How to Stop the Hips from Spinning Out in a Golf Swing

Spinning your hips out in the golf swing is one of the most common power-leaks and slice-producers in the amateur game, but it can be fixed with the right feelings and practice. This article will show you exactly what spinning out means, why it’s happening in your swing, and provide you with actionable drills you can use today to get your lower body and upper body back in sync for more power and consistency.

What "Spinning Out" Actually Means (and Why It's a Silent Score-Killer)

Imagine your downswing is a relay race. A perfect swing is when the runner with the baton (your lower body) hands it off smoothly to the next runner (your torso/shoulders), who then hands it to the final runner (your arms and the club) right at the perfect time. Each part works in a seamless sequence.

Spinning out is what happens when your lower body - specifically your lead hip - decides it’s a solo sprinter. It pulls back and away from the target line too fast and too early, breaking the chain. Instead of shifting laterally toward the target and then rotating, your hips just furiously rotate in place. This "early extension" pushes your body closer to the ball and effectively breaks the entire sequence of the downswing.

This single fault triggers a domino effect of bad compensations:

• The Over-the-Top Move: Because your hips spin out and get out of the way too early, the only space for your arms and club to go is "over the top," swinging on a steep, outside-to-in path.
• The Slice or Pull: That steep, out-to-in path is the classic recipe for a weak slice that peels off to the right (for a right-handed golfer). If you manage to square the clubface with that path, you’ll hit a severe pull-hook to the left. Either way, you're not finding the fairway.
• Loss of Power: Real power comes from using the ground and transferring energy up through the body. When your hips just spin, you disconnect from the ground. All that potential force dissipates before it ever reaches the golf club. You feel like you're swinging hard, but the ball goes nowhere.
• Inconsistent Contact: Early extension moves you closer to the ball, often leading to strikes on the hosel (the shank!) or thin shots as you try to adjust on the fly.

In short, it’s a chain reaction that starts with the hips and ends with a scorecard full of big numbers. Feeling fast isn't the same as creating real, sequenced speed.

Why Is This Happening? Finding the Root Cause

Golfers don't spin out on purpose. It's a compensating move, often born from a misconception or another swing flaw. Identifying why you’re doing it is the first step to fixing it. Here are the most common culprits.

The "More Speed" Misconception

Many golfers believe that the faster they can rip their hips open, the more power they will generate. So, from the top of the backswing, their first and only thought is to rotate the hips as fast as humanly possible. Unfortunately, power inゴルフ has little to do with raw hip speed and everything to do with a properly timed transfer of energy. You must have a slight lateral shift toward the target before unwinding. Without it, you’re just spinning your wheels.

A Rushed Transition

The transition is that delicate moment between the backswing finishing and the downswing beginning. Many amateurs, eager to hit the ball, rush this moment. They start firing the hips before the arms have even completed the backswing. This feels powerful, but it throws the whole kinematic sequence out of order. A good downswing starts calmly from the ground up, not with a violent jerk from the hips.

A Lack of Backswing Depth

Sometimes the problem starts before the downswing even begins. If you have a short, restricted backswing where you don't fully rotate your hips and shoulders, you haven't created any space behind you. From this cramped position, the only way to generate any perceived force is to spin the hips out of the way immediately to create room for the arms. A proper backswing buys you the time and space needed for a sequenced downswing.

Think of it as stretching a rubber band. A shallow turn is like barely stretching it, it has no stored energy. A full, deep turn stretches the band to its limit, ready to snap forward with force.

Keeping Weight on Your Trail Foot

A successful downswing involves a weight shift onto your lead foot. Golfers who spin out often keep their weight 'stuck' on their back foot and simply rotate around their spine. This makes a proper weight transfer impossible. Instead of driving toward the target, they are essentially falling backward as they swing, a move that saps power and leaves the club swinging across the line steeply.

The Solution: Proven Drills for a Sequenced Downswing

Okay, we understand the what and the why. Now, let’s get digging into the 'how.' Fixing this fault is about training a new feeling: the feeling of shifting pressure and weight forward before you release that stored rotational energy.

The Core Feeling: "Bump, Then Turn"

Your new swing thought is "bump, then turn." Before you think about rotating your hips, the very first move from the top should be a small, lateral "bump" of your hips toward the target. It's not a big slide, but a subtle shifting of pressure onto the ball of your lead foot. This small move correctly starts the downswing from the ground up, drops the club into the "slot" inside, and gives you space to rotate powerfully through the ball without coming over the top.

Here are some of the best drills to bake this feeling into your swing.

Drill #1: The Step-Through Drill

This is a classic for promoting proper sequencing and weight transfer.

1. Set up to a ball with an iron, but bring your trail foot (your right foot for a righty) up next to your lead foot.
2. Start your backswing. As your arms and club move back, let your trail foot step backward into its normal address position.
3. Once your club reaches the top of the backswing, initiate the downswing by stepping your trail foot forward and past the ball, toward the target.
4. Allow your arms to swing through and hit the ball as you are stepping.

You cannot spin out and do this drill correctly. It forces you to get your weight and momentum moving linearly toward the target, creating speed through sequence, not just frantic rotation. It will feel strange, but it ingrains the perfect feeling.

Drill #2: The Wall or Chair Drill

This drill provides immediate, physical feedback if you spin your hips incorrectly.

1. Set up without a club, a few inches away from a wall (or the back of a sturdy chair) so your left hip (for a righty) is almost touching it.
2. Make a simulated backswing.
3. On the downswing, your goal is to make the "bump" happen. You should feel your lead hip press against the wall/chair first.
4. From there, you rotate, keeping your hip against the wall for as long as possible. If your hips are spinning out, you’ll feel your hip pulling away from the wall immediately, which is exactly the move we want to eliminate.

Start with slow, deliberate practice swings until you get the feeling. This drill makes it undeniably clear whether you are shifting or just spinning.

Drill #3: The Feet-Together Drill

This drill exposes balance flaws and automatically discourages a quick, spinny motion.

1. Address the ball with your feet touching or only an inch or two apart.
2. Take a few swings at about 50-60% speed.

If you spin your hips out with this narrow base of support, you will immediately lose your balance and stumble. The drill forces you to stay much more centered and use rotation around your spine, rather than a lurching, out-of-control spin. It quiets the lower body down so it learns to work in support of the torso and arms, not in a race against them.

Final Thoughts

Stopping your hips from spinning out is all about understanding the proper sequence: a stable backswing, a gentle shift of pressure forward, then a powerful unwinding of the body through impact. It requires patience and a commitment to drilling in a new feel, replacing your old instinct to "rip it" from the top with violent rotation.

Practicing these drills is the most effective way to change your muscle memory, but that new feel can be tough to trust on the course, especially when a good score is on the line. For those moments of a difficult lie or uncertainty between clubs where an old compensation like spinning the hips might reappear, we developed a tool called Caddie AI. It gives you instant, 24/7 access to expert coaching and on-course strategy in your pocket. Having a resource that provides a clear plan for your shot can remove the doubt that often leads to rushed, out-of-sync swings, helping you commit to the better, more powerful move you've been working on.