What Is Sway In The Golf Swing?
When it comes to frontal-plane control—your side-to-side stability in the golf swing—it’s become unmistakably clear how essential this quality is. Yes, transferring force laterally is critical for generating speed, but your ability to control and resist that same force is what keeps your swing efficient. Without that control, speed leaks out, contact becomes inconsistent, and ball striking suffers.
There are several swing characteristics that reveal how well a golfer manages this side-to-side motion. Two of the most telling are slide and sway. I’ve already broken-down slide in a previous article, so today let’s define sway—and more importantly, how to improve it.
“What is slide in the golf swing”
What is “sway” in the golf swing?
When we begin the backswing, we expect to coil into our trail side hip and turn away from the target. As we do this, there should be minimal to no lateral or sideways movement of the pelvis away from the target. When there is a lateral shift away from the target during the backswing, we call this sway.
What tends to happen here is instead of shifting the pressure and weight of the body over the trail side or coil into the trail side hip, we instead move over the trail side, placing the center of the pelvis closer to the trail side foot. When golfers are limited in rotation at the hip and trunk and knee (yes, the knee), or are missing the ability to supinate the trail side foot, we are more inclined to just shift the whole body over instead.
If you or your swing coach has identified this as an issue for you and are struggling to fix it with cueing and swing aids, then taking a closer look at the body may serve you! Here are some mobility tests we can do to take a closer look at that trail side…
Mobility testing for sway in the golf swing
1. Thoracic spine rotation
We need to make sure we have enough trunk rotation, independent of the pelvis and lower extremity, to get us into the full backswing position without compensating. This lumbar locked position is the best way for you to tell if you can access 45 degrees or more of thoracic spine rotation.
Testing thoracic spine rotation.
If we struggled with thoracic spine rotation, try these 3 movements as a circuit to begin opening and improving trunk rotation. It is important to note, there are many different reasons for why we might be missing this mobility which would benefit from specific interventions, but these three movements will be a great place to start…
Walk through of the passive kettlebell thoracic spine mobility drill.
The 3d-band rotation drill for thoracic spine mobility and hip strength.
Strength through mobility with thoracic spine controlled articular rotations.
2. Hip internal rotation test
Try this mobility test with a friend or by taking a video. We want to approach 30 degrees or more of hip internal rotation, especially on that trail side. If we cannot get here, we will force ourselves into more rotation elsewhere (injury risk and performance limiter) or pull our pelvis over top of the foot instead (sway).
Testing hip internal rotation.
If hip internal rotation is an issue for you, try these 3 movements as a circuit. Again, there are multiple reasons for why you may have limited mobility, but these three movements will help get the ball rolling in most scenarios…
A hip and pelvis dissociation drill to create mobility at the hips.
A split squat with internal rotation drive at the hip and pelvis.
Side kneeling med ball slam for rotational power and pelvis rotation.
3. Foot supination
The ability for the foot to stay grounded while also freeing up space for movement at the joints above it is critical. If the foot cannot supinate (arch rising) in the backswing, the foot will instead invert (weight and pressure leaks to the outside edge of the foot and the inside edge rises off the ground). To allow an effective and consistent coil above it, the foot needs to be mobile enough to do this. The video below shows what supination should look like.
Testing for the ability to create supination and pronation at the foot.
If the foot is struggling to do this, try these 2 movements below to help create and integrate supination back into that trail side foot.
Foot pronation and supination towel drill.
Foot supination suspension drill.
For more on improving trail side coil ability, check out this article on the pivot…
“Why the pivot is critical to the golf swing”
Conclusion
Sway is more than a simple swing flaw—it’s a signal that the body is missing the mobility or control needed to create a stable, powerful backswing. When the pelvis drifts laterally instead of coiling, you lose stored energy, disrupt your sequencing, and make solid contact much harder to repeat. By assessing the three major contributors—thoracic rotation, hip internal rotation, and foot supination—you can pinpoint exactly where your trail-side limitations are coming from.
If you find yourself fighting sway despite lessons, cues, and training aids, the issue may not be your technique at all—it may be your body. Start with the mobility tests outlined above and work through the corrective circuits to build a foundation that actually supports the swing you’re trying to create. When your body can turn, load, and stabilize properly, sway naturally decreases, and your consistency, speed, and ball striking immediately improve.
If you want a deeper assessment or guidance specific to your swing and body, this is exactly what I help golfers with every day. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re ready to take the next step.
-Dr. Nick DC, MS, TPI, CSCS
If you would like to learn more about your body, pain, and performance, send Dr. Nick an email at contact@integratedrpc.com or call at (585)478-4379, or schedule a FREE discovery visit at Contact.
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