One of the things that golf professionals work on the most is their posture. High level golfers know they need to have a great posture if they want to hit solid shots consistently.
Most of their swings are good as is, and they have lots of speed, but if they don’t set up with this base for their swing each time, there is really no point in taking the club back.
If you want to ensure your golf posture is perfect and you are giving yourself the best possible chance of hitting a great shot, let’s look at how to get it done. Golf posture is not rocket science; the key is to recognize that golf posture is a pillar of a good golf setup.
The Importance of Golf Posture
Golf posture is something you can’t skirt around. I’m like most golfers in that working on swing length, follow through or even weight transfer feels more interesting and exciting than posture.
However, the work needs to be put in to ensure better golf posture.
Golf posture is important for creating a more consistent setup, allowing for better rotation, making the body more stable, and reducing the chance of getting hurt during the golf swing.
Here are a few key areas that great golf posture influences:
Create a More Consistent Set Up
Golf setup includes posture, alignment, grip, and more. It’s a big process, but posture is likely the largest component of the set up. If you set up the same way to hit the ball, it makes it much easier to get the same results.
Allows for Better Rotation
When your posture is correct, you will have more mobility in your swing. This can include a rotation of the back and hips and better weight transfer. In my experience, the better rotation has led to increased distance.
Great posture makes rotating through the ball simple and effective, where as poor posture really inhibits your ability to turn well.
Creates Stability
When you watch professional golfers play the game, you can see that their body is stable. They never finish out of balance, and they can get their weight transferred entirely to their lead leg as they make their way through the swing. A significant reason golf professionals can remain stable is that they started with a solid base and excellent posture.
Reduce the Risk of Injury
I don’t know about you but being told I can’t play golf because of an injury I could have prevented is a major letdown. In order to reduce the risk of injury, your posture needs to be rock solid. If there are issues with how your back is bent or the way your knee is positioned, you can do some serious damage.
What is Poor Golf Posture?
Golfers with poor golf posture often look too hunched over or too upright. They get into a position that makes swinging on plane almost impossible. Poor golf posture can resemble an athletic or ready stance from other sports you have played.
Golf posture is unique and unlike other sports, so it can be a bit confusing to new players.
Poor golf posture can make your golf game very inconsistent, lead to poor golf shots and create quite a bit of unbalance and instability in the swing.
How To Master Golf Posture Step By Step
Now that you have a general idea as to why golf posture is so important let’s take a look at the best steps for mastering it. To make sure you have the best possible golf posture, you will want to ensure that you break it down into a step-by-step process.
Step 1: Stand Up Straight
One of the most prominent issues you will run into when building the perfect golf posture is bending over too much. In sports like baseball or even pickleball, the ready stance or setup is a bit bent over.
Golfers need to try and create more speed in their swing with a wider arc. This wider arc is best created by a taller stance.
The way I like to think of it is kind of like sitting on a taller chair or barstool. That first move you make when you sit where your backside pushes out just slightly is all the bend you need in golf. This bend is just enough to create a slight spine angle.
Step 2: Shoulders Back
Once you have your stance nice and tall, you will want to push your shoulders back. Having your shoulders hunched forward is a mistake, and it creates issues with alignment as well as accuracy.
When shoulders are hunched, you also have more weight towards your toes, and your head will hang down more than it should.
The head is a very important part of the posture, and when the chin is hanging down and not pushed up or back, it creates an issue that is difficult to recover from in the swing.
Step 3: Arms Straight and Hanging Down
When building the perfect golf posture, don’t push your arms too far out. Some players reach for the ball, and this is a problem. The arms should be relaxed and hanging down from the shoulders. If they get too close to the body, you could struggle with having enough room to release the club at impact.
I like to keep my hands about two fists away from my leg. This has always been a good position for them and where they naturally fall.
Step 4: Slight Knee Flex
Many golf instructors will have you get into what feels like the proper posture and then address the ball. I would rather you do this as part of your addressing the golf ball. You won’t want to get the perfect hip bend and head position and then have to go back over to the ball.
Instead, do it all at once.
So at this point, you should have a slight bend in the hips; your back will be on an angle, your shoulders back, and your arms hanging naturally.
I typically like to bend my knees a bit at this point. It takes some pressure off of them and allows for better weight distribution on the balls of the feet. Without this slight flex of the knee, many golfers feel unbalanced.
Step 5: Check For Accuracy
I highly recommend doing a checkup of your golf posture from time to time. It is essential to ensure that you have the proper angles and that you are positioned to get the most out of your golf shot.
Practicing in a mirror is one way to do this, but you can also take a picture and maybe even draw some lines in to make sure that you are accurate. When I start to struggle with my golf game, one of the first things I look at is posture; sometimes, it is all that needs to be fixed.
Final Thoughts on Golf Posture
Don’t overlook golf posture. Most golfers have a hard time understanding the importance until they truly feel and see the difference. I have started to incorporate checks for positioning into my practice routine, and it has made a big difference in my consistency on the golf course.
When I can get my golf posture in the position I want, it’s much easier for the rest of the setup to fall into place. Ultimately I have found that when I’m most comfortable, and my weight is properly balanced, I shoot lower golf scores.
