How much should you bend your knees in the golf swing?
Let’s start with knee bend. Finding the proper amount of knee bend is not all that difficult, and for many athletes, is quite natural. In the golf swing, the explicit amount of knee bend is far less than that of other sports. In tennis, or baseball, athletes will bend a great amount at the knees to allow explosive and agile movements.
How do you do a proper golf swing?
Place your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees slightly flexed and a natural bend at your hips. This places you in a balanced, athletic position. Let your arms hang freely, then simply bring your hands together without reaching out. This establishes how far your thighs should be from the butt of the golf club.
Do you bend your hips too far during a golf swing?
The typical amateur bends either too far, then lifts up during the swing, or not enough, forcing him to crouch or lean forward to hit the ball. Both actions produce ugly results. To check your hip bend and posture, stand with a full-length mirror to your right (for a right-hander) and set up to a ball.
How should a golfer bend over the golf ball?
So far, it has been established how a golfer should establish proper knee bend, hip bend, and spinal orientation over the ball, as well as the weight distribution that should be felt in this setup.
How far should you lean over in golf swing?
For a golf swing, your spine should be straight and leaning slightly forward from your hips to look down at the ball, but without lowering your chin too much. Your eye line should not perfectly match with the angle of your club. Resist the urge to over-lean, or you'll hamper your balance.
How much should you bend in golf?
The basics of the golf set up position require approximately a 45 degree tilt forward from the hips, known as the spine angle. The knees should be flexed slightly and the arms hang directly down tension free below the shoulders and above the toes.
What happens if you bend over too much in golf swing?
When you're bent over too much, you're prone to lift up. Your quadriceps (the muscles on the front and outside portions of your thighs) support your swing. Here's how to strengthen them: Put your back against a wall and slowly lower yourself into a sitting position.
How much should you bend at the hips in golf?
During the backswing, your trail hip should become higher than your lead hip. This should then reverse in the downswing, with your lead hip being higher than your trail hip at impact. Your hips should be around 45 degrees open in the backswing, and 40 degrees open as you strike the ball.
Should you bend left knee in golf swing?
By guiding the left knee on a designated path – which is easy to do – you are helping guide your hips along – which is harder to do. Many problems in golf arise from hips not performing as they should, such as swaying. Using the left knee is a great way to get your hips to perform as you want them to.
Should knees stay bent during golf swing?
As you push off your back foot and your hips rotate during the downswing, both your knees will naturally move toward the target. But your knees should still remain flexed through impact. Newell explains that it's particularly important to maintain good flex in your right knee when you're hitting a driver.
What happens if golf ball is too far forward in stance?
If it's too far forward, it may be causing you to hit thin or fat shots and miss shots to the left. If it's too far back, you could be hitting tops, chunks, and missing the ball to the right.
Should I stand taller in my golf swing?
0:341:30Stand Tall For More Driver Distance - Jonathan Moore - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd stand tall because then that allows them to be able to create angle on the downswing. To use theMoreAnd stand tall because then that allows them to be able to create angle on the downswing. To use the ground. So let's give that a try let's go ahead. And stand a little bit taller than you normally.
Is it better to stand closer to golf ball?
Stand closer to the ball and allow the hands and butt end of the club to be no further than three inches from the body. The closer the better. Standing too far away from the ball and reaching out will cause a low trajectory, cause a golfer to cast the club, come over the top and hit the ball on the toe of the club.
How much should you bend at the waist in the golf swing?
The key to a good setup is to tilt toward the ball from your hip joints, not your waist. The difference is subtle, but bending from the waist causes the back to get rounded (above, right). It's tough to make a good swing from this unathletic position.
Should you bend from the waist or the hips?
Bend at the hips and knees, but not at the waist, to get closer to the floor. Don't round your shoulders or hunch your back or neck.
How important is knee flex in golf?
Playing From the Ground Up Good golf is played from the ground up, meaning that your feet, legs, and hips initiate the downswing. If your knees are flexed properly, you can activate the lower body well before your shoulders, arms, and hands get involved. The correct sequence of motion is critical.
Where should you bend in golf swing?
While most teaching pros advocate maintaining your spine angle during the swing, others prefer to phrase this as keeping your forward bend at the hips. The difference may seem like mere semantics, but it could help you achieve this critical fundamental. First, note that you should bend at the hips, not the waist.
How to get forward bend in golf?
Start the swing by moving your left shoulder down and under your chin in the takeaway. Stop your backswing when your should ers have finished turning away from the target. Those three points should be all you need to do in order to maintain your forward bend throughout the swing.
Why do tour pros bend their hips?
Bending from the hips promotes a straight spine and easy rotation of the hips and shoulders, while bending from the waist causes the back to arch. This makes it difficult to turn properly and can lead to injuries. Another note: Tests show that the average tour pro sets up with a bend of 36° forward from the hips.
How to keep your back straight while taking a stance?
It is important to understand that you want to keep your back straight while taking your stance – the tilt should come out of your hips, while your spine from your waist up to your neck remains as straight as possible .
Why is my swing plane steep?
When your upper body becomes too tilted out over the ball, your swing plane will be steep and you will likely stick the club into the ground prior to making contact. It may be that you are setting up with too much tilt, or you may be allowing your upper body to bend out over the ball during the process of the swing.
How to keep hip bend on backswing?
A good way to maintain your hip bend is to visualize your head propped against a wall at address, then keep it touching the wall from takeaway to finish. Maintain Forward Bend Throughout Swing.
How to check hip bend?
To check your hip bend and posture, stand with a full-length mirror to your right (for a right-hander) and set up to a ball. Ideally, the shaft will intersect your body at a 90° angle. Teachers also recommend tilting the spine slightly to your right at address, about 5°.
Why do you bend forward in golf?
In the golf swing, we need to bend forward at the hips to allow a proper weight distribution over the feet. This will keep us balanced throughout the golf swing.
How to hit a draw in golf?
A draw can be hit in many different ways; with the stance open, closed, or square, and with the ball forward or back in the stance. The key with the draw is to make sure that the plane direction (shoulder, hips, feet alignment) is right of the club-face at address, which is right of the target.
Why do golfers have poor swing habits?
After several weeks of practicing like this, the golfer will have formed a poor swing habit merely because he aligned incorrectly to the target. In order to keep the body alignments “on plane,” when using an alignment stick, one must aim it parallel left of the target. This is shown below:
What is the only alignment of the three which a golfer can practice without the use of a video camera?
This is because if the shoulders and the feet are aligned, the third alignment (hips) will naturally fall into the correct spot. Also, foot alignment is the only alignment of the three which a golfer can practice without the use of a video camera.
Why do athletes bend their knees?
In tennis, or baseball, athletes will bend a great amount at the knees to allow explosive and agile movements. In golf, we want these same movements, but in lesser degree, mainly because accuracy is paramount to shooting good golf scores. In order to find the proper knee bend, I suggest using a DTL view of your setup.
What effect can you produce in golf?
The first effect that we can produce is a high golf shot. In order to do this, a golfer must find a way to maximize dynamic loft as well as spin. More specifically, the golfer must find a way to maximize loft and spin while maintaining the flat left wrist that I talked about in my post about the Physics of the Golf Swing.
When should a golf club sit flush with the ground?
When the knees and hips are bending properly, and the weight is evenly distributed between the heels and toes, the golf club should sit flush with the ground. If it doesn’t, and you are sure that your posture is correct, then you might want to check/adjust the lengths/lies of your clubs.
radiopreacher
I'm ecstatic over my last two driving range sessions as far as performance with longer clubs. But with shorter clubs I find myself having to bend over farther. Do you bend over farther for shorter clubs, or --
radiopreacher
Thanks so much. I'll work a bit more on my stance and swing before deciding to lengthen my clubs (in case its premature). Just 1/4" seems to be such a relief to me on the short irons.
RichieHunt
I used George Gankas' philosophy of the armpits being over the tip of the knees and near the balls of the feet. Obviously, there are different ways to do it, but I generally feel that if the weight in your feet is distributed close to equally throughout each foot...then that is how much forward to bend.
Pepperturbo
How far a person bends forward depends on the torso and arm length. I always have the same posture when addressing the ball. Club length determines my distance from the ball.
mattwood
To keep my setup consistent in terms of how far I bend over and how far I am from the ball, one thing I focus on is the angle between my left wrist and the club at setup. Too bent over the angle is too much and it brings the toe off the ground too much.
How to swing a golf ball in a narrow stance?
Begin by taking a narrow stance with your feet approximately 6 to 8 inches apart. Open your front foot slightly for a better view of the target and your arms can swing past your without any restrictions. Continue with an athletic golf stance with knee bend and lean forward at the waist for the correct posture.
What is a golf stance with knee bend?
However, the correct golf stance with knee bend places more emphasis on creating the proper spine angle rather than bending at the knees.
What are the common errors in golf?
First, an incorrect bend at the waist occurs with a vertical spine angle or bending too much at the ribcage causing a rounded spine. Second, excessive knee bend in the golf set up places weight on the heels and poor balance throughout the swing.
How to maintain spine angle in golf?
Keep both knees level and maintain the bend in the golf swing so you maintain your original spine angle. A repeatable swing relies on solid fundamentals rather than compensations. The reverse pivot causes the left knee to point left of the ball instead of pointing forward and to the right of it.
How to correct a reverse pivot in golf?
Finally, set up with the feet, knees, hips and shoulders parallel to the target line. Knee Bend in Golf Swing Helps Correct a Reverse Pivot.
What is the correct sequence of movements in golf?
The correct sequence of movements maintains a knee bend in the golf swing. The lower body is responsible for maintaining stability and the knees remain level throughout the swing. The left knee never dips down during the backswing, which causes the whole body to tilt forward to the target.
How to do a putting stroke?
The putting stroke begins with an athletic set up. Position your feet approximately shoulder width and bend your knees slightly. Lean forward at your waist to create a good posture. The bend at your waist allows yours arms to fall comfortably below the shoulders.
How many degrees should I bend to play golf?
Most amateurs bend over far too much; my recommendation is to err on the tall side. If a number must be assigned to the amount of forward bend, I'd use 25 degrees from vertical.
What are the four angles in a magic setup?
The four angles are: Spine bend, spine tilt, hip bend and knee flex.
How to get into proper golf posture?
The best way to get yourself into the proper posture is to stand tall, holding the golf club out in front of you.
When hitting a golf shot with an iron or wedge, should the ball be on the inside of your front foot?
When you hit a golf shot with an iron or a wedge, you need for there to be a descending blow.
Why do people have their feet touching when hitting wedge shots?
Many people will have their feet almost touching when they are hitting certain wedge shots around the green. Having some flexibility in the width of your feet while taking your golf stance is quite important . 2. Posture. Having great posture can lead to other positives in your golf swing like swing plane and balance.
What is the stance of a wedge shot?
The stance for a wedge shot is much more narrow, and the ball may appear closer to the back foot, but it should still be close to the middle of the stance. 4. Balance and Weight Distribution. An essential part of a proper golf stance is making sure that your body weight is distributed correctly.
Why is posture important in golf?
The most important thing about posture is to ensure you have the proper spine angle and that your arms can hang freely.
Why do you put weight in the center of your golf ball?
Having the weight in the center will help your stance to stay more in control, and it will cause a lot less leaning forwards and backward as you get into the impact position. When you set up to hit a golf ball, it is ok to have just a little more weight on the right leg (for right-handers).
What happens when your feet are shoulder width apart?
When your feet are shoulder-width apart, your body will have the proper mix of rotational ability and balance. These two factors are most significantly affected by how wide your golf stance is. When your feet are more than shoulder width apart, you will have a lot more balance, but it is difficult to rotate and transfer weight properly.
How does standing from the ball affect your swing?
How far you stand from the golf ball at address will affect your swing. Standing too far away can force you to reach out with the club, with your arms completely straight and your elbows locked -- ruining any chance of a nice, easy swing.
Where to put a golf club on the ground?
Place the butt of the club on the tip of your thumb. That space -- from the top of your thumb to your belt buckle -- represents how far your body should be from the end of the club. From that position you can simply place the club on the ground behind the ball to achieve the proper stance.
How to know how close to stand to the ball?
Guideline. "Golf Digest" offers a simple solution for determining how close to stand to the ball. It all begins with taking a good stance at address. Place your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees slightly flexed and a natural bend at your hips. This places you in a balanced, athletic position.
Who said he rarely sees anyone stand too close to the ball?
Tom Watson, one of golf's all-time greats, told "Golf Digest" that he rarely sees anyone stand too close to the ball. Two other golf legends, Byron Nelson and Johnny Miller, have made similar statements, according to Watson.
How to correct golf posture?
5 keys to the perfect golf posture 1 Both feet should be pointing on a slight angle outwards at address. 2 Hinge at the hips, lean forward with your arms hanging relaxed so your hands are sitting right beneath your head. 3 Ensure you have a slight flex in your knees just enough to help keep your spine angle in a nice straight line. 4 Tilt your spine about 6 to 8 degrees away from the target doing the drill as described in the video below. 5 Feel the weight in your golf posture at set up over your ankles.
Why is it so hard to shift weight back and forth in golf?
Having your weight further over the balls of your feet not only inhibits balance during the golf swing but makes it extremely difficult to shift your weight back and forth. Golf weight shift is how you create power and shallow out the swing plane.
Why do golfers hit inconsistent shots?
Why most golfers hit inconsistent golf shots. Most golfers struggle with consistency in their golf for reasons not what they think. They hit slices, fat and thin shots, and look for answers to their problems in all the wrong places. When you examine their golf swings, it’s not unusual to see them set up in poor posture at address.
What is axis tilt in golf?
Axis tilt is when your upper body is leaning slightly away from the target at address and your lead shoulder will be slightly lower than the rear.
What causes a golfer to take a bad takeaway?
Similar to the hunched-over position, an upright posture causes a poor takeaway either too inside or too outside. This can result in flying right elbows which cause over the top golf shots as well as killer slices, topped, thinned, fat, pushes, and pulls.
How to keep your spine straight?
Both feet should be pointing on a slight angle outwards at address. Hinge at the hips, lean forward with your arms hanging relaxed so your hands are sitting right beneath your head. Ensure you have a slight flex in your knees just enough to help keep your spine angle in a nice straight line.
What happens if you don't have axis tilt?
If you don’t have enough axis tilt in your golf set up you increase your chances of creating a reverse pivot which leads to numerous poor golf shots not to mention the increased risk of injury on your body. Having the right amount of axis tilt has two important benefits: 1.
What does it mean when a golfer bends forward?
A golfer with a too pronounced forward bend will look like he is reaching out and down towards the ball at address. Indeed, in that posture the angle between the upper legs and the trunk of the upper body will be smaller, indicative that the two are close to one another. The golfer in such a position will be lower and closer to ...
What is a forward bend?
A normal – or average – forward bend would be one that allows you to position your club behind the ball at address comfortably using both the flex in your knees and the forward tilt of your upper body. Such a position stacks your body weight along a central axis that runs down to the middle of your feet while allowing you to feel very stable on ...
How to set your spine at address?
Your spine will be set at address along three different ways. Firstly by the way you tilt your upper body forward. Secondly by the actual shape of your spine as it runs from your hips to your neck. And finally by the side angle it will assume to account for one hand being lower than the other.
How to get a C curve?
This is obtained by rounding out your back in an exaggerated fashion or through no effort at all in keeping your back straight. Indeed, the golfer with that spine shape will simply position himself in front of the ball and will rest the club down on the ground solely through lowering his shoulders.
How to get a S curve pattern?
This is obtained by sticking your buttocks outward and up in an exaggerated fashion while keeping your upper body in a standing tall fashion. The combination of the two positions creates a depression around the lower back.
Why is my right shoulder crooked?
Indeed, because your right hand will be positioned lower on the grip than the left at address, it is natural that your right shoulder should stand lower and closer to the ground. Failure to do this will result in your spine being crooked, as is the case with the two errors above.
Is the spine angle adjustable?
Finally, your spine angle is adjustable in a third way. Indeed, on top of the spine forward and shape pattern possibilities, your spine will also be tilted sideways a little. This third set of options is visible through the way your shoulders are aligned, or more precisely the height of one relative to the other.