One problem that a lot of amateurs have is picking their heads up during the swing. Instead of maintaining a level head, they pick it up early and lose any hope of hitting a good shot. But, why does this happen? What causes one's head to move during the swing?
That's exactly what Barry Short wants me to answer. Unfortunately, there isn't one reason why someone's head might be moving before impact. There are a few different things that can cause this to happen, of which I'll go over in today's video lesson.
Hi Don,
You may remember me in Brisbane, Australia a short while ago. Tall and fairly skinny. You gave me a very favourable mention about my position at the top of the swing and at the finish point.
Great comment from John Borgas. In it you mention keeping one’s head still. Since seeing you, I have developed the bad habit of lifting my head just before hitting the ball, which of course completely throws off my swing; very, very frustrating. By really concentrating on keeping my head still until after contact, I can hit the ball well, but being nearly 81, I get tired towards the end of the round, and I go back to my bad habit. Can you give any hints please to help me overcome this problem without me having to really concentrate very hard to keep the head still.
Thanks,Barry Short
I first want to start by saying that you don’t want to overthink. If you've got 10 different swing thoughts going through your head before you take the club back, odds are you're going to overwhelm yourself and hit a bad shot. You need to feel the swing with a practice swing and then step up and swing the feel.
In terms of what is causing Barry to lift his head up before impact, it could very well be because of his alignment. If you have bad alignment, you'll end up compensating in some way to get the swing back on line. Aiming out to the right (for a right handed golfer) can cause you to come over the top and pick your head up.
Watch the video above for a few more reasons why you might be picking your head up. Tiny modifications to your ball position and setup might be all you need to start finding the groove.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
If you can't view the YouTube video above try CLICKING HERE. You must allow popups from this site for the link to work.
Comments
Head moving up
Excellent question! This is a problem I have struggled with for years. In fact, what I have a tendency of doing is to gradually stand taller in the BUS which of course raises the head. I don't actually feel like I am doing it, but when I review video of my swing it is plain to see that my head moves up a couple of inches. It can result in anything from a big old fashioned slice to a massive pull-hook. I have to put extra focus on keeping my NAB (Nose At Ball) until impact to mitigate this issue. Sometimes I'll slack off on that swing thought but I always end up paying for it eventually with a wayward shot. I think the NAB thought prevents my head from drifting back (to the right, I'm right-handed) off the ball; when my head drifts back, it seems to allow my torso to move upward a little, which also results in a longer backswing making it even more difficult to return everything back to the right place at impact.
Head Lifting
I remember Barry, I was in the same group and we have a very similar body frame, we may meet again as I'm coming over to see Surge this summer.
I struggled with the head concept for a while, but according to Surge, I keep mine down too long now, but I reckon it's better being down than up.
Some things that I found about the head moving up is:-
1. You must be casting at the top of the BUS and as Surge says, that makes you want to stand taller to allow the club to come back on the target line.
2. One thing that has helped me is to watch the ball disappear from view in the FUS, this makes you concentrate without having to think what you doing.
3. Another Surgism, is the "poptart" theory, this can be misleading and it took me a while to realise how/when this actually happens.
Swing the feel
Another good reminder today Surge.
Yesterday I went to the local driving range [first time in probably a year or so]. It was a visit well worth the time. After a torrential downpour during the night what a surprise that for the couple of hours there, the sun was beaming down and it was quite hot! Mindful of Surges comments on always have a target, I used the distance marker boards to my front. Only two bad shots out of all those I hit! They were while 'fiddling' with ball position on one of my hybrids off a hardpan mat! There was very little dispersion on any of the clubs from SW-3W,ie, had they been on the course they would have all made the fairway. With the Driver the only problem was settling on a consistant tee height. Direction was not a problem-being high or low needs more work. However the other longer clubs were impeccable-20deg/23deg hybrids and 5W/3W-so not really worried about the driver at the moment.
So what went right? almost everything : - ] 'Just doing it right' and part of that was the pre-shot practice swings-then swinging that feel, and popping up like a poptart out of a toaster almost automatically.
Recently it dawned on me that maybe I had not been rotating my forearms in the BUS!!! and ending up swinging arms only in some shots.
My solution, slightly different from Surge and the 'Full practice Swing' then making the shot. I only take the club back half-way in the BUS and then swing up to the 'T'finish and recoil. This I repeat twice and then set up and make the shot. The pre-shot routine has me following my ball straight down the target line after 'popping up' [without even thinking about it], and watching with a smile on my face. As I didn't have my glasses on [deliberately and my 'eyes' or wife and playing partner was busy at home],on the much longer shots I could not swear to actual distances, other than that they were straight, high and long [for me] and consistently so : - ] That is all I could possibly ask for. Now the range is not the course-but knowing that I can hit shots as yesterday showed gives me a lot more confidence. The slight rotation of the forearms missing in my backswing may well be a game changer for me! All thanks to Surge and the Surge Nation : - ] A rigorous couple of hours on the course the day before and the range practice for another couple of hours and not one tweak or ache in my raddled old carcass! Bliss.
Off for a swing session before the wet stuff arrives again-Yeeeha! DH a happy chappie and DL in NZ
Off-topic - rotational vs. vertical
I got my new issue of GOLF Magazine today. Once again, Johnny Miller is dissing the vertical swing, talking about having to get into a reverse-C to make the vertical swing. Obviously, he has no understanding of the PPGS and its concepts. If he did, he would realize that he had done it all wrong back then.
Overdoing the Up
I made a swing change today when hitting short and mid iron approach shots. All I had to do was get more aggressive with my hip turn in the forward upswing. Before making this change I had totally lost my draw with the longer clubs and was even missing short irons, short and to the right. Topped and thin approach shots were also too common. The problem appears to be that I was overdoing the up part of the arm swing and not turning aggressively enough with the lower body to help close the club face.
I can still hit a very consistent fade, with all of my longer clubs while making a strong UP arm swing with less hip action. Working the ball either way is no problem now and it's a lot easier to stay in the short stuff.
Head Lifting Up
Barry, let me offer another possible explanation, based on my own experience.
When I start a round of golf, I usually hit the ball fairly well. However, as the round progresses and I hit some bad shots or find myself facing a situation where I must carry a certain distance over an obstacle or hit a very small target, I involuntarily look up too quickly to see where my shot is going. Needless to say, this is exactly the wrong thing to do because it typically raises my upper body and results in poor ball contact and a poor shot. This in turn is likely to lead to a repeat on my next shot.
Recognizing this self-defeating behavior, I am now trying to focus on a single swing thought for shots like that - to keep my head steady and my eye on the ball through impact and slightly beyond, trusting my alignment, my swing and my club selection - before popping up into my finish.
Hope this helps.