Master this golf-swing ‘X-factor’ to add serious power to your game

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back to our February 2006 issue where Peter Kostis broke down a key move pros use to generate swing speed.

So you want to generate more clubhead speed? Me too. Unfortunately, there’s not a single video you can watch or article you can read to make that happen overnight. The good news is, there is hope yet — and it all starts with understanding how power is created.

When you watch a pro blast a drive, you’ll notice them coil during the backswing, and then uncoil during the downswing. Simple stuff.

However, if you want to hit it like they do you’ll have to uncoil in the same sequence that they do.

Watch the pros swing in slow motion and you’ll notice their lower body firing first and then their upper body following suit. By doing this, they are creating massive potential energy that is then unleashed during the downswing.

Back in a 2006 issue of GOLF Magazine, Peter Kostis — a GOLF Top 100 Teacher Lifetime Achievement member — broke down this sequence perfectly. Read below for more info on how to incorporate this “X-factor” into your own swing.

The power ‘X-factor’

The new X-factor is achieved when you rotate your hips toward the target as fast and as fully as possible, while keeping your shoulders tured back. I see this downswing move in every slow-motion swing we replay on CBS telecasts. Yet the move is so basic that anyone can gain distance with it, even those of you who aren’t as athletic and, let’s face it, as young as guys like Tiger and Ernie (in other words, just about all of us).

You will hit the ball longer by stretching your downswing “x.” If you’re currently slicing the ball or hitting weak pop-ups, changing the way you start your downswing will help you swing the clubhead to the ball from the inside for amore explosive hit. Longer drives will allow you to hit more greens and score better.

You will max out your clubhead speed and your power when your club impacts the ball like a spring that has just been released from its tension. Imagine snapping a towel or casting a fly in fishing: You want that burst of speed to start when the object changes direction. It’s the same concept in your golf swing.

3 elements of the ‘X’

1. Hips

The key to the new ‘X-factor’ is the first move down from the top — the change in direction — and you should start it by rotating your hips toward the target just as your shoulders are competing the backswing turn. Contrast this with the common fault of starting down with the upper body, which actually narrows the “X” between your shoulders and hips. Learn to separate your hips from your shoulders and you’ll hit longer driver right away.

2. Trail heel

You generate power in your downswing from the ground up, and you can’t stretch your “X” if you’re out of balance. So before you do anything else, work on your footwork. Your right foot should roll onto its instep as you swing down. Do this and your hips can rotate forward as they should. Avoid lifting your heel straight up off the ground, which thrusts your hips toward the ball and throws you off balance.

3. Trail knee

Your legs support you during the swing, and they must do their part to allow your hips to shift forward. Imagine a second ball teed up between your knees at address. You want your right knee to knock that ball off the tee just as your clubhead contacts the ball you’re hitting. Kick your right knee toward your left knee, and your hips will have the solid base they need to rotate forward properly.

2 drills to get the ‘X’

1. Feel your new hip turn

To feel how much more hip rotation you’ll need during your swing to stretch your “X,” drape a long towel across your upper back and grab both ends. Turn back and through, keeping the towel pulled tight /right]. This action turns your entire upper body and moves your hips with it. Take note of how much hip rotation you need to rotate your shoulders 90 degrees both ways. Keep the tension in the towel all the way through to know that your hips are rotating enough. If you fall behind and rotate your hips too little, the towel will slacken.

2. Use a cart to swing under

This drill will give you the sensation of what it feels like to stretch your “X.” Grab hold of a golf cart with your left hand, get into your golf posture and mimic a backswing with your right hand. Now fire your right arm through underneath your left arm, which is still holding the cart. See how my hips turned through while my shoulders held back? That’s stretching the “X.”

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