Reverse Spine Angle: An Overlooked Common Swing Error
on May 13, 2022
Have you heard of the Reverse Spine Angle in the golf swing? You are probably committing this mistake and not even aware of it. This is a common error of many high handicappers, commonly as a result of an incorrect address position. As you know, golf is a game of coordination and timing. It starts from the address position to follow through. Any mistake from the beginning will result in poor shots.
What is Reverse Spine Angle?
The Reverse Spine Angle is also known as Reverse Pivot Angle is a common golf swing error caused by bad posture. It’s a result of the hips turning to the left, instead of to the right, which causes the weight to shift more to the left foot or the front foot during backswing. It makes the golfer appear like the upper body is leaning back to the left instead of away from the target and to the right with the lead shoulder and pelvic and knee in alignment.
How does Reverse Spine Angle Affect Your Swing?
The excessive tilt on the pelvic causes the angle to distort and create an “S” curvature to the lower spine. This error in the swing makes it difficult to start the proper downswing sequence as the upper body is not properly aligned. This also limits the range of motion required to complete the swing sequence. Not to mention, that due to the upper body leaning backward, it is a common reason for golfers’ back pain.
Reverse Pivot angle generates numerous problems in the swing:
Difficulty executing downswing
Out of balance
Limits range of motion
Breaking the plane path
Breaking upper body connection
Loss of swing power
Poor timing
Poor contact
Causes back pain
What causes Reverse Spine Angle?
This common swing fault significantly affects your golf swing power and consistency. It is mainly caused by improper address position. But you could also have a solid start position and still end up making this error. The upper body dominates the swing which results in excessive tilt and imbalance in the weight shift. Other problems start from here on as well until the end of the swing sequence. You can already expect that your performance would be of poor quality.
Causes of reverse spine angle:
Too much pelvic tilt
Lack of forearm rotation on the backswing
Improper pelvic positioning at address
Golfer keeping the head down during the swing
How to fix Reverse Spine Angle?
Reverse Spine Angle is actually easier to fix than most people think. Since it’s a problem that starts with the address position, the golfer can adjust himself to be in the correct position, alignment, and distance with the ball pre-swing.
Maintain your spine angle
The connection between the upper and lower body must be maintained throughout the swing. However, a good golfer is capable of separating the upper body movement from his lower body. This means that he can rotate the upper body away from the target and around the spine without breaking the alignment and angle.
Stabilize your spine
Excessive tilting is also caused by an unstable spine. This means that your spine is forced to tilt into a backward bend during backswing because of swaying movement. Any lateral sway during the swing could result in a reverse pivot angle. Your spine stability is directly affected by the strength and stability of your core muscle or (abs and glutes). Without a strong core, you will have the tendency to sway, or your upper body movement will dominate the swing.
Practice posture drills
Fix your setup position and get into proper posture. Perform set up posture drills. Learn to align your body and create the proper target distance. Instead of focusing on the swing address, learn to position the club and yourself properly. Once you start feeling comfortable with your address position, learn to slowly practice rotation drills
Practice rotation drills
The rotation drills allow you to execute the swing sequence. Observe your range of motion, balance shift, and where your body is tilting during the movements. Start with small swings. Practice hitting a ball to 40-50 yards. This way, you can instantly catch yourself whether you are leaning towards the target or away.
Eliminate one of the most common golf swing mistakes, the reverse spine angle by creating a solid and stable swing. Practice good positioning, alignment, and rotation with the help of a trusted and proven SwingPro Plus training aid.
