Overlooked Swing Key: Posture

Look at all the information about the golf swing and most of the time you will see some of the simple things overlooked. One of these is posture. One of the overriding themes I try to stress with everyone I help is that you can't change one part of the golf swing or address position without influencing everything else. Without neutral posture at address and dynamic posture during the swing, a golfer's efficiency and physiology is greatly affected. Are you one of those people who can't keep your head level and steady during the golf swing (some people call this "keeping your head down")? Chances are you are out of position in your address posture and when you swing your poor back position in relation to your hips forces you up and out of your posture (a.k.a. loosing your spine angle). Do you sway or move off the ball sideways too much during the swing and can't stop no matter how hard you try? Again posture greatly influences this problem. The list of in-swing problems related to posture goes on and on.

Here is a check list for you to consider for posture:

Take your setup where you can see yourself from behind either in a mirror or have someone stand behind to look at your posture. If you are using a mirror, you want to position yourself like you are hitting the ball directly away from the mirror.

4 areas to focus on:

1) Head / neck angle: Is your head and neck in line with the rest of your back or is it arched downward (hunched).
2) Upper back / shoulders: Are your shoulders positioned in the center of your torso or are they rounded toward the ball? Is your upper back in line with your mid / lower back or is it arched downward (hunched)?
3) Pelvis / hips: When you bend at the waist is your lower back flat, arched forward ("c" shape) or cupped downward ("u" shape)?
4) Knees: Are your knees bent slightly, locked / very straight, or bent like a softball player?

The position you want to be in is with a flat back (head, upper back & lower back) and knees slightly bent. The amount of bend you want with your upper body is 42-49 degrees from vertical. This is the range that the Touring Professionals bend (irregardless of swing style). This allows the torso and shoulders to rotate with a minimum amount of spinal side tilt during the swing and thru the follow thru. When the whole spine is not in a neutral position (hunched or arched or both) at address then the spine cannot twist as one unit but must turn at different angles against itself. This forces the golfer to make compensating movements to relieve the off-angle stresses. It also greatly increases the risk of injury.

Next time you watch professional golf on TV or live, notice the address posture of any of the pro's. You will notice that 99 % of them have the neutral spine position. This "flat" backed position allows them to not only maximize their efficiency and effectiveness thru impact but also allows them to play and practice on a daily basis for years without injury and with a high degree of consistency.

How do I get into a neutral spine position at address?

1) Get into good posture standing vertical. If you don't know what that feels like then stand up with your back against a wall. Your heals and your head should touch the wall. Your shoulder blades and your lower back (just above your pelvis) should also touch the wall. Your arms and shoulders should hang in the middle of your torso. Practice getting into neutral posture from a standing position to know what it feels like.

2) Once you can get into a neutral standing position, take a golf club and place it accross your hip sockets and bend over at roughly a 45 degree angle from vertical. Make sure to keep your spine and head in flat position and your shoulders and arms in the mid torso position. Check your positioning in a mirror or have a playing partner put a golf club along your back and head to check for "flatness".

3) Once you can get into a neutral posture address position without a golf club in your hands, then you are ready to take your setup with golf club in hand. Get into your neutral address position (45 degree back angle) and take your grip on a club. Do not let your shoulders get rounded when doing this. This will force the golf club and your hands to be closer than they normally are (especially if you normally round your shoulders). If you truely bend at a 45 degree angle, you will still have 4 - 6 fingers of space between your hands and your body when you take your grip on the golf club. Most people stand to tall in relation to the ball and then reach with their arms.

4) The best way to test to see if you have the 45 back degree angle required to optimize your swing angle to the ball is to use the 4 foot test. Take any club and setup to the ball. Take your backswing and hold. If you run a club accross your shoulder line at this point your shoulders should point downward to a point roughly 4 feet out from the ball. You should be able to get to this position with any club. You will bend over more with a wedge than you will with a driver. Most people are amazed that they are supposed to bend this much. However your shoulder angle strongly influences your arm and club angle during the swing. Most people will stand too tall from the hips and hunch over with the upper back to get down to the ball (known as a "C" posture or they will bend enough at the waist, then straighten or arch downward in the mid back and round the shoulders and reach for the ball (known as the "S" posture). Both the "C" and "S" postures help create the most common swing problems and inconsistencies.

When put in the neutral address posture golfers have a much greater chance of getting into effective swing positions more consistently with a greatly lowered risk of injury.