As you practice golfing with a straight spine, imagine drawing a line across the ground and then another line down your back to the ground. Ideally, the two lines should form a perfect “V” shape. Maintaining your spine angle also means keeping your back straight throughout the swing until your club connects with the ball.
It’s impossible to straighten your back completely! The bottom of your spine has a natural curve, so it’s helpful to focus on making your upper back as straight as possible. When trying to bend over the ball, it’s easy to let your upper back hunch rather than keep it straight. Be aware of your back’s shape, and correct yourself if you start hunching.
When taking your backswing, initiate it with your chest and make sure your hands are firm at the top before swinging. Rotating your left shoulder assumes you’re golfing right-handed. If you’re left-handed, rotate your right shoulder down under your chin instead.
As you finish your swing, your right shoulder should be slightly lower than your left, and your hips and shoulders should both be angled towards the target. Once again, this assumes a right-handed golfer. If you’re left-handed, your left shoulder should be underneath your chin and slightly lower than your right.
Keeping your chest pointed down until the last second ensures you maintain the same trajectory and angle throughout your swing. Rotate your chest on the way through the downswing during the swing.
You don’t have to keep your head perfectly still but avoid raising or lowering it during your swing, as this cause you to lose your spine angle. When your overall posture is good, your spine angle will also improve. Once you’re comfortable keeping your head still and chest down, you’ll be able to maintain your spine angle without a second thought!
After the drill, remove the club and use it to practice a few swings while your spine is perfectly positioned.
Since your head is located at the top of your spine, you can keep your spine angle straight if you keep your head in the same place while you swing.
This exercise trains you to be more centered and balanced. When you remove the wedge, you’ll instinctively shift your weight to the center of your feet rather than your toes! Once you get comfortable with this posture, you’ll also find it easier to maintain it through your swings instead of standing up, improving your spine angle.
Use extreme slow motion to feel each movement in your swing and get used to the feeling of a straight spine. Take about a minute to complete the swing. Once you master slow swing drills with perfect posture, you’ll have a better understanding of how to hit the ball at normal speed!
Picture your swing like a pendulum, with a fixed and moving point connected by a line. Making your spine angle the fixed point ensures an even, accurate swing of the “pendulum” (your golf club) every time.
