I have been on the golf course many times when a lady has cold-topped it off the tee and/or hit a worm burner. The first thing her husband says is, “Honey, you lifted your head.” This is the worst advice you can give a golfer. Once a golfer hears “keep your head down,” they are often so worried about lifting their head they put their it down and tuck their chin in, which leads to rounded shoulders and poor golf posture, as I’m demonstrating in Photo 1.
If the golfer tries to hit a shot with this set-up they almost always hit another shot that dribbles off the tee.
Here is the issue. When golfers hit the skinny, low shots off the tee or in the fairway, they did not “lift their head,” they came out of their posture (Photo 2). Usually they have either straightened their legs, or more commonly they have lifted their torso as they came through impact. That results in players hitting the ball on the bottom of the club face, very poor contact and a lack of distance.
To correct this shot, instead of “keeping your head down,” focus on keeping your chest level through impact or think of brushing the grass with your club face. Both swing thoughts will lead to maintaining your posture throughout the swing and more center-of-face hits and better ball flight. Photo 3 shows good posture at set-up. Work on this diligently on the practice tee, using training aids if you can, and soon you’ll be striking the ball with far more consistency, power and accuracy.
Lisa “Longball” Vlooswyk is an 8-time Canadian Long Drive Champion for Women. She is a keynote speaker, golf journalist, golf entertainer and just launched a new Instructional video. Lisa can be reached through her website www.lisalongball.com or through Twitter @LisaLongball
