You top your tee shot! Next thing out of your well-intentioned playing “keep your head down!” Or when your uncle taught you golf those words were uttered constantly….I wish this were the secret to the golf swing but it is the advice is as good as an old wives tale and will make contact with the ball even more difficult than it already is.
Consciously trying to keep your head down does more damage than good, it can affect everything from posture in the set-up creating a too vertical swing-plane causing fat shots to creating so much body tension that the swing becomes stiff and unmanageable. Not only do you have the chance at hitting it fat you can miss the ball altogether by restricting your body motion and becoming inflexible and not letting the club swing.
So rather than keeping your head down, focus on how you stand at address. The proper posture will enable you to keep your head, neck and spine angle relatively still until after contact with the ball is made and the club naturally pulls the head up and around. This way you can admire your beautiful shot floating through the air. To attain the proper posture, follow these four rules:
1. Bend at the hips (stick your butt out!).
2. Flex your knees slightly.
3. Make your arms a relaxed extension of the club.
4. Keep your chin up.
