Do you want more power, consistency and to avoid injury? Of course you do, who doesn’t? Correct posture is the key!
Creating a solid base for your golf swing enables you to deliver the golf club with more power and consistency, more often.
The way we stand when we address the golf ball directly impacts the way we are able to move and swing the club. It seems logical that poor posture will lead to bad swing mechanics, which will in turn cause some bad shots. Good posture on the other hand will give you a greater chance of a good swing technique and therefore straighter, longer golf shots.
Many golfers look great at address, but then lose the good angles they created by straightening up or lifting during their backswing. This often leads to inconsistent strikes, either heavy or thin, which will only cause problems out on the golf course.
So what is good posture?
Watch any of the women’s or men’s tour golf and you will see that they all look strong and athletic as they set up to the golf ball, whether it be a short iron shot or a driver off the tee. You might see variations to all other parts of the golf swing, but the address position is consistent in all top level players. There is a reason for that!
Not only does good posture allow for better upper body rotation and more potential power, it also reduces the risk of injury and back problems, so why shouldn’t we all try to achieve it?
Here’s a few checkpoints to ensure that you are in the correct position at set up:
Stand up straight with the end of the club roughly a hand span distance from your belt buckle and parallel to the ground, as shown above. Your shoulders should be straight back and no curve should be seen in the lower back either. Rounded shoulders or curving in the lower back restricts rotation and puts pressure on your spine, which can lead to injury.
The straight back position can feel unnatural for many golfers, myself included. It is something that I constantly keep an eye on in my own practice. You can easily check yours too, in a mirror or by asking a partner to take a quick photo.
Weight distribution between heels and toes should favour the balls of the feet slightly. A good exercise to help you feel this is to rise up onto the balls of your feet and gently lower yourself back down as shown above. You can rock yourself forwards and backwards until you feel the weight favouring the balls of your feet, but not so much that you feel off balance.
Gently flex the knees to remove the tension from the legs. Tilt the upper body forwards from the hips, keeping your back as straight as possible and gradually lower the club to the ground. How far the spine bends forwards will vary from player to player based on height, but the shoulders, knees and feet should all align as shown and the butt end of the grip should point towards your belt buckle. Your arms will hang naturally down below your shoulders as the club head sits flush to the ground.
Once in the correct position at address, it is vital to maintain that good posture during the swing if you want to achieve solid strikes and maximum distance..
As you can see in image 1 above, I have maintained my posture while rotating my shoulders and upper body to get the club to the top of my backswing. I have lots of energy and power stored, ready to be unleashed in my downswing. My head remains in the same position as it was at address, because my spine angle has not changed.This is vital if I want solid contact with the golf ball.
If I lose my spine angle during the backswing (as per image 2), I gain height, my shoulders rotate on a flatter plane, and less potential power is stored as my core muscles are not really working. At some point during the downswing I will need to lose some height if I am to make good contact with the ball. This can only lead to trouble!
Here are a couple of practice drills to ensure that posture is maintained in the backswing and to encourage better upper body rotation:
This exercise may seem simple, but it’s extremely effective. Stand in your usual address position and place a club across the front of your shoulders. The grip end of the club should sit on your left shoulder (for a right handed golfer). Rotate your upper body as you would during your backswing but at a much slower pace, whilst maintaining your spine angle as shown in image 1. You should see that the left shoulder and therefore the club point down towards the ground, a little outside the ball at the top of the backswing.
If you lose your spine angle and lift during the backswing rotation, the club will point way beyond the ball and possibly not down to the ground at all, as shown in image 2. Try to limit your hip rotation as the shoulders turn to really feel the core muscles at work!
It can also be fun to ask a partner to get involved too. Make two or three slow backswings with a mid iron while your partner holds your cap as shown above, to encourage you to rotate rather than lift. Then try to repeat this movement when hitting a few shots. By swinging deliberately slower you will feel the core muscles working as you turn and quickly feel it if you lose your posture.
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