Head movement during the golf swing

  How to move your head during your swing

Does the head stay down and still? NO. If you look at the great players in the game, most have a slight movement of their head going back. It certainly varies from player to player, but it’s still present in one form or another. Players like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have quite a noticeable head movement on the back swing (especially with their drivers). Other players, like Steve Elkington and Tom Purtzer, hold theirs a bit more stationary.

What’s important to note with head movement, just as in the weight shift, is that it’s not something you should think of. It is simply just a reaction to what you do with the golf club. When a golfer starts thinking of shifting their head a little bit here, and a little bit there, there is big time trouble awaiting.

Here is the proper head sequence?

On the back swing you have a little natural weight shift. Consequently, you have a little natural head move. This is perfectly O.K. This is the same move that you would make if you were to throw a rock into a lake. You would never think of anything other than the rock and the lake, but your weight and head would shift automatically. If you throw it 2 feet, you don’t have any movement. But if you throw it 200 feet, there will be a more noticeable move.

On the downswing is where the key is. YOUR HEAD MUST REMAIN BEHIND THE BALL AT IMPACT. If you look at a face-on picture of any good player in the history of the game, they all have their head behind the ball at impact. You can even see in players like Nick Faldo and Greg Norman, that they actually move their head to the right to start the downswing. This just creates a more powerful, underneath, impact position. If you get your head moving laterally left BEFORE you strike the ball, you basically have no chance. You will be way steep, way over the top, and way far from hitting a good shot!

Post impact, your head will follow the rest of your weight to the left side. You don’t want to hang back through the entire shot and snap your spine in half, or at least finish in a reverse-C.

Just remember that a good impact position will make it easier for this natural head movement to happen.

The Bottom Line? With regards to head movement, the idea is to hardly ever think about it (maybe to hold it still to start your downswing is okay). Just try to let it take its natural course.

Also, keep in mind to not freak out if you see it move slightly on the back swing, because Tiger Woods does it also. As I’ve said, if it’s good enough for Tiger, chances are that it will be good enough for you, too.

The 50/50 Feeling to Good Balance

The title of this teaching tip may sound somewhat contradictory, so allow me to explain.

Canadian golf legend George Knudson dedicated an entire instructional booklet on the importance of good balance. All good players and top instructors agree that without balance throughout the swing (both physical and emotional) you have no chance of producing good shots consistently.

For good static balance, I suggest feeling your body weight is 50/50 back to front (heel to toe), and 50/50 side to side (front foot to back foot). Assuming you have a correct spine angle at address, your weight back to front will tend to favor the balls of your feet - which is why you need not over emphasize this sensation. Conversely, if you over emphasize weight on your heels, you may lose your spine angle, and this will throw you out of balance to the rear.

The 50/50 feeling side to side is very easy to achieve, because it is, indeed, "just a feeling." In reality, if you have your upper body positioned properly behind the ball, your body weight will naturally follow, meaning your weight will favor your back foot.

About the author:
Joe Sullivan

http://www.golflink.com

More sports information - More golf information