What Is Sway in the Golf Swing?
In a golf swing, sway refers to excessive lateral movement of the body during the backswing. A simple way to identify it is by watching the trail hip.
If you draw a vertical line at your trail hip at setup, sway occurs when that hip moves beyond the line during the backswing. Ideally, the trail hip should stay close to that original line as you turn.
Sway is different from a proper body turn. A good backswing allows the hips and torso to rotate, while sway shifts the body too far sideways.
How to Analyze Sway in the Handy Golf App
You can use the Handy Golf app’s swing analysis tools to check whether your trail hip is staying stable or drifting laterally.
Step 1: Open Your Swing Video
Open a face-on swing video in the Handy Golf app. Sway is easiest to analyze from a face-on camera angle because you can clearly see side-to-side movement.
Step 2: Select the Line Drawing Tool
Choose the line drawing tool from the app’s analysis features.
Step 3: Draw a Line on the Trail Hip
At setup, draw a vertical line along or just outside your trail hip. For a right-handed golfer, this is the right hip. For a left-handed golfer, this is the left hip.
This line becomes your reference point for checking lateral movement.
Step 4: Scroll Through the Backswing
Slowly scrub through the swing frame by frame, or play the swing at full speed. Watch the trail hip as the club moves into the backswing.
Step 5: Check Whether the Hip Moves Past the Line
If the trail hip moves beyond the line during the backswing, that movement is considered sway.
If the trail hip stays close to the line while the body turns, that is a good example of a backswing without sway.
What You Should See
Example of Sway
A swing with sway will show the trail hip moving noticeably outside the reference line during the backswing. The farther the hip moves past the line, the more sway is present.
Example of No Sway
A swing without sway will show the trail hip staying almost on the original line throughout the backswing. The player still turns, but the hip does not drift excessively sideways.
Key Takeaway
To check for sway, draw a line at your trail hip at setup and watch whether that hip moves beyond the line during the backswing. The Handy Golf app makes this easy by allowing you to use drawing tools and slow-motion playback to analyze your movement clearly.
