Why “Hanging Back” is Hurting Your Golf Game

If you’ve ever been told you’re “hanging back” in your golf swing, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common swing characteristics we see in amateur golfers — and one of the biggest barriers to generating power.

“Hanging back” happens when too much weight stays on your trail leg (right leg for a right-handed golfer) at impact, instead of transferring forward onto your lead leg. When this happens, your arms and hands are forced to do extra work, often releasing early just to get the club back to the ball.

Why does this matter? Because a powerful golf swing relies heavily on a proper weight shift. That forward move onto your lead leg is where a large portion of your power comes from. When you hang back, you essentially take your lower body out of the swing. The result is lost distance, inconsistent contact, and common impact issues like fat or thin shots — all while making it much harder to time your release.

So if hanging back is the issue, what’s causing it?

In many cases, it’s not a swing thought — it’s a physical limitation. Restricted lead hip mobility, knee or ankle pain, or stiffness through the back can all prevent a golfer from shifting pressure effectively onto their lead side. If your body can’t get there, your swing has no choice but to compensate.

The good news? These limitations can be improved.

But first, you need to know what needs fixing.

That’s where the Golf Performance Assessment at Core PT & Performance comes in. During this assessment, golfers go through a full-body movement screen and golf swing analysis to identify exactly where their body is holding them back. For example, we might find that limited lead hip mobility is the reason you’re hanging back and losing distance.

That information is powerful — because it saves you time. Instead of guessing what to stretch, strengthen, or change, you can focus on what will actually move the needle in your game.

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start improving, schedule your Golf Performance Assessment at Core PT & Performance. Winter is the perfect time to make these changes — don’t wait until next season to play better.

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