Played by Michelle Wei West a lot of golf in her life. She’s been a household name in the game since the 2000’s, and she’s been in the game for much longer. Wie West and Golf are all synonymous.
In that life around the game, Wie West saw the game from nearly every angle. I’ve watched pros at the top of the sport and weekend hackers trolling it at a pro party. Her experience as a player and observer spans the entire spectrum.
With plenty of experience under her belt, Wie West knows exactly what you should (and shouldn’t) do when it comes to your golf swing. And when we caught up with Wie West recently at the Liberty National, we asked her what she sees as the biggest mistake she sees amateur golfers making.
“They don’t know how to properly rotate their shoulders and hips,” Wei West said. “I see a lot of swing.”
Synchronizing your sequence so that your shoulders and hips rotate the right way is an integral part of swinging. However, simply turning it around is not the answer. You need to be able to convert them to files right way in order to be effective.
If you focus only on wrapping your hips and shoulders around your spine, you’ll risk slipping out of the shot, draining you of strength and consistency. Instead, you have to combine your turn with the right amount of weight change if you want to get the best results.
“It has to be a combination of all of them,” Wee West said.
Bonus tip
In addition to asking about her biggest mistakes, we also asked Wie West for her advice for young golfers looking to take their games to the next level. That’s what she said.
“First, have fun,” Wee West said. “I think a lot of times when you start to grind, everything becomes very mechanical. You can literally drive yourself crazy. I’ve always found that I gave my best when I was having fun and flowing freely.”
She also explained that relying on your instincts is crucial. In golf it can be easy to get too bogged down in the mechanics, but it’s important to stay agile as well.
“Just be an athlete out there,” she said.