Swing the Spine for Greater Leverage and Power in Your Golf Swing! 

After many "modern swing" golf lessons, my perennial backswing pitfall has been a flat swing and not turning back enough, especially now as a senior golfer. With a flat hip turn and flat feet, I'd take the clubhead inside, get stuck, chop at the ball, and not finish the downswing. With the pendulum swing, I can do a full shoulder turn back. It's what I was taught 60 years ago (it wasn't named pendulum, but both heels came off the ground.) So it's easy to return to my juvenile swing, my thought being right hip to 4 oclock on backswing, left hip to 8 oclock on downswing (facing 12 oclock.) The left shoulder naturally turns on plane, dips down to the right foot and makes the club go up on plane, not flat and inside. A must key is to consciously keep the top of the sternum fixed in space. The center of hipbone moves to right instep, then left instep. Before swinging, I set a slight bump towards the target to tilt the sternum to prevent closed shoulders and an over the top downswing. During the downswing, I extend the right arm to throw the club at the ball. Good stuff. Thanks.

Well I have written you once or twice before but today I hit my first 250 Yard Drive I am 66 years old and having fun golfing as much as possible thank you for your classes thank you for your instructions they helped me a lot

Everyone should watch this video several times - not just once - then go to the range. I have a fairly low handicap but have always struggled with my hip turn. I never thought of the spine angle as an A-frame back and forth. WOW did this work for me today. It finally got me to the proper TILT and post-up on the left hip...and with the "Malaska tip" of the club - it was amazing. Everything was laser straight or a perfect draw. This will be my main video to watch every practice or game day.

Finishing off with an explanation of the hip work really creates clarity.

This is a masterpiece. I tried it and it works perfectly. Set up with a little left hip k and a left arm across the chest takeaway and then skip stones across the pond with the spine making the main move back controlling the arms and club. Butt lightly touches against the imaginary chair back rest with a 30% bend approximately, there is small butt movements back and forward, up and down. Then spine slides forward and around. If you can just let the Spine Take Charge, everything in the body moves in perfect sync!!! It should feel like you are hitting up on the ball but it won't for irons or fairway woods. It only feels up but in reality it hits ball and then takes turf. And up is good for driver. You'll hit fat first few tries and then suddenly, wham like a PRO!

This video has launched a huge understanding to me for the application of Mike Austin swing.... I incorporated it a few days ago on the range and once I got the hang of it I began to "feel" the effortless power. My launch monitor showed the swing speed I had been working on (and I mean really work) getting my swing speed to 100 at 80% speed, and not pulling my shots left as I have been struggling with. I am still getting the swing "habit" developed but starting with getting the feel with short swings (symmetry) has helped me to apply this to my full swing, and when I apply it I am gaining yardage too. Thank you Steve!!!

This is the perfect pivot. I throw the clubhead from the top, with the power of the upper arms. I only swing to P5 and then the arms stop. The " flexed" shaft then takes over and is thrown into orbit, pulling the arms with it. Instructors have said that the mind is in the hands, but when I throw from the top, my mind is in the connected upper arms and the hands and forearms are completely forgotten and totally relaxed.

This really hits home with me because I cannot emulate the takeaway turn without feeling as though I can maintain balance throughout the swing

Another great video, Steve! Loved it!!

Great video. This was the one aspect of the backswing I have struggled with mightily, putting way too much emphasis on shifting weight to back leg and then having to work really hard (and inconsistently) on transferring back to the front. I watched this video, took some notes, and went straight to the range. Almost instantly, quite literally, I was hitting the most solid, straight and long ( for me anyway) shots, all through the bag. Steve has a real no nonsense way of displaying what a powerful and repeatable golf swing should look and feel like. As a 58 year old 8 hcp, I appreciate Steve's straightforward approach to the most important aspects of the game.

You do a great job of explaining complex concepts in a manner we can relate to Steve. I just started viewing your vids and the one little move that I am already benefitting from is the left heel lift and replant. It gets me to focus on weight transfer and the replant is a perfect way to make sure the downswing starts from the ground up. Thanks for this.

Thanks for taking the time to dial in on this aspect of the swing ... Fantastic and creative ... Love the "WOBBLE" analogy! #BEASTMODE with that 7 iron!! #wasthereeveryanydoubt

Steve, this is the first time that someone explained weight shift and hip rotation to me like you have and it has done wonders for me. Thanks a bunch and I’m a believer and subscriber for life

This + all the imagery of your other tips is terrific ✅ thanks Steve 👌🍻😉

What a wonderful instruction it is !

Absolutely amazing!!!!!

It's funny, I was practicing this and ripping it at the range and the local pro told me I was reverse pivoting.....I just smirked and him and kept smoking em over and over and he walked away 🤣

Amazing visual! Thank you so much for this awesome information and the truly professional way you share these gems!

Great demonstration, Steve.

Very good video, Steve

Transformative lesson Steve, thank you!

Thanks for the great lesson. One thing that's awesome for me to see with your golf swing is that after raising your front heel, you plant it in a different place. That's what I do, which helps me really start my downswing and post my front leg, but I thought I was the only one in the world who did it and that it was 'wrong'. :-)

This is a great video. Seems like such a natural more free flowing body pivot and movement compared to other approaches. Anxious to put this into practice and see the results! Thank you, I’m really enjoying your content and what I’m learning about the Mike Austin principles/method.

This is a great lesson. So well done, and very much appreciated!

One of your best lessons, thanks.

I have noticed you actually pick up your lead foot and lever your heal in and toes out on forward shift leading more to a foot stomp down. I have felt this the more I focus on back side flexion as I shift forward; it feels more like it gives me a split second longer to keep right arm back get a deeper throwing motion.(Fernando Valenzuela). Then the lead hip comes up, and allows the front side to extend and use the ground force thru the hitting zone. I actually feel more control of the club head with less tension during the release. Weird, different feels but WOW. On ball compression!

Thanks for the lesson. What I love about this is the sternum pretty much stays in place from beginning of swing to near impact. No issues of trying to get back to the ball yet getting a shift. Love the symmetry of it as well.

Thank You, makes Sense@@

Well done Steve. Lots of advantages as you say. I may have missed you saying it but one of the best advantages is the protection of the back. So may tour players are having back issues and I believe it because of the way many twist the spine.

Makes a lot of sense to me.

about as good as it gets!

I really enjoy your teaching and interpretation of Mike Austin methodology. Question are you straightening your right leg as Mike suggests. From the video it doesn't appear so but it has to in order to get the proper turn/sway? Thank you

can you explain the Wall drill that Austen explained to Mike Dunaway

Hi steve great video. Moving lateral to the right, I find it difficult to not put pressure on the outside of my right foot, any tips does it help by straightening my right leg?🏌️👍

I would like to come visit you because I have such a tendency to slide anyway, and I feel like you can probably tune and tweak certain things in my swing to really get me to utilize my hip slide better. I live in Whittier California how much would 1 lesson be ?

steve, so i'm finding with this action my arms are going more vertical and upright which is good for me because i tend to get way too inside which can lead to a block coming down. it feels good cause i'm swinging more on line.

Really makes sense! Well described!

Very good illustration of the spine engine. Btw, Colin Montgomerie won 7 consecutive Order of Merit titles in Europe with a similar technique.

Hi Steve. I have been learning golf for just over 3 yrs now. And just realized that not only yourself all top professionals drop your head and it goes back as well coming into impact. I good sign of a great Stricker of the golf ball. Can you please comment, is this just a natural move. ???

It would be refreshing for once to see a golf instructor discuss timing (sequencing). There seems to be too little attention on where your club and body should be at various stages of the swing. Power and direction are absolutely dependent upon being in the correct position at impact with a club face square to your line. That should be good for a lesson or two, don’t you think?

This is another way of explaining the compound pivot, correct (without ever using that term)?

Thanks Steve. Is this the "compound pivot" that you and Mike Austin reference?

198 yds carry with a 7 iron on the trackman. I’m listening

Steve, I noticed you adress the ball in the heel of the club. I believe Mike AUstin would instead advocate adressing a little bit in the toe of the club to compensate for the extension of the arms during the downswing . Can you elaborate on this ?

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Hey Steve, has Bryson been taking lessons from you ? he's absolutely pounding it ! Loft at impact 16 * Angle of attack + 5 * !! Spin Loft 11 * He's averaging 340

Question: At 13:18 on your slow motion downswing your hips seems to stop moving, having reached 45 degrees, and arms come blazing through. Do you do this on purpose or is the motion of the hip held back while the mass of the arms and club pull on it to accelerate? Is it a by-product of something else or is it trained?

Watching your videos reminds me of how I used to hit the ball as a teenager when I felt more free and hit the ball farther. Question though, are you tending to hit the ball higher than tour players and have more dynamic loft at impact? It looks like there’s not a ton of forward shaft lean at impact just wondering.

Flaring your left foot on the downswing has a huge impact on how much you "slide".

...13:00 ...’it’s a shift AND a turn ...not a shift THEN a turn’....this is important because ‘timing’ is minimized on the transition...so this swing could easily be taught to novices ( and certainly, after seeing you swing , the advanced )...I think Steve this single video is almost a complete.blueprint for a system of instruction...one of the most detailed explanations on the web...do you have a ‘catchy’’ name for this swing....is you’re e book still available...in addition, really would like to see you record some videos where you swing your 7 iron at speeds below supersonic so it becomes somewhat more realistic for us 90 pounders...

Backswing spine points through the right knee. Downswing spine points through the left knee. Correct?

Steve, have you ever thought about qualifying for the World Long Drive ?

hi Steve, your technique of turning is more rely on the momentum of the hip move, but not much using the back leg to push to turn.

If I could just take a chair out on the golf course with me, I think my game would improve a lot! Great video instruction BTW. Thanks.

Good stuff Steve!! Quick question are you tilted at address ??

Great swings! Great control of your CG. 8:30 Did you ever throw the discus?

Steve, in the downswing are you feeling a running feel/pressure with your right foot, ankle, calve, and quad? Or Is it just an unweighting move of the right side?

👍👍😃

This is Money! $$$

At the beginning of the video I thought it was going to say but most of us only have one spine

The only thing better than this video would be you doing it in Mike Austin's skeleton suit!

I think if u wud exhail on the follow thru instead of hold ypur breath their would be less tension and 3 more mph. Jusf like when u exhail on jumping hovh or bench pressing. Exhail lile brice lee to create more power. Holding the breath has to creat more tension.

The vertical line doesn't seems to be all that straight at the bottom!

I always hit it like 2 feet fat when I do this

Steve, looks a bit like Colin Montgomery.

thjnk you need a biggger shirt steve lol

Doesn't look exactly 'effortless.' You're laying into it. Is it safe for the spine? I'm going to try this tho.

Seems like to many moving parts to synchronize at the same time to make your swing work

Oh man come on ya cant leave Bubba off your list. He has to be doing some very of what youre talking about

Hey I like to have a 90 lb woman do that to me🤣

Doesn't work for everyone. This method really encourages unwanted sway, and robs you of rotational speed and power.