Is there one move that separates the better player from everyone else? Is it how they turn their body, is it weight transfer, could it all truly be in the hips? Well, it's probably all of those things, but there is one major piece of the puzzle that you can quickly insert into your swing that will DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE HOW YOU HIT THE BALL!
It's proper hand rotation! I've taught thousands of lessons, done thousands of club fittings, and there is one consistent major error that separates the good player - who hits it long and straight - and the average player who hits it short and sideways. And it's not hand rotation at impact - it's hand rotation from takeaway to half way down the downsing. The best players in the world rotate their hands counterclockwise - always. The average player rotates their hands clockwise - always.
THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE in the result at impact depending on how your hands rotate through the swing. Watch this quick video I whipped up on a freezing cold day on my front lawn...
Hopefully what this quick video shows is that when you rotate your hands correctly, you generate significant stored power and lag that gets delivered to the ball on an inside path. Versus a rotation in the wrong direction which causes a huge loss of lag and a glancing blow at impact which creates mucho sidespin.
You don't need to hit balls to groove this move, simply take a club and work on rotating your your hands in the correct direction. Larger rotations are easy to repeat and will help you overcome the embedded muscle memory of your old rotation.
Practice this often, and when you are ready to start hitting balls - try to keep the same rotation and rhythm, and watch that ball fly straight and far toward your target!