Spine angle drills...

[Tiger]

Anyone seen or got any good drills / tips for maintaining spine angle? Think I've got it sorted for my irons and my hybrid most of the time. Losing it with my 4 wood and Driver though. Want simething i csn practice to engrain it. Cheers

 

[Twire]

I can't see why you would want to maintain your spine angle.

 

[hovis]

what do you mean. are you lifting on the backswing? or dipping on the downswing?

 

[Twire]

Just to confuse you, have a look at this.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrAFA888Ng4

 

[Capella]

I have a tendency to do that as well, especially when I haven't played for a while. What helps me, especially with the longer clubs, is the feeling of shortening my backswing, so that it feels like I only take the club back to 10 o'clock maximum (when I check it on video, it normally comes close to a full backswing anyway, but it feels way shorter). Checking yourself in a mirror also works, if you have one on the range.

If you are practicing together with a friend, have him hold the grip end of a club or an alignment stick directly over your head while you swing. That way you will notice as soon as you start to raise.

 

[Tiger]

what do you mean. are you lifting on the backswing? or dipping on the downswing?

Just to clarify. I am lifting on the downswing becoming more upright. So with my driver I am striking the ball low on the face and towards the toe. I want maintain my spine angle into impact so I return the club in the same position as my set up. Hope this is a bit clearer. T

 

[Tiger]

Thanks Capella. Unfortunately often practice on my own. I have been working on shortening the backswing. In a much better position at the top but still lifting as I come into the ball maybe I need to shorten the swing a bit more!

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Fold your arms over a club under your armpits. Practice turning back on the backswing until one end points at the ball. Do the same for the follow through until the other end points at the ball. I'll often do this before teeing off or in a quiet moment if waiting for a group ahead as it maintains flexibility and promotes a sound spine angle.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Thanks Capella. Unfortunately often practice on my own. I have been working on shortening the backswing. In a much better position at the top but still lifting as I come into the ball maybe I need to shorten the swing a bit more!

I assume you've already googled early extension and seen the results that come up for that?

For me, focusing on turning my hips through the downswing helps to avoid (or reduce at least) early extension.

 

[Wabinez]

The swing is a dynamic movement....at the speed you are returning the club, you can't maintain the same spine angle, as the body is moving. It's the delivery of the club you need to improve

 

[clubchamp98]

Just to clarify. I am lifting on the downswing becoming more upright. So with my driver I am striking the ball low on the face and towards the toe. I want maintain my spine angle into impact so I return the club in the same position as my set up. Hope this is a bit clearer. T

This comes from trying to hit the ball to hard.
If you lunge at it from your transition the tendency is to straighten up for leverage.
Try to keep a smooth even tempo from the top .

 

[Maninblack4612]

I can't see why you would want to maintain your spine angle.

Are you serious?

 

[Twire]

Are you serious?

Yep. The golf swing is a dynamic movement not 2 dimensional.

Have a look at that MC video I posted.

 

[Maninblack4612]

My head goes up & back on the backswing - just can't stop it, a permanently stiff neck doesn't help. I've invented an apparatus consisting of an adjustable pole which clamps to a stanchion in the driving range booth with a colendar on the end of it, into which you put your head before swinging. It's just a design on paper at the moment & I'm afraid that if I used it I might do myself a permanent injury. Good idea bobmac?

 

[Dan2501]

Maintaining spine angle is another of those mis-guided golfing myths. It's physically impossible to achieve, and the best players in the world (such as Rory) manage to play at a very high level without maintaining spine angle.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Maintaining spine angle is another of those mis-guided golfing myths. It's physically impossible to achieve, and the best players in the world (such as Rory) manage to play at a very high level without maintaining spine angle.

No doubt that's true, but Rory doesn't have a swing that involves goat humping either.

 

[Tiger]

This comes from trying to hit the ball to hard.
If you lunge at it from your transition the tendency is to straighten up for leverage.
Try to keep a smooth even tempo from the top .

Ahhh now you might be on to something here. Cheers 😊👍

 

[GreggerKBR]

Ahhh now you might be on to something here. Cheers 

I'm not convinced. The longer clubs tend to create mass moving away from you and you have to resist that with your body motion.
It's really hard to swing them slowly or "smoothly"... I don't agree I'm afraid. And... the whole purpose of driver is to get distance!

Obv. the best thing is to see your pro/coach and get the right drills and instruction for you.

For me - I have the same/similar body motion fault, it takes a while to fix. Been at it for 3 years.

It's true that where the club goes and where the arms go does affect the ability to maintain spine posture the key is the hips and dropping the arms and resisting the pull of the clubhead as it goes out and accelerates towards the ball.

I just have to keep working on hip turn back and through, bump and clear.
Using BodiTrak has helped me understand the footwork better. Getting weight into right heel then through to left heel.
One of the drills I use is to lift my toes, that helps me keep a bit more weight in heels and this stops hips from going towards the ball through the downswing.

Choose advice carefully! Good luck!

 

[ADB]

Tiger

Sounds like early extension, this video helped me - think it was originally posted by JustOne.

[video=youtube_share;jUQmjdywsio]https://youtu.be/jUQmjdywsio?list=PLj1gLUsQtLSXeKLjoaeGhTKeXCoIiFEP L[/video]

 

[the_coach]

huge area of the golf motion that a ways open to misinterpretation

yes the upper body in 3D stays 'nearer' to the spine angle that was there at set-up (got to be some real good posture to begin with)
& yes through 'side bend' of the left and right rib cage that 'spine angle' changes

key to good motion and 'angles' through out the swing is good pelvic angle and good 3d hip rotation which allows the "spine angles" (there's a joint at the thoracic - that allows side bend - lateral lordosis)

here's something that can be done with a club or alignment rod that can help folks 'feel' the 'angles' the upper body will travel through - but then you got to be able to 'manage' these through the actual swing motion it self

big key to being more able to manage this through the dynamic swing motion is 'balance' - big key to balance is good starting posture and a real crucial key is pelvic motion/hip rotation

[video=youtube;LOGkqRF6Sag]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOGkqRF6Sag[/video]