Posture

In the last issue of NVM, I talked about step one of a great setup: The Grip. This article is going to cover step two of a great setup: posture. One thing that you should take note of while watching the guys on tour is how tall they are at address. I have one simple line at address: If you are tall, set up tall, and if you are short, set up tall. You need to be tall. The importance of staying tall at address is that it produces a large arc while you swing. Large arc equals more distance. The body angles that you create while being tall determine at address what you can and cannot do in the golf swing. When you maintain a consistent posture, the likelihood of creating a repetitive swing is magnified. If you want to improve your current ball striking, you must understand the importance of how the body moves through the golf swing.

Address: Figure 1 PICTURE 016

Address: Figure 2 PICTURE 036

The most difficult thing about the golf swing is the up-and-down movement of the arms and the rotation of the body. These two movements control the overall path and the angle of attack. Their coordination produces solid contact and powerful shots. The first key to combining these movements effectively is posture, because how you stand directly affects the size and shape of the motions. Check the posture of tour players, and you’ll see that these angles are almost universal. They include a spine angle (forward bend from the hips) of approximately 30 to 40 degrees from vertical and a side tilt away from the target of two to ten degrees, with the left shoulder slightly higher than the right and the head behind the ball.

Take your grip; stand straight up with your feet together. (Figure 3) PICTURE 010

Spread your feet shoulder width apart, with knees locked. (Figure 4) PICTURE 011

Stick your rear end out with your knees still locked. This position allows you to bend from the hips rather than from the waist. (Figure 5) PICTURE 031

Ground the club while keeping your knees locked. After the club is grounded properly, bend your knees slightly. This places the spine at the proper angle. (Figure 6)

PICTURE 034

Your head should be behind the ball. This raises your left shoulder slightly higher than your right and should give you a small amount of side tilt away from the target. (See Figure 1)

Your weight should be balanced over the balls of your feet, partly favoring the heel. Never are you on your toes during a golf swing.

Side Tilt

At address, the spine must be tilted slightly away from the target.

(See Figure 1) This is the number-one fundamental that I see golfers overlook, because many amateurs think the head starts directly over the ball in a full swing. This is a vital element of great ball striking.

Preset the hips an inch or two toward the target and position the sternum slightly away from the target to create the proper side tilt. Once you tilt, it is important that your body be balanced at address. With effective side tilt, we are now prepared to use our body to its greatest extent. It allows us to load on the right post in the backswing and return to impact with our head behind the ball. This is one universal fundamental of all tour players. Claude Harmon said it best: “It’s pretty hard to get behind something that you never got behind in the first place.” Achieving side tilt at address allows us to hit the ball with power and accuracy.

Remember: If you’re going to implement power into the action, your head must be behind the ball at the point of contact.

Your posture should remain constant regardless of the club you’re hitting. If the club is shorter, the overall shaft plane will be steeper; conversely, if the club is longer, the overall shaft plane will be flatter.

Results of Good Posture

Good posture promotes a level backswing. If your stance is overly upright, for instance, you will grow taller in the backswing, thus restricting your shoulder turn and reducing power. Stand too hunched, and the swing becomes very steep. By staying level throughout the swing, you can swing the clubhead at maximum speed at a 90-degree angle to your forward spine tilt.

The proper side tilt also helps you turn behind the ball, which allows you to load up on your right post for a powerful coil. All good golf swings operate around two axis points: the right leg and the left leg. If your posture is poor, you’re more likely to rotate around only a single axis point, which makes it next to impossible to deliver the club with any balance and force behind it. As stated earlier, all good players set up with their head behind the ball—a result of the spine tilting away from the target—and keep it behind the ball through impact. It does not return in front of the ball or over the top of the ball. This is why side tilt is necessary. Make sure the entire spine tilts as a unit—don’t simply move your head behind the ball. Once you can get comfortable with getting the body in the proper posture, you will have a much easier time hitting the ball. The great thing with spending the proper amount of time needed with posture is that you can look as good as a tour player at address. And that is your first step to better ball striking. Good luck, and stay tall.

By Scott Sackett

Photos by Colleen Miniuk-Sperry