Head movement

Now some said that head movement is good in the swing, others say it is the move that kills your whole back swing. I move my head when my chin touches my shoulder on the turn back and then move it again when my other shoulder "pushes" through the shot. So, can not moving my head help me any in my swing?? Or am I doing it right??

Your head can move BUT your head MUST remain behind the ball and you MUST keep your eyes on the ball/impact zone until after impact.

Actually, to maintain good balance your head has to move to the right (if you are right handed) about 4 or 5 inches if you are average size. I say "balance" in two senses:

1. It is near impossible to turn your shoulders if you keep your head dead still. If you don't move your head a bit, your left shoulder has to dip under and then you force your arms upwards and that WILL kill your swing - not your head but your arms.

2. When you swing efficiently, your centre of gravity moves to the right during the backswing. Your body needs to keep balanced so your head should move back to help compensate.

When your head doesn't move the combo of 1 & 2 results in a reverse pivot enducing swing.

So, yep - your head moves. Look at the tour players - see any them keep their head still? Nope.

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)

What about Annika and Duval? Both have shot 59's and aren't really looking at the ball at impact.

Yep, exactly.

Anika and DD both move their heads a lot following the movement of their body during the swing. At impact, their hips and torso are all facing the target already and the head follows ...

You can't swing efficiently without moving your head. Simple.

Hi Graham,

Long time since we spoke, Have you settled/moved in England yet?


Back to the forum, An easy way to look at this is your head should move with the rhythm of your body, if you consciously try to manipulate your head or any part of your body for that matter the swing will be thrown out of sink......


Ian.

Hi Ian,

No I'm not in the UK yet ... probably around August. I have been busy coaching and played a few tournaments but most of my time has been taken up with producing a series of interactive coaching DVD's for an American company. I'm also writing a book.

I like to think of it like this: as your weight shifts back your head has to move with the centre of gravity. As your weight shifts forwards and down on the downswing, your head has to return back to the centre.

Graham,

Hope your books about breaking par..........your e-mailed scriptures helped me to a 74 gross and a win at Dunstable Downs three weeks ago.

A nice crystal vase and a two feet tall trophy to keep for a year.


Hope to look you up when you get here, a round on me.


Ian.

Congrats on the win! That's brilliant, well done.

My book is an encyclopedia of golf tours around the world and a few chapters on "being" a professional golfer, tournaments, tours, travelling, career planning, endorsements, etc. It's planned to hit the book shelves in March 2006 and renewed each year with new tours and information. The book deal is for 3 editions but I hope it will be around longer than that!

For many years the mantra drilled into me was to 'keep the head down'.

I went for a lesson and the pro said that keeping my head down was causing me to hook the drive to the left. He encouraged me to let my head follow my left shoulder which I guess means your following the ball. It works to such a degree degree that if I'm facing a dog-leg left drive, I'll often keep the head down a little longer to get a natural hook (good players call it either fade or draw).

Now my problem is the slice where my hips are passing the ball before the club.

Trying to get it spot on is proving difficult.

I tend to have the hip problem too. My lower body beening to fast in he swing and then by the time my club gets to the ball, my hips are aiming at the target.

*sigh* always something in golf.