| If you've ever tired to close a door that has loose | | | | just rotate your torso back and forth, being |
| hinges, you know how hard it is to do. If you've ever | | | | conscious of keeping that angle, or tilt, constant. You |
| tried to hit a golf ball when your spine angle changes | | | | will find that you are rotating around your spine. |
| during the swing, it's just as hard. | | | | That's a good thought, but remember that rotating |
| The golf swing is a complicated motion. The simpler | | | | around your spine is the effect, while maintaining |
| we keep it, the more accurately, consistently, and | | | | your spine angle is the cause. |
| powerfully it allows us to strike the ball. Simplifying | | | | Spine angle problems lead to poor contact. If you |
| the swing begins with the setup. | | | | stand too straight at address, you'll hit the ball thin, |
| Take your stance by standing upright with your | | | | and if you're too bent over, you'll hit the ball fat, |
| weight forward on your feet. Bend forward slightly | | | | unless you compensate during the swing. Then the |
| from the hip joint. Make sure you don't slouch your | | | | opposite problems can arise. By overcompensating |
| abdomen as you do. Let your knees bend slightly, | | | | for a too vertical stance, you'll hit the ball fat, and by |
| and lower the clubhead to the ground. Your hips will | | | | pulling up from a stance that is bent too much, you'll |
| move backwards a bit so that the feeling of where | | | | hit it thin. |
| your weight is felt on your feet doesn't change. | | | | If you start with the correct spine angle, but change |
| Your back should now be just as straight as when | | | | it after the swing starts, you will, again, hit the ball |
| you stood upright, with an upward feeling as if you | | | | poorly by not compensating or by overcompensating. |
| were about to stand back up. Your head can be | | | | Problems with the spine angle arise because we want |
| lowered a bit, but it can't droop or cause you to | | | | to hit the ball hard. We want to feel strong, so we |
| hunch your shoulders. | | | | set up strong and swing strong. From this, we can |
| You have now created a spine angle, a certain angle | | | | never recover. Just like the door swings freely and |
| between your upper body and the ground. What | | | | easily when it is well-adjusted, our swing brings |
| that angle is will depend on what club you are using | | | | maximum power, and accuracy, with minimum effort |
| and how tall you are. The important point is that this | | | | when it swings freely and around a well-set and |
| angle be maintained throughout the swing. | | | | maintained spine angle. |
| Standing in this position without a club in your hands, | | | | |