Check out how Pelvis Lift can INCREASE your distance🚀 Learn what the pros are doing and how you can elevate yours.
What is Pelvis Lift?
Pelvis lift refers to the vertical movement of the center of the pelvis segment (a point between the left and right hip joints), measured in inches, starting from 0" at the address position. A negative value indicates that the pelvis has dipped below its address position, while a positive value shows it has risen above that point.
This movement typically occurs as the golfer transitions weight from the back foot to the front foot during the swing, especially leading into impact. It essentially describes how much the pelvis rises vertically during this weight shift. Pelvis lift is produced by the golfer extending the lead knee and hip joint. This is known as posting up on the lead leg.
Why is it important?
Pelvis Lift is an indicator of your vertical force generation and therefore one of the biggest contributors to your club head speed and launch angle. Proper pelvis lift also helps maintain balance, generate power, and improve ball striking by creating space for the arms and club to move efficiently through impact. It helps increase club head speed if timed correctly and works in combination with lead shoulder lift to help pull up on the club handle, consequently helping to rapidly release the club into impact.
How can I monitor this movement and improve?
To measure your pelvis lift, simply head to the Sportsbox 3D Golf app and take a recording of your swing (face-on view). Once you’ve recorded, select the Pelvis Lift at Impact indicator*. This metric shows the amount of upward movement (lift) that occurs from the lowest point of your pelvis in the downswing (also called max drop) to the moment of impact. By analyzing the difference between these two key positions, you can better understand how your lower body moves during the swing and how to make adjustments for better consistency and power.
*This indicator is exclusive to the 3D Pro subscription*
Our Sports Science studied the swings of 100+ professional golfers to identify the optimal Pelvis Lift at each part of your swing. Overall, the optimal motion is dropping early in your downswing and lifting before impact (by lead leg and hip extension). Doing both of these successfully will help increase your speed of club release, therefore increasing your club head speed.
Tour Players’ Movement Styles
Nelly Korda and Scottie Scheffler are examples of golfers with different lower body actions, yet both are one of the top golfers on their tours.
Nelly drops down lower throughout the backswing and transition then quickly starts lifting up - exploding from the ground up.
Scottie uses both pelvis lift and lateral motion (sway) effectively in the downswing to generate club head speed. He lifts about 3.5 inches into impact. While his motion is primarily lateral toward the target, this combination of lift and sway contributes to the power and consistency in his swing.
Want to improve your Pelvis Lift numbers?
Try out these exercises provided by Perform for Golf (P4G). Click on the exercise names to watch a TPI certified P4G trainer demonstrate the movements.
1. Cable Punch
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These three exercises are great examples of what would increase your pelvis lift to increase your power & consistency. To find more information about golf-centric performance exercises, check out Perform for Golf’s (P4G) website.