Golf Swing Mechanics…Should You Keep Your Head Still?
There is a lot to consider in golf swing mechanics.
And there are lots of myths.
If you play golf then at some stage in your golfing career someone has probably told you to keep your head still.
In many other sports that we play we are asked to hit a moving ball, and it is far easier to hit a moving ball when you keep your head and thus eyes as still or level as possible.
With the object you are trying to hit in motion, having your head also moving around makes focusing on the ball that much more difficult and thus it is harder to hit the ball cleanly.
In golf however the ball is stationary.So, in golf swing mechanics, it is important for you to keep your head on the same level during the swing as up and down movement of the head is a reflection of your body movement, and thus swing center moving up and down.
When your upper body lifts up in the back swing then it must move down an equal amount in the downswing in order for you to make contact with the ball.
It is far simpler for you to keep your body at the same angles as at address and thus keep your head level during the swing.
Level but not still.
In your address position your weight is evenly distributed between the left and right feet.
As you make your back swing, as in any other sport where you are trying to propel an object forward, there is a weight transfer to the rear leg.
In golf we make this shift by rotating the upper body over a stable lower body.
Keeping your head still while trying to make a back swing will result in a couple of moves that are detrimental to good ball striking.The hips will slide and your weight will either move to the outside of the rear foot, or fall back onto the front foot, depending on your levels of flexibility.
In doing this you have placed a great deal of pressure on your lower back and hips which over time can become painful.
You have also not loaded your body correctly behind the ball, effectively losing balance and your ability to use your whole body to hit the shot, resulting is a loss of distance.
Thus, This will not allow you to have a proper golf swing and your golf swing mechanics will be off.
Golf Swing Mechanics Tip:
In an athletic back swing, the player will maintain the upper body flex from the hips created at address and allow the upper body to pivot around the right hip.In doing so the head will move well behind the ball, the weight will move to the inside of the right foot and there will be a definite loading around the right thigh.
Studies have shown that the best players in the world move their heads anywhere from
1.5 to 7 inches
away from the head’s address position during the back swing.
Golf Swing Mechanics Drill: Correct Head Movement
A great drill for you to learn the correct head movement during the swing is to use your shadow.In your address position place a golf club across your shoulders with your arms crossed.
Be sure the sun is at your back so that your shadow falls on the ground in front of you.
Note on the ground where your shadow falls and then turn into your backswing by turning the upper body until the left shoulder is above the inside of the right knee.
The left shoulder should turn slightly lower than the right.
You will notice that the weight has shifted to the inside of the right foot and that your head has moved to the right during the backswing, as it should.
So the next time a well meaning friend mentions that you are moving your head and you should keep it still, do not change anything and take it as a compliment.
The head should be moving laterally during the swing, but it should not be moving up and down.
You are on your way to having a proper golf swing!
As always, we’d love to hear from you, so leave a comment below with any golf tips or questions you may have!
February 27th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Hey, I really love your post. I wish to say that, for both starters and even those who had been playing golf for quite some time, learning how to play and how to improve your game should always be of great importance to you. Just like any other game, the best is always yet to come in every game.
Often, the best games are said to be a product of both learning the fundamentals of the game while at the same time combining it with practice.
I need not say this again but we all know that practice makes one perfect – just like any endeavor, practicing will help you improve on what you are doing. Once you learn how to play golf, you will get many opportunities to network, meet new people, and get plenty of exercise as well.
Tattoomenow´s last blog ..Paid Tattoo Designs Galleries: Are They Even Wealth Our Money ?
March 9th, 2010 at 11:42 pm
thanks for your comment! you are right…practice sure does make perfect!
March 27th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
Thanks for the great info, I will definitely be back!