Help with Reverse Shoulder Tilt

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hello again everyone!

My goal this season is to spend the time correcting some errors that have gotten progressively more glaring in my game, and i am hoping some of you guys have a few pieces of advice that might help.

For a bit of background - I've gone through the NSA, Soft Draw, as well as seen Brian one of the tour stops a few years ago. I've always had some issues with my backswing, and what has seemingly gotten worse, especially last year, is what I call a reverse shoulder tilt on the backswing. As far as I can tell, it's not exactly a reverse pivot, because on the top of the backswing my weight is still mostly on my right foot, however as you can see in the picture below my shoulders - or I suppose better said is my torso - is pointing exactly the opposite of the way they should be. I've tried spending extra time to ensure my posture at address is reasonable, but I inevitably wind up disjointed. Has anyone run in to a similar funk in the past, and what are some ideas to snap out of it? Thanks in advance

opn590.jpg
 
I had this problem for months and never knew it was there.
You really need to get a long skinny mirror , the kind that hangs on a door and set it up somewhere in the house .

My best ahh haa moments in the swing have been done in the kitchen once the wife has went to bed.
 
Also a thought that may help is this. Feel like you keep your chest pointed at the ball during the backswing. It won't actually happen and it should make your swing feel tighter and more coiled
 

Kevin Shields

Super Moderator
Not 100% my answer, but if I had top of the backswing issues (I did), I would pose a better position and hit balls from there.
 
With your driver you want 2*-5* of forward bend at the top. If you're getting negative bend, the guys at TPI say it's not a matter of "if" but "when" you'll start having lower back issues. They credit negative bend at the top as the #1 cause of lower back issues.

I like Kevin's answer. Stand up straight, turn your t-spine to your backswing amount (from a standing up position), put in a couple degrees of forward bend, now just side bend to +/- 35*. That's your top of the backswing. Hit some shots starting from there.

Just from looking at your pic, something that might be contributing to the problem is an over rotation of the pelvis. If you're getting too much hip turn going back, it'll be easier for you to get into some negative thorax bend at the top.
 
Can't help but imagine the torso being the only way to start the downswing from that position and it looks as if it has already started it. As mgranato eluded to, the backswing sequencing having too much and too soon hip turn makes that position easier, but it also can disrupt the proper sequencing of pelvis, then torso into the downswing.
 

Burner

New
Hello again everyone!

My goal this season is to spend the time correcting some errors that have gotten progressively more glaring in my game, and i am hoping some of you guys have a few pieces of advice that might help.

For a bit of background - I've gone through the NSA, Soft Draw, as well as seen Brian one of the tour stops a few years ago. I've always had some issues with my backswing, and what has seemingly gotten worse, especially last year, is what I call a reverse shoulder tilt on the backswing. As far as I can tell, it's not exactly a reverse pivot, because on the top of the backswing my weight is still mostly on my right foot, however as you can see in the picture below my shoulders - or I suppose better said is my torso - is pointing exactly the opposite of the way they should be. I've tried spending extra time to ensure my posture at address is reasonable, but I inevitably wind up disjointed. Has anyone run in to a similar funk in the past, and what are some ideas to snap out of it? Thanks in advance
opn590.jpg

You have extended your back swing to the point where you have over rotated your shoulders. From that point you have to dip to your left, as in the picture, to see over your left shoulder. In effect, you are moving towards a stack & tilt position, albeit involuntarily.

My guess is that this dip becomes even more pronounced at start down throwing everything out of kilter.

Shorten your back swing so that your hands at the top are in line with your right ear and not behind your head.

As has been said earlier, you may find it easier to start with to "pose" this position and swing from there until you get more familiar with it.
 

hp12c

New
Ive read some good stuff here and I will add my 2 cents worth. I remember BM saying in one of the vids something about golfers having a slicers head and a drawers head. Slicers head meaning rigth ear higher than left on the set up and BS and a drawers head where the left ear is higher than the right ear on set and BS.
 
Ive read some good stuff here and I will add my 2 cents worth. I remember BM saying in one of the vids something about golfers having a slicers head and a drawers head. Slicers head meaning rigth ear higher than left on the set up and BS and a drawers head where the left ear is higher than the right ear on set and BS.

BINGO. Winner winner chicken dinner! If I were him I'd try more axis tilt and an extreme head turn and tilt to the right. Take a club and hold it under the chin, then tilt the upper torso to the right until the lower end of the club touches the left leg.

Now look at the ball and close the left eye. Turn the head to the right until the nose blocks the view of the ball. Now tilt the head to the right (drain the water out of your ear). And open your left eye. ;) This will help lesson the over rotated shoulder turn and stop the forward tilt

Hold those postions thru impact and you stay behind the ball and shouldn't reverse pivot. As Harvey Penick said go the other extreme and work you're way back.
 
Last edited:
I know that position at the top from years of having lived there myself, if you call that living. In my case, it was caused by an excessive attempt to shift my weight onto the back foot that verged on a sway. I found that swinging while feeling as if I almost didn't shift my weight at all (although I still did plenty) helped me to avoid that tilt to the target. I also found it was hard to avoid being underplane from that reverse tilt position, which might be what Kevin is getting at when he says it's hard not to tug from there.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top