Sway and Slide Are Killing Your Rotation and Power

A powerful and consistent golf swing is fundamentally rotational. Think of the best players in the world; they rotate their bodies with incredible speed and grace around a relatively stable centre. They look like balanced, powerful athletes.

When you move too much off the ball, it becomes incredibly difficult to get back to it in a consistent and powerful way. While they are often talked about together, sway and slide are two distinct faults that happen at different parts of the swing.

What is a "Sway"?

A sway is an excessive lateral movement of the hips away from the target during the backswing. Instead of rotating around your trail leg, your hips slide outside of your trail foot.

• The result? A sway makes it very difficult to load your weight properly. It often leads to a "reverse pivot", where your upper body has to tilt back towards the target just to stay balanced. From this position, all your power is lost, and you're set up for a weak, over-the-top downswing.

• The cause? It's often a misunderstanding of the "weight shift." Golfers think they need to make a big move to their right (for a righty) to load up, but this should be a pressure shift and a turn, not a slide. It can also be caused by a lack of stability in the trail leg and hip.

What is a "Slide"?

A slide is an excessive lateral movement of the hips towards the target during the downswing. Instead of the hips rotating and clearing out of the way, the entire pelvis shifts horizontally towards the target. Now, a little slide to the target can actually be a good thing ... note we said a little ... like two ball widths max. But getting it right is in the realms of the pros, and it's better for the average golfer - exspecially a beginner - to concentrate on not sliding at all.

• The result? A slide gets the lower body way out ahead of the upper body, which drops the club down and gets it "stuck" behind you. From there, the common outcomes are a block to the right or a violent hook as the hands try to save the shot. It also makes controlling the low point of your swing nearly impossible, leading to both fat and thin shots.

• The cause? Like the sway, it's often a misinterpretation of the forward weight shift. It can also be a reaction to an over-the-top swing, where the player slides their hips forward to try and create room.

How to Promote Rotation Over Lateral Movement

To fix these faults, you need to feel what it's like to turn around a stable axis.

• Feel a "Braced Trail Leg" to Stop the Sway: On your backswing, feel like your trail leg is a firm, braced post that you are turning into. The pressure should build up on the inside of your trail foot, not the outside. A great drill is to place a golf bag or an alignment stick just outside your trail foot at address. If you sway, your hip will bump into it.
• Feel the "Post Up" to Stop the Slide: On the downswing, your lead leg should act as the post that you rotate around. As you transfer your weight, feel your lead leg straighten and firm up. This "posting up" action stops the lateral slide and allows your hips and chest to rotate with speed.
• The "Turn in a Barrel" Swing Thought: This is a classic and effective mental image. Imagine you are standing inside a fairly narrow barrel. You have to make your entire golf swing, back and through, without your hips touching the sides of the barrel. This thought instantly promotes rotation and restricts side-to-side movement.
• Think "Pockets Back": Here’s the simplest thought of all. On the backswing, feel your trail hip pocket turn directly behind you. On the downswing, feel your lead hip pocket turn directly behind you. This encourages a pure rotation and is the natural enemy of both the sway and the slide.

By replacing those inefficient lateral moves with powerful rotation, you'll create a much more stable and centered golf swing. The result is more speed, more consistency, and much more solid contact.

Causes of Sway and Slide

If you’re moving laterally instead of rotating, timing becomes your boss. Swaying off the ball or sliding through impact changes low point and path from swing to swing.

• What setup often causes it
• Too‑wide stance that locks rotation and invites lateral motion.
• Ball too far forward so you chase it left.

• Weight starting left, then you counter‑move right.

• Back to neutral
  Choose a stance width that lets your hips and chest turn without drift (not “shoulder width” by default – your functional width) and keep the ball’s reference consistent to the lead heel for each club. As clubs get longer, widen via the trail foot only. Rotation replaces sway when the base fits the motion.