VIDEO: Focus on the tilting of your shoulders throughout the swing to stay in posture and improve consistency
All golfers want to be consistent, right?
Silly question. Of course they do!
One of the most common issues golfers face, however, is inconsistency in their ball striking. Among other contributing factors, the inability to stay in “posture” throughout the swing is a significant factor to inconsistent contact.
So what gives? Let’s discuss.
What is golf posture?
A simple explanation of golf posture is the bend of the spine/shoulders, hips and knees in the address position compared to a normal standing, or upright, position.
The GOLFTEC SwingTRU Motion Study proved that high-handicap golfers tend to lose the posture, or “tilt,” of their shoulders throughout the swing, which then requires extra variables to return to a desired impact position consistently.
The study showed the best players, in comparison, maintain their posture/tilt throughout the swing. This makes consistently solid ball striking much more achievable.
Shoulder tilt in the backswing
First, what is shoulder tilt?
As the SwingTRU Motion Study explains, shoulder tilt is the angle of the shoulders measured against a level (upright) position.
It shows the average (right-handed) professional golfer tilts their shoulders 36 degrees to the left at the top of the backswing, while the 30-handicap tilts just 29 degrees to the left.
This may not seem like a significant difference, but it’s huge in terms of what that means to a golfer’s potential to hit the ball solidly time and time again. Translation: If you’re one who loses posture in your backswing, focus on getting that left shoulder to turn more down and under your head (toward the ground) just like the best golfers.
Shoulder tilt in the follow-through
Maintaining your posture and shoulder tilt is just as important in the follow-through as it is in the backswing.
To accomplish this – in an opposite manner to the backswing – try to keep your right shoulder tilted down to the right (toward the ground) as you follow-through into the finish position.
Ingrain both to become more consistent!
As with many components of improving at golf, the more you practice to maintain your posture throughout the swing, the better and more comfortable you’ll become.
To fully ingrain the proper shoulder tilt in your backswing and follow-through, it’s helpful to start with small swings and be mindful of the proper checkpoints with each.
Once you can accomplish with small swings consistently, move up to full swings. It won’t be long before you maintain your posture like the best of them and your ball striking improves!
GOLFTEC’s Brad Skupaka and Nick Clearwater discuss posture and shoulder tilt in the video below, and give a simple exercise to work on these critical components of your golf swing. Check it out and, as always, talk to a local GOLFTEC Coach who can help with your posture further!
VIDEO: Tips to Stay in Posture
If you’re not sure if this tip is for you, find a GOLFTEC near you and talk to a Coach today!