A reverse pivot is one of the most common power-killers in golf, but getting rid of it is simpler than you might think. This single fault flips the entire sequence of your swing, causing you to tilt towards the target on the way back and fall away from it on the way down. This article will show you exactly what a reverse pivot is, why it’s happening, and provide a clear, step-by-step guide with effective drills to fix it for good.
In a powerful and efficient golf swing, the sequence of movement is straightforward: you turn away from the target in the backswing, loading your weight and pressure onto your trail side (your right side for a right-handed golfer). Then, you transition that pressure toward the target and unwind your body through impact, finishing balanced on your lead foot.
A reverse pivot does, as the name suggests, the complete opposite.
Here’s what it looks like:
You’ve essentially flipped the correct weight shift. You move left on the way back and right on the way down. It’s an easy mistake to make, often born from the simple advice to "keep your head still." Many golfers interpret this to mean locking their head in place, which forces the upper body to tilt instead of rotating.
The consequences of a reverse pivot are widespread and frustrating. It’s the root cause of many common swing flaws that you might be struggling with right now.
If you feel like you aren't hitting the ball with any authority, struggle with a slice, or can't seem to make clean contact consistently, a reverse pivot is a likely suspect.
To fix this issue permanently, you have to understand where it's coming from. It's rarely just one thing, but usually a combination of setup mistakes and conceptual misunderstandings. Here are the most common culprits.
An improper setup puts you in a position to fail before you even start the club back. The two main setup flaws that encourage a reverse pivot are:
This is arguably the biggest cause. Many golfers think "weight shift" means "swaying." They laterally slide their hips and shoulders away from the target in the takeaway. But a large sway makes it difficult to maintain balance, and the natural reaction is for the upper body to tilt back toward the center - directly into a reverse pivot. A proper backswing is a rotation, a coiling of your hips and shoulders around a stable axis. There is a slight centering motion, but it's not a big sideways lurch.
If you initiate your backswing by simply lifting your arms instead of turning your torso, your body is left behind. To complete the "swing," your upper body will often tilt toward the target to make space for your arms at the top. This is a sequence error: the body should move the arms, not the other way around. Rotational power comes from the core, arm lifting creates no energy stores to release on the downswing.
The good news is that a reverse pivot isn’t a life sentence. You can reprogram your body's movement with some targeted drills. Go slowly, don't use a ball at first, and focus on the feeling of the correct motion.
This is a classic for a reason - it provides instant, undeniable feedback. It will teach you the feeling of turning your head slightly as you rotate your chest, rather than tilting away.
This drill is all about getting your hips to work correctly. A reverse pivot often stems from a hip *slide* instead of a hip *turn*. This will fix that.
This focuses on building a better understanding of where your pressure should be. Remember, 'weight' and 'pressure' aren't exactly the same, but for this feeling, we are trying to get the majority of your loading into the trail foot.
Start with mirror work or by filming yourself on your phone. Rehearse these motions slowly and deliberately until the new feeling starts to become second nature. Then, introduce a ball and try to replicate the same feelings at 50% speed before building back up to full swings. Consistency will come from ingraining the right motor pattern, not from searching for a quick fix.
Fixing a reverse pivot is entirely achievable. By understanding that it’s a tilting error caused by an improper rotation and weight shift, you can target the root cause. Using intentional, feeling-based drills will overwrite the old, destructive habit and replace it with a powerful, efficient pivot that sets you up for consistent success.
It can be tough to diagnose your own swing or feel the difference between a correct pivot and a reverse pivot. I created my coaching tool, Caddie AI, to give you that expert second opinion anytime, anywhere. You can upload a video of your swing, and it will analyze your motion, pointing out flaws like a reverse pivot and providing personalized drills to fix it. It helps take the guesswork out of your practice so you can work on the right things and start seeing real improvement.
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