Improve posture for more powerful golf shots
The ability to turn the body freely and swing the arms freely on both sides of the golf swing is the result of correct posture. A reverse pivot, an incorrect shoulder plane, a change in spine angle and an incorrect arm plane are all the result of incorrect posture. When you posture yourself correctly your pivot and arm plane will be correct. The body angles established at address will allow you to turn on a consistent axis throughout the swing.
The proper width of stance allows the body to turn and the weight to shift. For a middle iron, the outside of your feet should be shoulder-width apart. For your driver, the inside part of your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
As you posture yourself, keep in mind the term “hinge” not “sit,” as you maintain your neutral spine angle and set up over the golf ball. What I mean regarding a neutral spine is to match your normal standing posture.
If you are naturally slightly rounded, maintain this roundness over the golf ball. If you attempt to decrease your natural roundness you will increase your tension level. A simple routine that will assist you with the correct hinge over the golf ball is to take a middle iron and rehearse the next five steps:
1. With your feet shoulder-width apart, stand tall with a neutral spine with your arms stretched out in front of you, holding the club with the correct grip.
2. Hinge from your hip sockets (not your waist) as you maintain your neutral spine. As you hinge, maintain the distance between your chest and your chin. The amount of bend will be approximately 45 percent forward.
3. Flex your knees slightly as you maintain the hinge in your hips and your neutral spine.
4. Allow the arms to drop and fall freely from your shoulders toward the ground. This will allow your club shaft to be at right angles to your spine. Your weight should be toward the balls of your feet. Continue to maintain your hinge at your hips with a neutral spine.
5. Tilt your spine slightly to your right (if you are right-handed). This will make your lead side slightly higher than your trailing side. The left side of your body — shoulder, hip and knee — should be in line. Your right shoulder will be slightly lower than the left. This is a result of a correct grip that has the right hand lower on the club than the left. Just reverse the sides if you play left-handed.
Successful instructors educate their students throughout the golf journey. Following the above described process will assist students with self-correction of their posture. This will allow you to turn freely on the backswing and also allow you to maintain your spine axis throughout the entire swing.
The correct posture may feel uncomfortable at first, but through practice the correct hinged position will begin to feel natural. Keep in mind the ability to turn freely is the effect of a correctly hinged posture. The ability to swing your arms up and down freely is the effect of the arms freely hanging from your shoulders at address. Work to improve your posture, and I promise you will see rapid improvement in your golf swing. Good luck with your golf journey.
Clif Vanetti is the PGA director of instruction at Badlands Golf Club. He can be reached at by phone at 521-0275 or 363-0754, ext.103, or by e-mail at cvanetti@pga.com.