A slider's program

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The main focus of the program is to build great mobility and stability in the lead leg and hip, while at the same time teaching you what it feels like to fire your thorax (trunk) around a stable lead leg.

If there is one swing fault that I personally despise it is the Slide. Since the day I started playing golf, this is the one fault that always seems to show up in my own swing. Let me share with you some of my favorite training tips to help eliminate this fault from your game.

Have you ever noticed that stabilizing your lower body (trying to not move it) can often allow you to hit the ball farther than trying to fire or rotate your lower body?

Have you ever noticed if you put all of your weight on your lead leg and keep it there while you hit chip shots, that you strike the ball better?

If you answered yes to either of these two questions, you probably have a slide in your golf swing. Let's take a look at the mechanics of the slide.

A slide is any excessive lateral motion towards the target with your lower body during the downswing or follow-through. It actually causes a major variance in your overall height as you swing the club (your knees act like large springs). Obviously, this can cause fat or thin shots with all your clubs, since the bottom of your swing arc tends to move to a different spot with each shot.

In my experience, the slide can also act as a protective mechanism for those of you with lower back pain. Imagine the shock absorbers in your car, therir job is to smooth out your ride and reduce the force going into the body of the car. The same thing can happen with your knees, extending and flexing to help reduce force and torque into the lower back. If you are suffering from lower back pain and you slide in your golf swing, you should have a medical professional take a look at your back before you try to eliminate the slide.

Ok, so now that we all understand the slide, how do we get rid of it. I have included a series of exercises and drills that I use with all my sliding clients. The main focus of the program is to build great mobility and stability in the lead leg and hip, while at the same time teaching you what it feels like to fire your thorax (trunk) around a stable lead leg. I like to perform all the mobility exercises first, then stability, and finally the motor pattern drills. I have listed them in the correct order as well.

Good luck!