Drills to maintain spine tilt

[Bellyhungry]

I am looking to be more consistent with my ball striking...Among other things, I identified that one of the main culprits is failure to maintain my spine angle in my swing.

What is the most effective way/drill that you have used for this?

Thanks in advance.....

[laxgolf]

I am looking to be more consistent with my ball striking...Among other things, I identified that one of the main culprits is failure to maintain my spine angle in my swing.

What is the most effective way/drill that you have used for this?

Thanks in advance.....

I'd like to hear some tips as I struggle with this too. My instructor had me write 'tilt spine' on my glove, but I never remember to key on this.

[dohboy]

I'd like to hear some responses to this as well. I think I've picked up the bad habit of straightening out a little on the downswing. When I am cognizant of this during my swing, I make decent contact, but when I am not thinking of it....:help:

[el tigre]

I don't have any drills, but when it happens to me the first thing I check is the length of my backswing.

[laxgolf]

A couple of things that I do are to make sure that my back leg maintains a constant flex through the swing, and keep my head behind the ball. If these two things happen, then my spine angle should be OK.

'Should be' is the operative part of that sentence. Doesn't always happen.

[The Troll]

Not a drill but remember that most amateurs swing their shoulders very flat (to the ground) thru the ball while most pros have a significant downward tilt to their shoulders (right shoulder well below the left).

[goshawk]

I am looking to be more consistent with my ball striking...Among other things, I identified that one of the main culprits is failure to maintain my spine angle in my swing.

What is the most effective way/drill that you have used for this?

Thanks in advance.....

One drill that I use is the shadow drill. This can be used for several different purposes. With the sun at your front shoulder, you can see if your spinal angle changes particularly during the back swing. Reverse it to check the follow-through. With the sun at your back, place a ball next to the shadow of your head and another at the side of your forward hip, both toward the target side. During the backswing, check to see if you are drifting/sliding too far toward the back foot. You can also place a club on the top of your shadow's head to see if you are changing your spine by your head either dipping below the club or going above it.

[laxgolf]

One drill that I use is the shadow drill. This can be used for several different purposes. With the sun at your front shoulder, you can see if your spinal angle changes particularly during the back swing. Reverse it to check the follow-through. With the sun at your back, place a ball next to the shadow of your head and another at the side of your forward hip, both toward the target side. During the backswing, check to see if you are drifting/sliding too far toward the back foot. You can also place a club on the top of your shadow's head to see if you are changing your spine by your head either dipping below the club or going above it.

I was hoping you'd chime in...:D

[Quest]

Many golfers struggle with spine angle changing at impact. The anticipation of seeing the great golf shot that you just made encourages the turning of the head which changes the spine angle slightly. This usually results in hitting the ball thin, or in extreme cases missing the ball completely.

Try working on keeping your eyes down until your right shoulder (right handed golfer) nudges your chin during the follow through.

[Carlton]

I put my driver across my shoulders at the back of my neck and hold on to both ends with my hands (like you're going to do some squats with a barbell) or have the shaft of the club across my chest and held there with my hands, next assume my stance as I normally would at address. I'll do a backswing tilt and pointing the tip of the shaft (left for a righthander) at the ball, then do my follow thru (keeping my head steady and eyes on the ball) so that the other end of the clubshaft points to the ball. I would have done a full shoulder tilt while maintaining my spine angle. Works for me...

[pendlebg]

If it helps, here is a somewhat related trick that I use. As long as I keep my tempo in control, my spine tilt / angle are pretty good. Focus on a consistent, under control, smooth tempo and if you have a good spine setup and movement, then it should stay that way. If your spine angle / tilt is fundamentally flawed then the above drills are all great. Just suggesting if your smooth tempo swing is pretty good already, then tempo might be more the issue.

Smooth Tempo plus proper alignment equals fairway hit, GIR's and birdie putts. Not so smooth tempo and one putting for bogey is usually the best result.

Works for me, anyway (plus all the other swing flaws that overswinging brings in).

[Golf_Goof]

Place chair or an old golf shaft behind you so your butt touches it during address, make practice swings with butt still touching chair at finish.
Place driver shaft across shoulders but on the chest not the back, leave the head and ~2' of shaft past your shoulder then rotate the shaft and head so that it traces the plane line and driver head covers ball, note amount of spine angle/tilt required to do this.
Practice so that your wieght moves to the heel of your right foot on the BS and again to the heel of your left foot on the DS.

[hogannut]

I too struggled with this until last year. I don't know of any "drills" but after seeing a video of myself what I concluded is the angle of the tilt is equal to the angle of the shoulder tilt.

Because you grip the club with the right hand lower (assuming you are right handed...if not reverse this to the left hand) your shoulders NATURALLY tilt if you maintain equal weight distribution during your address/setup. That angle from the top of your left shoulder to the top of the right shoulder is the SAME angle your spine tilts when standing up straight.

SO if for example your right shoulder is 20 degrees lower than your left shoulder your spine should be angled 20 degrees towards your right side to compensate for your lower right hand/shoulder.

The only reason why you have to tilt your spine is to correct the offset due to your right hand being lower than your left. If there was some way of gripping the club securely with both hands at the same point on the shaft spine tilt would not be necessary.

All I did was practice setting up in front of a mirror over and over again, trying to make sure I tilted my spine to the same level my right shoulder was lower than my left. Sorry I don't have a drill to offer, but you can check yourself in a mirror for free and you don't have to go to a range and hit hundreds of balls.

[ShortgamePro]

The goal in hitting golf shots is to hit the ball in a consistent spot. The easiest way to do this is to stay centered and not move behind the golf ball on your backswing. It takes great timing and coordination to hit the ball in a consistent fashion if you move behind it...and most amateurs dont have the time to put that much practice in.

Learn to stay centered over the golf ball on your backswing. Don't move the head, and let your right knee straighten up and your hips open as you get to the top of your backswing. This will feel much more natural and much easier to do consistently. As for a drill...do some mirror work and get the feeling down and then take some full swings.

PS. Drills done alone dont' work...you need to swing at speed for your muscles/brain to realize the change and recall the action.

[hogannut]

The goal in hitting golf shots is to hit the ball in a consistent spot. The easiest way to do this is to stay centered and not move behind the golf ball on your backswing. It takes great timing and coordination to hit the ball in a consistent fashion if you move behind it...and most amateurs dont have the time to put that much practice in.

Learn to stay centered over the golf ball on your backswing. Don't move the head, and let your right knee straighten up and your hips open as you get to the top of your backswing. This will feel much more natural and much easier to do consistently. As for a drill...do some mirror work and get the feeling down and then take some full swings.

PS. Drills done alone dont' work...you need to swing at speed for your muscles/brain to realize the change and recall the action.

Agree and disagree with this. Absolutely hitting the ball in a consistent spot is a key factor in good ball striking. However, whether you are a touring pro or a weekend hacker your will never hit the ball consistently unless your head is behind the ball. Good mechanics are not exclusive to touring pro's only, and to suggest otherwise is not correct.

Your head is behind the ball because of your spine tilt. Stand straight in front of a mirror and "tilt" yourself to either side. Does your head stay in the same position? THe answer is no. If you didn't have to tilt your spine you are correct your head could stay over the ball, but as I have said spine tilt is necessary because of the fact your hands go on the club in different positions of the shaft.

Also, I don't know of any book or teacher that advises to straighten your right leg, that is simply not correct. A straight right leg causes all sorts of problems, mostly fades/pushes/slices. NEVER straighten your right leg at ANY point during the swing.

In fact your head SHOULD swivel from side to side. What your head CAN'T do is bounce up and down. Annika is the best example to use when talking about head swivel. Her head swivels a lot during her swing, particularily in the downswing. SHe has barely made contact with the ball and her head is already "up" and looking down the fairway, but her head never goes up and down.

If you can grasp the difference between your head swiviling compared to moving up and down, that will help a lot. In fact if your head stays completely stationary it is a bad thing. It must swivel back and forth so your right shoulder can clear at the finish.

One of the most inaccurate statements in golf instruction is "keep your head down". What your head must do is remain steady but be able to rotate around your spine just like the rest of your body does.

[laxgolf]

Agree and disagree with this. Absolutely hitting the ball in a consistent spot is a key factor in good ball striking. However, whether you are a touring pro or a weekend hacker your will never hit the ball consistently unless your head is behind the ball. Good mechanics are not exclusive to touring pro's only, and to suggest otherwise is not correct.

Your head is behind the ball because of your spine tilt. Stand straight in front of a mirror and "tilt" yourself to either side. Does your head stay in the same position? THe answer is no. If you didn't have to tilt your spine you are correct your head could stay over the ball, but as I have said spine tilt is necessary because of the fact your hands go on the club in different positions of the shaft.

Also, I don't know of any book or teacher that advises to straighten your right leg, that is simply not correct. A straight right leg causes all sorts of problems, mostly fades/pushes/slices. NEVER straighten your right leg at ANY point during the swing.

In fact your head SHOULD swivel from side to side. What your head CAN'T do is bounce up and down. Annika is the best example to use when talking about head swivel. Her head swivels a lot during her swing, particularily in the downswing. SHe has barely made contact with the ball and her head is already "up" and looking down the fairway, but her head never goes up and down.

If you can grasp the difference between your head swiviling compared to moving up and down, that will help a lot. In fact if your head stays completely stationary it is a bad thing. It must swivel back and forth so your right shoulder can clear at the finish.

One of the most inaccurate statements in golf instruction is "keep your head down". What your head must do is remain steady but be able to rotate around your spine just like the rest of your body does.

What he said. Couldn't agree more.

[guitarman]

One of the most inaccurate statements in golf instruction is "keep your head down".

I've always wondered about that one myself.

[Hombre Lefty]

easiest and best tip i ever got to cure the spine tilt issue : set up to hit the ball. Then "peek" at the underside of the ball as if to look at a speck of dirt close to where the ball rests on the tee. the only way to do it is to tilt your spine correctly. Voila, spine problem solved.

[laxgolf]

easiest and best tip i ever got to cure the spine tilt issue : set up to hit the ball. Then "peek" at the underside of the ball as if to look at a speck of dirt close to where the ball rests on the tee. the only way to do it is to tilt your spine correctly. Voila, spine problem solved.

Holy Cow that's easy and makes sense. I'm going to have to write 'peek at dirt behind ball' on my glove'. Sometimes I find myself tilting a little too much. This tip gives you an easy way to do it consistently.

Hombre Lefty - welcome to the site!!

[hogannut]

easiest and best tip i ever got to cure the spine tilt issue : set up to hit the ball. Then "peek" at the underside of the ball as if to look at a speck of dirt close to where the ball rests on the tee. the only way to do it is to tilt your spine correctly. Voila, spine problem solved.

Agree with laxgolf (which is hard to do being he is a Sens fan:rofl: :eek: ) great pointer. So to reinforce earlier posts, when you look at the underside of the ball, what does your head HAVE to do in order to peek at the underside of the ball. YOur head has to move back, or away from the ball. Great little pointer Hombre Lefty.

[pdonnelly]

Maintain visual contact with the back of the ball from setup to after impact, hard to do this if you are swaying to the left and losing the tilt. You can also check out the online tips at www.swinglikemoe.com (http://www.swinglikemoe.com) :)

[Quest]

Also, I don't know of any book or teacher that advises to straighten your right leg, that is simply not correct. A straight right leg causes all sorts of problems, mostly fades/pushes/slices. NEVER straighten your right leg at ANY point during the swing.

The whole idea of the backswing is to create torque in your upper body. If the right leg straightens, you lose the torque that was created. (Load with the top, unload with the bottom)

One of the most inaccurate statements in golf instruction is "keep your head down". What your head must do is remain steady but be able to rotate around your spine just like the rest of your body does.

A better statement is head up, eyes down. If your head is down during your backswing, your left shoulder is going to knock your chin.

[Flog]

easiest and best tip i ever got to cure the spine tilt issue : set up to hit the ball. Then "peek" at the underside of the ball as if to look at a speck of dirt close to where the ball rests on the tee. the only way to do it is to tilt your spine correctly. Voila, spine problem solved.

I'm not disagreeing, but doesn't this only apply to the driver/wood, when you want your head behind the ball at impact? With irons your head should be in front of the ball at impact (directly over front foot), no?

[laxgolf]

I'm not disagreeing, but doesn't this only apply to the driver/wood, when you want your head behind the ball at impact? With irons your head should be in front of the ball at impact (directly over front foot), no?

That would be the first time I ever hear that. I've always been taught to keep my head behind the ball.

[hogannut]

I'm not disagreeing, but doesn't this only apply to the driver/wood, when you want your head behind the ball at impact? With irons your head should be in front of the ball at impact (directly over front foot), no?

Unless you are trying to hit a particular type of shot, knock down, whatever, the golf swing should remain constant for the entire bag. THe only thing that changes is the distance between your body and the ball, and the width of your stance, but ball position more or less remains constant. The only reason why the distance and width changes is to compensate for the lenght of the shaft. The longer the shaft the further away from the ball you have to be and the wider your stance has to be in order to provide equal stabalization during the swing.

Not to beat a dead horse, but check out Hogan's theories on ball position and the width of the stance for further confusion!!:rofl: THe 5 step book is just the best for all this stuff, and Hogan knew his principles worked because he developed and implemented them.

[Flog]

Obviously my swing sequence is completely out of whack. :help:
I always (try to) keep my head behind the ball with the driver, woods and long irons, but with higher lofted clubs than a 5 iron I progressively move my head farther ahead in an attempt to hit more down on the ball. By the time I reach the wedges my head is well ahead of the ball. I think this all stems from the notion that the ball is moved back farther with each higher lofted club.

Back to the drawing board, or driving range. :mad:

[rangefreak]

i used to do that too. comes from the saying "hit down on the ball with your irons." i took it too literally and hit right down on the ball. i used to play the ball just inside my back foot. but, i hit my wedge a good 140 yards with that technique. unfortunetly, all of my other clubs were crap. it wasn't until about a year ago that i realized that you're supposed to SWING the club, not HIT with it.

[ShortgamePro]

[quote=hogannut]Agree and disagree with this. Absolutely hitting the ball in a consistent spot is a key factor in good ball striking. However, whether you are a touring pro or a weekend hacker your will never hit the ball consistently unless your head is behind the ball. Good mechanics are not exclusive to touring pro's only, and to suggest otherwise is not correct.

Your head is behind the ball because of your spine tilt. Stand straight in front of a mirror and "tilt" yourself to either side. Does your head stay in the same position? THe answer is no. If you didn't have to tilt your spine you are correct your head could stay over the ball, but as I have said spine tilt is necessary because of the fact your hands go on the club in different positions of the shaft.

Also, I don't know of any book or teacher that advises to straighten your right leg, that is simply not correct. A straight right leg causes all sorts of problems, mostly fades/pushes/slices. NEVER straighten your right leg at ANY point during the swing.

In fact your head SHOULD swivel from side to side. What your head CAN'T do is bounce up and down. Annika is the best example to use when talking about head swivel. Her head swivels a lot during her swing, particularily in the downswing. SHe has barely made contact with the ball and her head is already "up" and looking down the fairway, but her head never goes up and down.

It appears as though you misunderstood me. First off, there are many ways to swing a club. I, however, believe that the most consistent way to hit the ball is to stay centered over the ball. This means NO shift to the right side, and NO shifting of the head behind the ball. It is unnecessary.

You said you didn't know of any book or teacher that advises anyone to straighten their right let so I'll will name two teachers - Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer...among others.

Check out their article in golf digest.

[hogannut]

[quote=hogannut]Agree and disagree with this. Absolutely hitting the ball in a consistent spot is a key factor in good ball striking. However, whether you are a touring pro or a weekend hacker your will never hit the ball consistently unless your head is behind the ball. Good mechanics are not exclusive to touring pro's only, and to suggest otherwise is not correct.

Your head is behind the ball because of your spine tilt. Stand straight in front of a mirror and "tilt" yourself to either side. Does your head stay in the same position? THe answer is no. If you didn't have to tilt your spine you are correct your head could stay over the ball, but as I have said spine tilt is necessary because of the fact your hands go on the club in different positions of the shaft.

Also, I don't know of any book or teacher that advises to straighten your right leg, that is simply not correct. A straight right leg causes all sorts of problems, mostly fades/pushes/slices. NEVER straighten your right leg at ANY point during the swing.

In fact your head SHOULD swivel from side to side. What your head CAN'T do is bounce up and down. Annika is the best example to use when talking about head swivel. Her head swivels a lot during her swing, particularily in the downswing. SHe has barely made contact with the ball and her head is already "up" and looking down the fairway, but her head never goes up and down.

It appears as though you misunderstood me. First off, there are many ways to swing a club. I, however, believe that the most consistent way to hit the ball is to stay centered over the ball. This means NO shift to the right side, and NO shifting of the head behind the ball. It is unnecessary.

You said you didn't know of any book or teacher that advises anyone to straighten their right let so I'll will name two teachers - Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer...among others.


Check out their article in golf digest.

What issue was the article written in? I'd love to read it. So far you have 2 names that think your head should be directly over the ball and it is fine to straighten your right leg. I'll stick with what EVERY OTHER GOLF INSTRUCTOR/BOOK has said since the BObby Jones era.:hush: :eek:

Hmmmm.....let's see who's opinion would I consider more worthy, Ben Hogan's (and every other instructional book I have ever read) or Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer... among others....who ever they are.

Please go ahead and follow the advise you read and make sure you straighten your right leg and make sure your head is over the ball and not behind it at address. For me I'll keep doing what every single player on the PGA, LPGA, Champions, Nationwide, Canadian, Great Lakes tours does.

[ShortgamePro]

Hogannut...

Baddeley, Weir, Dean Wilson...and there are more. I was also on the range today talking with a former PGA Tour player, and he agreed that he does not try to keep any bend in his back leg, he just lets it do what it naturally does on his backswing, and that is to straighten up a bit.

I mentioned trying to stay centered over the golf ball to the person having swing problems b/c it is an easier swing to repeat than one where your head moves behind the ball.

Here is the article...and there are more links from that page as well that you can go to. If you get the actual hard copy you'll find a nice quote from Jack Nicklaus where he says (in a nutshell): "anybody who teaches someone to shift their weight to the right doesn't know how to swing a golf club".

Enjoy!
http://www.golfdigest.com/instruction/2007/06/stackandtilt2_gd0706

[hogannut]

I actually had a big long response and somehow lost it. I looked at the picture and the guy hitting the shots using the 5 iron drill did have his head behind the ball. So don't know where you're going with that. draw a straight line down to the ground from his head and it is like 6 inches behind the ball....which is correct BTW.

In every sport weight transfering around a fixed axis is how to play the game. Baseball is a great example. Power hitters actually lift their front legs off the ground their weight transfer is so much. Tennis, the serve comes from weight transfer. Skating in hockey is all about transfering weiht from one foot to the next, that's how you skate fast. Try playing a game of tug of war by having even weight on both feet. you will be wet on the first tug.

Considering Jack Nicklaus had one of the most profound weight transfer of any golfer in the history of the game (his left heel came right off the ground it was so pronounced) and the fact his writings state weight transfer=power and accuracy I find it difficult to believe he said that. I looked at the article and could find no Nicklaus quotes.

As I said you swing the way you want and I'll swing the way I want, but I have yet to see any athlete state that weight transfer is NOT needed to produce power in any sport, not just golf.

Maybe you are getting "swivel" mixed up with movement, because you are correct your head shouldn't move off the axis of your spine. Also, as for right straightening, yes it will straighten a bit, but if you lose the flex in your right side at the top of the swing you lose all the power and torque your body created during the backswing.

[ShortgamePro]

Hogan...

In the 5 iron drill the head is right on top of the golf ball. In the picture you see you should notice that the ball has left the clubface and the divot started between the clubs on the ground. If you put the ball just at the beginning of the divot (where it should be for solid contact) you'll notice that his head is Right on top of the ball. If you took the time to see Baddeley in the other articles you'd notice the same thing.

The premise is that at impact we are slightly ahead of the golf ball so why would we want to disrupt that and shift our weight behind it???

As for the tennis parallel...seriously...watch a serve and in know way do they transfer their weight as you are suggesting. It is a spring of sorts and they get that from staying firm on their left side as the reach their racket behind their head.

We have our different methods but don't be so quick to discount mine b/c I've swung the club the way you suggest and I was never as consistent and powerful as I am today.

If you have a second , take the time to read the other articles along with the one I sent you...I think you'll have a better grasp of what they are talking about.

[hogannut]

I did read the article, and the section on Baddely and all it said was he had this new way of teaching. So if it works for you then go for it!

Anyway I did look at the article, when I clicked on Baddeley and all it said was there was a new way of teaching.

So like I said if it works for you or anyone else then go for it. THere is no point in discussing this further.