the time they get back to impact, their hips are actually still behind the ball.

Lower handicaps move off the golf ball, but then have re-centered their hips by the time they reach the top of their backswing. Fast forward to impact, and their hips are almost two inches ahead of the ball at impact. It allows for a more crisp strike, and fewer chunked iron shots.

GOLFTEC’s Brad Thorberg has a solution to help. Simply place a water bottle outside of your back heel (right foot, for right-handed golfers). As Brad demonstrates, if you’ve shifted your weight enough onto your front foot, you’ll be able to lift your foot without knocking the ball over. If you’ve slid too far onto your trail foot, you’ll end up knocking over the bottle as you lift your foot.

You can book your own lesson at GOLFTEC right hereor below.

All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

AUGUST SALE – UP TO 20% OFF!

Fill out this form to book a swing evaluation or club fitting! A local GOLFTEC coach will contact you to discuss your game and goals.

Book Now

Luke Kerr-Dineen

Golf.com Contributor

Luke Kerr-Dineen is the Game Improvement Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. In his role he oversees the brand’s game improvement content spanning instruction, equipment, health and fitness, across all of GOLF’s multimedia platforms.

An alumni of the International Junior Golf Academy and the University of South Carolina–Beaufort golf team, where he helped them to No. 1 in the national NAIA rankings, Luke moved to New York in 2012 to pursue his Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University. His work has also appeared in USA Today, Golf Digest, Newsweek and The Daily Beast.