Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
Hip Bump for Axis Tilt - Your Key to the Perfect Golf Setup Position
Another common golf setup position problem we're going to eradicate is not achieving the proper amount of axis tilt.
"Axis Tilt" is just a fancy way of talking about how much your spine is tilted away from the target when you're in your setup position.
A lot of people don't know how much axis tilt they should have. How much is enough? How much is too much? We're going to make it really simple.
Axis tilt is not derived from some special number that dictates golf swing plane, etc. It does affect your swing plane, but that's not the purpose of it.
The primary purpose of axis tilt in your setup is to allow your right hand to reach the golf club without forcing you out of your posture.
What if You Don't?
Reaching with the right
Without axis tilt, you would end up protracting your right shoulder blade and rotating your right shoulder forward to reach the club.
Your right hand has to sit lower than your left on the golf club. If you're in your setup posture, in the box, and you try to put your right hand below your left on the golf club, there's no way you can reach.
When you tilt your spine and bump your hip slightly forward, that allows you to bring that right hand to the club. Your right shoulder will sit slightly lower than the left.
Axis tilt has a lot of other roles to play in the golf swing too; it's not just so you can put your hand on the golf club, but getting the right hand into position while maintaining proper setup posture and staying in the box is its primary purpose.
How To...And How Not To
Hiking the left shoulder -
Don't do this!All you have to do is bump your hips a little bit forward, toward the target. That will tilt your spine back a little bit, lowering your right hand.
That's all there is to it.
We see a lot of people who, instead of getting that little bit of axis tilt in their setup, want to take their left shoulder and hike it up.
They end up with the left shoulder all hunched up, and while that does place the right arm lower than the left, it's at the cost of being totally disconnected, and creates a lot of tension in the upper shoulder on the left side.
All you need to do is get into a proper golf setup position and then bump your hips a little toward the target.
That little bit of bump creates your axis tilt. As long as your head stays in place while you bump your hips forward, you're all set.
Added Benefits
Proper axis tilt is also going to help with getting back to the left side in the downswing and having more stability from the right.
As you bump your hips forward, your right leg is now going to be angled slightly in, which will help you get back to the left, along with a lot of other benefits.
Primarily, of course, you just want to make sure you have good posture at address. That's the main purpose.
That's all there is to it. Just a slight bump forward with your hips, drop your right shoulder, and you've got a good posture at address.
