In this episode of ProWork, Connor Luke and I took on Dan’s reverse pivot together. And like with most swing problems, the fix wasn’t just about finding the right drill on the range. It was about helping Dan understand why his body was doing what it was doing, and giving him ways to work on the new movement whether he was at the course, at the gym, or standing in front of his bathroom mirror.
Our good friend and fitness expert Kolby Tullier likes to say you can’t shoot a cannon from a canoe. That’s one I always like to steal, because it’s a great description of what happens with a reverse pivot. Dan’s instinct was to get behind the ball by sliding his hips backward. It felt right to him, because he thought he was loading up. But that lateral slide was actually destabilizing his lower body, which caused his upper body to tilt back toward the target.
The first thing we did was get Dan on a balance disc. These are cheap, easy to use anywhere, and (most importantly for this tip) they make it nearly impossible to slide. When you’re standing on it, your lower body has to stabilize just to keep you upright. From there, we had Dan focus on winding and rotating his rib cage and upper body back toward his trail leg. The disc takes the lateral option off the table, so you have no choice but to feel what a real rotary backswing feels like.
The second drill was something Dan could do anywhere with nothing but a mirror and a Band-Aid. We had him hold a club across his chest with his hands on his shoulders and stick a Band-Aid on the mirror at head height. His only job then was to keep his eyes on that Band-Aid and turn his chest behind it while keeping his lower body quiet and stable. Having a fixed visual reference point makes the rotary feel click for a lot of players. It gives your brain a target, and your body figures out how to get there.
We also spent time on Dan’s grip. His lead hand grip was running too much through the palm, which limited the club’s ability to hinge properly and prevented his trail arm from folding the way it needed to. By shifting the grip more into the fingers of his lead hand, the club could work more vertically in the backswing — without Dan having to tilt his body to create that steepness. It’s a small change that cleans up a lot of problems the rest of the way.
A reverse pivot is so common because most players have the same instinct to move laterally. When the lower body slides, it becomes unstable, and the upper body tilts back toward the target to compensate. Fix the lower body first — stabilize it — and the upper body sorts itself out.
What I love about Dan’s story is his commitment. If you’re willing to do the work away from the golf course — in the gym, at home, in front of a mirror — you can train a new movement pattern. You can go slow, build the feel, and gradually bring it into your real swing. The balance disc doesn’t care whether you have time to hit balls. Neither does your bathroom mirror.
Schedule Update
With the Old Palm practice facility now closed I am fortunate to be teaching and coaching in South Florida at two wonderful spots. The Club at Boca Pointe in Boca Raton along with Dutchman’s Pipe Club in Palm Beach. I’m very appreciative and thankful to be on the instruction staff at Dutchman’s and Boca Pointe.
Upcoming dates:
South Florida:
June 3-7
June 10-14
VIP Junior/Collegiate/Professional Camp – (1 spots only left) June 11-13.
VIP Elite Junior Camp featuring myself and Top 100 teachers Kevin Kirk and Wayne Flint along with Special Guests Kolby Tullier, Dr. Greg Cartin and a host of other teachers and players. This is a rare opportunity for juniors to work, play, and compete in a Ryder Cup-style team format with tour players as captains and partners.
Upcoming Retreat Weekends:
July 11-12, 24-26 Small intensive group weekends focusing on player and skill development with Tony Ruggiero & Kevin Kirk along with fitness and body movement with Aaron Mcconley of the Stable.
July 18-19 – Our Annual Dewsweeper Philly Retreat at Blue Bell. Great spot great learning lots of fun. Hotel on property. Join Wayne Flint, Tony Ruggiero, Jackson Koert & Coop for an amazing weekend of learning and developing.
If you would like to book a lesson or for information about one of our programs please email tony@dewsweepersgolf.com or Liz@dewsweepersgolf.com or call or text 850.225.1631
Here’s to a great summer of better golf!
Tony