Should You Try To Keep Your Head Down?
Should You Try To Keep Your Head Down?
Walk up and down any driving range and you will at some point hear those famous words, “Keep Your Head Down”. Unfortunately, that advice has never worked.
Golf could be the world’s hardest game to master. What game do you know of where you always could have done better? Perhaps this is the reason we love the game so much. What makes hitting a golf ball so difficult is that the ball doesn’t move . . . YOU do.
The body moving up or down during the swing causes the head to follow. Most people I know have their head connected to their body. LOL
For example, if the body moves up during the backswing, it sets the body above the ball from where it started and vice versa. This sometimes causes golfers to top the ball, hit the ground before the ball, or completely miss it altogether. It’s important to realize what your are really doing is pulling the golf club away from the ball.
One of the keys to hitting solid golf shots is allowing your body to turn around the spine. This doesn’t mean your head can’t move, just that you need to move your body around it.
The position of the head at address is important too. The chin should remain high enough to allow the shoulders to turn under it on both the backswing and follow through.
No one ever intentionally kept their head down during a good golf swing – that’s right, no one. Maintaining proper posture throughout the swing keeps your head down. There is no need to lower your head at address. Keep that chin up and turn!
Mike Fay
PGA Director of Instruction
With over 30 years of teaching experience, it's easy to see why Mike has become a leader in the world of golf instruction. Everything from cutting edge social networking techniques to having his own podcast, Mike has helped to change the face of teaching golf. He currently is the Director of Instruction at Walnut Creek Country Club in South Lyon, Michigan.
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