This will keep us balanced throughout the golf swing. The correct amount of bend at the hips will roughly align the shoulders with the knees, although it is acceptable for the shoulders to lean forward slightly more than the knees, but not the opposite. There is something to be said about the bending of the upper body.
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.
What makes a good golf swing?
A good golf swing is often built from the ground up, and that is the case here to be sure. Focus on keeping your knees flexed properly throughout the backswing and it will be much easier to hold on to your spine tilt as well. Another important piece of this puzzle is to turn your left shoulder down toward the ground during the takeaway.
Does a 50/50 setup affect your golf swing?
It is often advised by golf instructors that a golfer setup with equal weight between the feet for mid irons, slightly favoring the right side for the driver, and slightly favoring the left side with the wedges. In the end, as long as the golfer remains close to a 50/50 setup, this element should not dramatically alter results of the golf swing.
What is weight shift in golf swing?
Golf weight shift is how you create power and shallow out the swing plane. Ideally, you want to feel centred and balanced with your weight over your ankles. When you’re hinging from the hips ensure you do not stick your butt out too far as this causes an ‘S’ shape in your spine.
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 do you bend in golf swing?
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 shaft lean is too much?
PHOTO PROVIDED In most cases, the butt of the club should point no more than one to two inches ahead of your belt buckle, more to the center is best. More golfers than not, have too much shaft lean at the address 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.
Is my golf posture too upright?
If your posture and spine angle are too upright, your swing plane will be too upright and this means that as you swing the golf club away from the golf ball, the club head will move too vertically up from the alignment pole.
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 you stand tall golf swing?
Standing tall makes it easy to turn through the shots and easy to turn in the backswing – it suits a lot of golfers. Jason Day and Rory McIlroy have very athletic postures because they work out a lot and this helps them really stand over the ball, but this type of posture might not be for everyone.
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.
Should you have shaft lean with driver?
2:5012:54Forward Shaft Lean: How Much? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo without get too technical the reason why we need forward shaft lean is to make sure our hands areMoreSo without get too technical the reason why we need forward shaft lean is to make sure our hands are leading and the club is trailing so when we rotate.
Can you have too much forward shaft lean at impact?
2:1015:13WHY YOU MUST TILT | FORWARD SHAFT LEAN AT IMPACT - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWell having the shaft leaning slightly forward at impact. Allows a few things to happen itMoreWell having the shaft leaning slightly forward at impact. Allows a few things to happen it encourages the golfer to hit the ball first and the ground.
How should a hybrid look at address?
2:283:48How to set your hybrid on the ground at address - Golf tip - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou actually want to have the ball straight in the middle of the club face and the horizontal linesMoreYou actually want to have the ball straight in the middle of the club face and the horizontal lines perfectly square towards the target. So not too much to the heel. Either to the toe.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
When the ball is below the feet, the club face will naturally point right of the target.?
When the ball is above your feet, it is much easier to swing around the body and contact the ball solidly, with the club’s sole flush to the ground. When the ball is below your feet, the tendency is to contact the ball with the toe slightly above the ground , which decreases the amount which the club face aims right of the target.
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.
What happens if your chin is down in golf?
If your chin is down, your shoulders will be blocked from moving back and through the shot, and your rotation will always fall short of its potential.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Is golf a cause and effect sport?
They are either too hunched over or standing too upright and lack any sort of athletic look to their posture. Golf is a cause-and-effect sport and if you’re not set up correctly to begin with, no matter how good your golf swing is, it is doomed to failure.
How to know if your golf club hits the ground?
You can easily check this by taking a practice swing and seeing where, relative to your feet, your club hits the ground. If your club hits the ground centered in your stance, it would be greatly to your advantage to place your golf ball there. 3. Flat footed forward swing.
What is the aiming line on a golf club?
The aiming line on a golf club is the leading edge and the more lofted the club the more crooked the top line may look. Often golfers will not set the club properly on the ground as a compensation — they hit slices, for instance, so they set the club closed at setup.
Why does my golf club get stuck in the ground?
If you crowd your club and stand so close that your arms do not have enough room to hang and swing can often result in your golf club getting stuck into the ground. Being too crowded, effectively makes the club too long relative to your body, so it has nowhere to go but into the ground.
Why does my golf club hit the ground before the ball?
As your hips move too much side to side , this can often cause the club to hit the ground before the ball if you do not recenter yourself exactly the same amount. Also, when you stance is too wide, the potential locations the club has to hit the ground increases, which results in more inconsistent strikes.
How to make good contact in golf?
1. Crowded posture. Proper posture is one of the most important fundamentals to good contact. Giving yourself enough room to bow from your hips so that your hands can hang below your shoulders puts you into a balanced position that allows you to be athletic throughout your swing.
What is the most important fundamental in golf?
Ball position is one of the most important fundamentals. All it takes is playing your golf ball a fraction of an inch too far forward for you to chunk the ball. I often say to my students: “you hit the ground where the golf ball should have been.”
What happens if your stance is too wide?
Ideally, for a ball on the ground your stance should be approximately hip width, give or take a little. If you stance is significantly wider, it can often cause your hips to move too much side to side and your hip seeks being over each foot.
What does it mean when your golf swing is bad?
A bad angle means something in your setup that’s pointing in the opposite direction than it should be. Your shoulders are tilting down in front of the ball, for instance, instead of up and away from the target. High-handicappers tend to have bad angles. With bad angles, golf quickly becomes a game of compensations.
What is a bad angle in golf?
High-handicappers tend to have bad angles. With bad angles, golf quickly becomes a game of compensations. (Shoulders tilted in the wrong direction also pull your head ahead of the ball and point your body left—more bad news.) Mid-handicaps don’t have as many bad angles.
Can a narrower stance increase rotation?
ADVERTISEMENT. Too Narrow: If you’ve got too much lateral movement, a narrower stance can discourage excess weight shift and increase your rotation. But, again, don’t overdo it. If you narrow your stance too much, like I’ve done here with the insides of my feet inside my shoulders, your swing will become unstable.
