A Golf Secret

[dale47]

One thing thay always amazes me is how long Pro and Scratch golfers stay in their spine tilt towards the ball. The vast masses of us normal (hacks) golfers come out of ours wayyyyyyyy early. They seem to set this angle at adress and stay there till their SWING pulls them out of it at follow thru. They rareley come out of that that angle. WE rarely stay in it. Are there any drills helping some of us stay in this angle. Ahem.....some of us are our 50's and more,not quite as supple as we once were,so take that into considering some of your drills.

 

[puttmad]

Good observation dale,

Generally the thing that makes people come out of their spine angle is "anxiety of result" i.e wanting to see the outcome too early...

For most it is OK to follow the ball with your eyes, but NOT with your head....forget Annika and Henrik for a minute..

Simply focus on keeping your vision on a blade of grass or something just behind the ball until your right shoulder collects the right side of your chin (which will be about when your right arm is horizontal) on the follow thro......

 

[Steve Greffen]

Looking at it closer many players old or young stand up through the swing because it helps them try to square the clubface up before impact. They can't stay down or put lag pressure on the club because they are lagging the hosel into the ball not the sweetspot. Use some of Brians methods like twistaway and wedding ring up to square the clubface and then lag and pivot will come easier.

There could be other reasons you are specifically standing up but I have seen this to be a very common reason in many golfers.

 

[cmartingolf]

Bolt's got it...

Looking at it closer many players old or young stand up through the swing because it helps them try to square the clubface up before impact. They can't stay down or put lag pressure on the club because they are lagging the hosel into the ball not the sweetspot. Use some of Brians methods like twistaway and wedding ring up to square the clubface and then lag and pivot will come easier.

There could be other reasons you are specifically standing up but I have seen this to be a very common reason in many golfers.

The up and out thing has nothing to do with wanting to "look" at results. Sorry Putt.

You lose spin tilt, or lift, because you have to and you hit it better. Fix the path and the face and there will be no reason to lift. Have the right intent with the tool and again, no reason to lift.

Cheers!

 

[Kevin Shields]

The spine angle "line" drawn on screens is the most overrated mechanic out there. You will stay in your tilt better when you do other things, like cmartin said.

 

[self-mastery]

Do people also lift up because they have poor pivots? When I'm hitting it well, my body feels like it corkscrews into itself, and then into the ground. I bob and weave!

 

[bwkitche]

The spine angle "line" drawn on screens is the most overrated mechanic out there. You will stay in your tilt better when you do other things, like cmartin said.

Right on Kevin. The pivot is movement in 3D space...it ain't just staying in the forward tilt and rotating.

 

[puttmad]

...

The up and out thing has nothing to do with wanting to "look" at results. Sorry Putt.



Cheers!

Strange then, the amount of players I've seen over the last 20 years who have immediately improved their striking once it was pointed out to them....

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

For those people who stand up through impact; if they didn't they would hit it like 3 feet fat. Your brain wont' let that happen so it does what it needs to do to try and make u hit the ball where you want it to go.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Strange then, the amount of players I've seen over the last 20 years who have immediately improved their striking once it was pointed out to them....

improving their striking and eliminating the standup move or the opening of the face that is causing isn't the same thing putt.

 

[begolfpro]

Hitting fat?

For those people who stand up through impact; if they didn't they would hit it like 3 feet fat. Your brain wont' let that happen so it does what it needs to do to try and make u hit the ball where you want it to go.

The reason you would hit it fat is because the right forearm and club shaft are NOT on the same plane at address...standing up at impact is to allow this to happen...at impact ALL good golfers have their right forearms in line with the club shaft and the right elbow close to the body.

As an experiment setup with the right forearm inline with the club shaft and hit balls...let me know what happens and in your setup have the ball opposite the toe end of the club and not the center. this will help you strike down and thru the ball because if you stand up you are going to miss the ball

 

[tennisdu]

What about players that increase their tilt in the backswing...ala Lee Westwood?

I have had problems with keeping my inclination constant in the past...definitely affects the takeaway...should I be looking for the root cause instead of just trying to keep my inclination constant???

 

[begolfpro]

lee westwood

Players who increase their tilt in the backswing are simply trying to get their head behind the ball. Setting up with the right forearm inline with the club shaft automatically puts your head behind the ball. So simply go ahead and swing Rotate around the spine and let the swing happen...

 

[jimmyt]

Does anyone think that it is possible to come out of your shot because of lack of strength in your glutes.???

Just a question, read an article that inferred that holding spine angle through the shot is a strength issue.

 

[begolfpro]

The right forearm

Check out these sequences and then you can see what I mean...

At impact his head has dropped/tilted to the ground and his back has moved up. Constant spine tilt, I don't know about that. His right elbow has moved to his right hip and now the right forearm is inline with the shaft!! ALL THE PROS DO THIS...setting up with the right forearm inline with the shaft will eliminate the need to do ALL of the above

There are more sequences on the golf digest website...

 

[begolfpro]

Glutes??

Does anyone think that it is possible to come out of your shot because of lack of strength in your glutes.???

Just a question, read an article that inferred that holding spine angle through the shot is a strength issue.

Nope, the glutes have nothing to do with the swing or coming out of it. If in doubt sit on a chair and hit some balls. You will still be able to hit them yet not as far...this shows that the legs have nothing to do with the swing. just let the swing happen...don't try and analyze it to death

 

[dale47]

From the teachers view-point it may be over-rated,caused by x.y,z.. or whatever. All I know is this,you can put up almost every good players swing out there on film and that spine angle will change very little. Now put up Joe Blow Da golfer.....watch his. It will change.... A LOT. For me, I think I want to get that right arm strait to add power. I wind up hitting a pull,but I think thats why I do it.

 

[begolfpro]

Straight right arm

For me, I think I want to get that right arm strait to add power. I wind up hitting a pull,but I think thats why I do it.

Do you mean at address like Harrington's above? Hanging down from the body and not inline with the club shaft.

Power comes from the fast rotation of the forearms through impact irrespective of the setup because ALL IMPACT POSITIONS are the same

His spine has definitely moved up because if you draw the line for the spine anatomically as it is suppose to be...at impact his spine will be curved and no way in the same position as at address

 

[dannyc]

wrong forum

The reason you would hit it fat is because the right forearm and club shaft are NOT on the same plane at address...standing up at impact is to allow this to happen...at impact ALL good golfers have their right forearms in line with the club shaft and the right elbow close to the body.

As an experiment setup with the right forearm inline with the club shaft and hit balls...let me know what happens and in your setup have the ball opposite the toe end of the club and not the center. this will help you strike down and thru the ball because if you stand up you are going to miss the ball

this doesn't work for everyone

 

[begolfpro]

Why not?

this doesn't work for everyone

Why would that be when the impact position that ALL golfers are trying to achieve is as in the impact photo of Padriag Harrington?