Ways to Avoid Swaying in your Swing Action

Swaying during the back swing (which is an extreme lateral movement) is a common challenge with most middle to high handicap players.  It may be the consequence of a few things, but mainly if you attempt to add more power to the swing.  I actually have noticed it often becomes more extensive late in the round when we typically get a little more tired.  Then we try to produce a little more club head velocity, resulting in a swaying during the swing action, and then the golf swing thus falls apart.

Before we get into how to correct this common golf swing fault, let us analyze just how swaying in the back swing will totally wreck a correct golf swing technique.  The intent every time you swing the club, from driver to putter (all right, not a sand wedge), is to hit the shot cleanly as regularly as possible with just as much club speed as you can produce.  The best method to achieve both of these goals is keeping the club on a single plane on or after takeaway, throughout the back swing and with the follow-through. 

Swaying in the back swing should make it impossible to keep the club on plane, and as the golf club approaches the ball its approach is not high enough, or flat.  Typically this will cause a "fat" shot, or striking the ground in advance of ball, or "coming off the golf ball", or hitting it thin.  Keeping the golf club on swing plane would be the only way to regularly strike the ball precisely with maximum club velocity.

majority of your swing power, which of course is where most of your power is. 
So how do we combat the problem?  Positioned in front of a full-length mirror and swing a club, check out to see any lateral movement of your head as it lines up on some point on the wall behind you.  You might be amazed at just how much the head moves.  Correct any sway in your swing action by sensing your swing when your head is still.

Yet another way which has been promoted by a number of golf instructors would be to set a stick in the ground about three inches outside of the back hip.  Next hold a club against the front of the shoulders with the arms crossed.  Rotate your body as if you were in the back swing.  Should your hips sway and touch the stick, you know you're guilty of swaying.

These are drills you can do, but obviously if on the course you won't be able to utilize them.  There does is one fairly easy swing key that may help when playing a round.  When within the back swing be sure the front knee will be bent and basically pointed at the golf ball.  At the same point drop the rear hip farther away from the target, to the point the hips tend to be at about a 45% angle towards the target.  It will be nearly impossible to sway back when your hips are in this location.  Furthermore you receive the benefit of having the core generate the power.