When it comes to the driver swing, a common mistake for beginner golfers is over-using the upper body too early in the swing, which tends to force a downward angle of attack.
This kind of “hitting down” feels okay with irons, but with a driver—whose lie angle and design favor a more neutral or sweeping impact—leads to weak, inconsistent contact.
Also, many golfers move the ball too far forward in the stance in an attempt to hit up, which paradoxically can shift the club’s path and encourage an early pull or leftward miss. Even with good ball position, the upper body often still “gets ahead” of the swing sequence—another recipe for trouble.
The Five Second Setup Hack
- Address your setup as you normally would to the driver—ball toward your front heel, posture, grip, etc.
- Place your hand on the trail (right) hip and gently push that hip down by about an inch. This is not a forward move, but a vertical drop. That drop changes how your hips, spine, and shoulders align for better contact.
- Tilt your spine angle, lower the right shoulder, and then you’ll likely feel a little more bend in your right knee. Your hips now have a slight tilt.
- Keep the trail hip low during your backswing and transition and don’t let it lift. Meanwhile, your lead hip can move toward the target slightly. This helps shallow your plane, “slot” the club, and allows you to fire upward through impact.
This alignment puts your body in a better geometry for hitting the driver with a positive angle of attack, shifting weight efficiently, and reducing that early “lifting” or sliding that kills consistency.
A Simple Drill Using Uphill Feel
Something to keep in mind is how to use this feel on an uphill lie. To imitate this scenario, slightly elevate your front foot (left, for a right-hander) so you simulate being on a mild uphill slope.
In that posture, you will naturally be forced to drop the trail hip to stay balanced. That helps you “feel” the proper hip drop and encourages the low to high launch geometry.
From there, swing while maintaining that dropped right hip, keep your spine tilt, and fire through. The bottom of your arc should be in front of the ball (i.e. you catch the ball on the upswing) rather than behind it.
Over a few repetitions, this teaches your body how to default into that helpful hip drop setup even on flat ground.
Why This Works & What to Watch Out For
This isn’t a gimmick—tour pros do variations of this kind of tilt, subtle hip alignment, and posture control at address. By lowering the trail hip you:
- Improve torque separation between your lower and upper body
- Encourage a shallower attack path
- Reduce the tendency of your body to “stand up” or lift the trail hip through transition
- Promote more consistent, clean contact with driver
However, there’s a few things to be cautious about:
- Don’t exaggerate the hip drop so much that you lose balance or posture
- Stay mindful of just tilting and lowering—not pushing forward or overextending
- Let your body rehearse it slowly before trying full swings
- Use the uphill-feel drill first so the body can internalize the feel
Fix Your Driver Swing in Five Seconds
This kind of setup adjustment only helps if your body can move with it. If you have significant hip mobility restrictions, core weakness, or compensations, that may limit how effective this feels. Prioritize flexibility and strength work (especially rotational core stability) to support this setup.
Your driver swing success is often about preparation and execution more than sheer brute force. With this five second hip drop fix, you’ll have minimal change with maximum impact golf swing. Try this next time you’re on the range—you may well become better friends with your driver.
