Spine angle is something that many golfers overlook when trying to improve their swing.  Your body position should be adjusted so that you can maintain the same spine angle throughout the shot.  There is, however, debate about this and some teachers advocate a two-plane swing vs. a one-plane swing.  A two plane swing tends to begin in a more upright position whereas the one-plane swing is based on a slightly bent over position. 

If you notice, golfers that generally have a one-plane swing like Vijay Singh follow the traditional method of having very little upper body movement and thereby leaving less to chance for a change in direction. 

Other golfers will have two and sometimes more spine angles throughout their swing yet they get “corrected” before the clubface meets the ball.  This is probably not what most golf instructors would opt for, but in the case of a golfer like David Toms, it works for him to have a two plane-swing because he is using the change in angle to his advantage.  For the average golfer trying to get better at the game as they say, “Less to do and think about is more”.

It might be easier to let each club’s weight and length determine the correct plane.
Check out the great video that Canadian Teaching Professional, Shawn Clement, from Richmond Hill Golf Learning Center, put together to illustrate “gravity dictating the correct swing plane” that may help you understand how to make this work for you.

You can see more of Shawn's Instructional videos at www.shawnclementgolf.com

Beyond spine angle, the next thing is to get used to the directional stress your body will be subject to and let your own body help you decide the tempo.  You how it feels to hit a good shot versus a bad shot?   Even the pros take practice swings…and for good reason—so they can be sure that the effort and energy they are going to put into the shot feels right.

For me and most golfers, the hardest thing to do is to keep your head still throughout the entire swing. 

Usually for me, it all breaks down when I am tired and when my back gets fatigued at around the 16th hole.  I find that for me, it becomes harder to keep my head down when my spine angle becomes affected.  I do not think this is unusual.  There have been more than a few pros, who have bowed out of tournaments due to lower back problems.

If you keep your back in relatively good shape and exercise regularly, this type of late-in-the-round fatigue will be mitigated, if not avoided altogether.

In addition, to keep the shoulders square, if you maintain your spine angle you are less likely to hit the ball to fat or too thin.  Obeying the command of “keep your head down” is harder for me to follow than concentrating on having my shoulders and spine remain relatively stationary.  Perhaps it is because there is a “feel” associated with the shoulders and back, as opposed to a mental exercise of remembering to NOT doing something, which is a mental game.  E.g., if you tell ten people not to touch a hot plate at the dinner table, five will walk away with sore fingers, just because it is human nature to do something when told not to.

On the other hand, if you make a suggestion that by remaining a certain way you will feel like you can hit the ball further and straighter, for some reason that works for me.

There is an old saying that goes ”If you want to see a lousy golf shot, look up during your swing”.

Practice, practice, practice…& Enjoy Golf!

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