Making good golf swings requires good posture. It’s one of the first things you will notice among good golf players. They are consistent at setting up their stance in the address position. Posture has everything to do with your golf swing; from your stance, rotation, weight distribution, and arm swing, everything is affected by how you set yourself up to the golf ball.
How does posture affect the golf swing?
A good posture allows you to properly execute a swing sequence completely and properly. It means you have to completely and properly rotate your shoulders, chest, and hips. Your weight distribution is also on great timing and your balance is maintained throughout the swing.
When you swing in bad posture, this usually leads to missing the ball, and inconsistent shots. A swing imbalance and a loss of posture halfway through the swing sequence cause the club to impact poorly on the ball. This results in slice, curved ball, thin and fat shots. Distance is also affected because of the limited rotation and movement. A poor posture equates to a poor path.
What makes a good swing posture?
A good swing posture involves key elements - stance, balance, and angle.
Tips on how to achieve good swing posture:
1) Stance
✅ A good stance means having the knee flexed while your feet being firm on the ground. The standard stance is your legs spread as wide as your shoulders.
✅ As your club gets longer, your stance should be wider. This is commonly applied to drivers and wood clubs.
✅ Be mindful of where your toes point. The front foot should be angled outward and slightly towards your target and your back foot angled about 90 degrees from the target.
✅ A proper stance and foot placement allow you to rotate properly and gather better speed.
2) Balance
Balance is vital in performing a swing. It should be maintained throughout the swing sequence along with ankle movements and weight shifts. To achieve this, weight should be evenly distributed between your toes and heels. Power is gathered during the weight shift.
✅ When using a shorter club, your weight should be distributed slightly more on the target side foot. It’s the left foot if you are right-handed.
✅ When using middle iron clubs, your weight should be evenly distributed to both feet.
✅ When using long clubs, put slightly more weight on your back foot. It’s the right foot if you are right-handed.
3) Angle
Angle completes a good posture. It allows proper distribution of weight, maintains balance, and sets your stance in the correct direction and level. It maximizes your movements especially during rotation and provides better power, speed, and impact.
✅ Proper alignment is the key to the proper angle. Your upper spine, knees, and the balls of your feet should be aligned on top of each other.
✅ Your back should be flexed slightly inward-pointing at the target.
✅ Stick out your buttocks and bend on the hips, not on the waist.
✅ Keep your spine straight during the backswing. This will draw more power and distance to your swing.
4) Ball placement
Ball placement is often overlooked when setting up. It makes all the difference in your shot. Depending on your club, ball placement is also set differently.
✅ When using short irons, play with the ball in the middle of your stance.
✅ As your club gets longer, place the ball half an inch towards your front foot.
✅ When using a driver, place the ball sleight inside the front foot.
How do you know if your posture is correct?
We cannot stress this more, good posture equals good and consistent swing. It’s one of the fundamentals of golf and something a player should always keep in mind and practice until it becomes second nature. So, how do you actually know if you’re setting yourself correctly pre-swing?
✅ Your spine is aligned and your knee is slightly bent from the hips.
✅ Your butt sticks out while your back is flat as you bend.
✅ You should feel the weight on the balls of your feet
✅ Your lead shoulder is slightly higher than your trail shoulder and your spine is slightly turned away from the target.
✅ Your arms should not be reaching but hanging straight from your body.
Practice and be mindful of your swing posture by combining the elements and tips mentioned above. Practice posture drills and familiarize your clubs. Feel and see every detail of your address position to easily adjust yourself and achieve good posture. Use training aids that will help you get a good feel of your alignment, angle, balance, and stance.
