Dave Ramsay - For Your Swing October 2010

You're Lifting Your Head...NOT!
 by Dave Ramsay, GMGC Head Golf Professional

In last month's article I wrote about how poor instruction is passed around (well-intentioned, but poor nonetheless) between friends and family.  One of the key reasons this informal instruction fails is the disconnect between the swing errors and the advise.  A very popular piece of standard advice is "you lifted your head through the ball, so stay down."  We've all heard it before... maybe you've even said it.  A friend that I had the privilege of instructing several times confessed that he's said it to others because "I didn't know what else to say, I couldn't really tell specifically WHAT they were doing wrong, and I didn't want to NOT help (or look stupid), sooooooo... it seemed like a good tip to fall back on!"
 
There is NOT and epidemic of people ruining their shots by lifting their heads.  Read that sentence again - I'll wait!  I will acknowledge that there are people that straighten up early in their swing.  Without doubt, you MUST straighten into a standing posture before you finish your swing - but it is a question of timing.  As you keep turning toward the target after impact, you should be straightening up out of your posture as your weight continues to shift onto your front foot.  This standing action helps protect your spine as you make a well-connected body turn and weight shift to a full finish.  If you begin to stand early (before impact) then you will definitely have problems hitting thin and/or toed shots.  However, I see people claiming that ANY shot hit thin or off the toe of the club is from lifting their head.  What's more, I hear that reason given for chunked shots as well (huhhh???  How did the club get lower if you rose higher?).
 
If you are struggling with thin, chunked, or inconsistent shots away from the club's sweet spot, there are other culprits besides lifting your head.  Keep in mind that I need to actually SEE you make a swing to know what your specific flaws might be, but here are a couple of things to think about while trying to analyze your root cause for inconsistent contact.  There are several ways to have contact problems, but for this article's sake it's common to have an issue with an improper weight shift that requires improper wrist/hand action to get the ball in the air. 
 
Simply put, many people try to keep their body and weight too far behind the ball through impact, and are forced to try to 'scoop' the ball by flicking the wrists in an effort to get the ball to get up into the air.  You may have heard it said that in order to hit a good shot off of the turf up into the air, one should have the clubhead going down through the ball.  It's true - look at any good player's divot.  The divot will begin after the ball, shallow at the back and continuing deeper for a few inches before bottoming out and coming back up and out of the surface.  This player knows how to make sure that their weight is moving forward through impact, with the grip end of the club still leading the clubhead at the moment of contact.  The loft on the club will do the work of getting the ball airborne, even though it is still traveling downward at impact.  The result of a well-timed weight transfer and body turn while making sure that the wrists release their position properly?  More consistent contact, improved distance, control, and healthier back!
 
Keep in mind that everyone should NOT be making the exact same swing. The weight shift discussion is one possible answer to "what's wrong with my swing - am I lifting my head?"  The surest way to improve is to receive quality instruction from a PGA trained instructor, discovering your swings specific strengths, flaws, and get help develop a plan to enjoy the game more.
 
Next month, more poor advice - "Keep your head still!"  Sounds like a close relative of "You're lifting your head", but yes it is different.
 
Hope to see you at The Mountain,
 
Dave

PS: Be one of the first three people to ask for help and I will give you a free swing check-up/analysis!  You must This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and tell me you think you are lifting your head.