Great golf posture is crucial for consistent, accurate and powerful ball striking. You don’t have to be an athlete to achieve great posture, the tips on this page will work for golfers of all shapes and sizes. The golf swing is essentially a turning motion around your spine; the better the angle of your spine at address, the better it will be throughout the swing. Five key points to consider are:
1. Keep your body weight focused on the balls of your feet. Too much on the heels and you will feel like you are falling back when you swing; too much on the toes and you will feel like you are falling forward at some point in your swing. With weight focused on the balls of your feet, you will feel balanced.
2. Bend from your waist, so that you can create a straight spine. Your hips should be your hinge from which to flex your torso over your legs. Your body is now ready for rotation because your core and base are stable.
3. Do not let your chin rest on your chest which would allow the spine to curve too much before and during the swing. Many amateur golfers take the keep-your-head-down mantra too literally. By keeping your head down, you are increasing the curve in the mid-high back area. By putting an increased curve in the mid-back area, you will decrease your swing width.
4. As with any sport, you should have a slight flex in the knees, creating what is known as ‘dynamic balance’. A slight knee flex in both knees means the body is ready for action, crucial to controlling your centre of gravity. You are putting yourself in a position to perform with great efficiency and you are minimising the possibility of injury.
5. At address, the arms should hang straight down with the butt of the club a hands’ width from the thighs. This will allow your arms, shoulders and neck to be relaxed, allowing your arms to swing freely through the plane of your swing. From a visual perspective, the lateral view of a correct posture would have a plumb line beginning from the anterior shoulder that would run in front of the knee and centre over the balls of the feet.
