Rory's Trail Hip Data Changes Everything!

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Rules & Etiquette · Aug 27, 2026 · 15K views · 259 likes

In this video Mike Granato & Shaun Webb from Athletic Motion Golf take on one of the most common pieces of swing advice out there: keep your trail hip back in the downswing. They test it live on Gears, and the results back up why this advice is quietly ruining swings. When Shaun tries to keep his trail hip from moving forward, his pelvis rotation drops, his spine angle gets worse, and he has to shove the handle late just to make contact. Then they pull up Rory McIlroy's data. His trail hip moves back 3 inches while his lead hip moves forward 2.5 inches at the top, and by impact his trail hip has moved forward 2 inches with 21 degrees more rotation than Shaun's restricted version. Letting the trail hip move forward isn't the fault. It's exactly what every good player does. They also cover why "keeping the hip back" and the "wrench pivot" around one hip both create early extension instead of fixing it, why a flying wedge punch shot is never the answer for an early release, and why the real fix almost always starts in the backswing, not the downswing. The knee-swap feel that gets golfers moving like Rory, without needing more speed or rotation to do it. If you're moving in the right direction at all, you're already halfway there. Don't let anyone teach you to do the opposite. 🎁 FREE Training Here: 🎁 Make your BEST swing your NORMAL swing: https://athleticmotiongolf.com/consistency Chapters: 00:00 The drill: keep the trail hip from moving forward 00:35 What that felt like compared to his normal swing 00:53 Having to shove the handle late to compensate 01:11 The measured cost: only 27 degrees of pelvis rotation 01:40 The teeter-totter compensation this advice creates 02:17 How this common advice wrecks rotation and spine angle 02:39 Pulling up Rory McIlroy's hip data 03:09 Rory's trail hip goes back 3 inches, his goes back 1.9 03:31 Why the spine tilts so far when you can't turn 04:18 Rory: 2 inches forward, 21 degrees more rotation 04:42 "Not creating space" is a myth, not a fault 05:03 When players over-rotate too far forward in the backswing 05:40 The real fix isn't putting your foot in a range bucket 06:06 Teaching the opposite movement is what's killing swings 06:26 Corral the right movement, don't reverse it 06:51 Why the fix almost always starts in the backswing 07:06 The knee-swap feel explained 07:47 The "wrench pivot" and why it's just as bad on the other side 08:20 Wiping out natural motion in the name of one checkpoint 08:53 The tour player who can't see the back of the ball anymore 09:11 Step one: are you even moving in the right direction? 09:52 Why this should feel like any other athletic movement 10:29 The flying wedge punch shot is never the fix 10:53 If you're moving right, you're already halfway there #golf #golfswing #athleticmotiongolf