[IMAGE: comotion_design]
Like a lot of things in golf that tend to be overlooked or ignored – stretching before a round, regripping clubs, asking a playing partner which club they just used – you probably haven’t given much thought to how you stand before you hit a golf shot. Address posture has a huge influence on the outcome of your swing. Players who are too hunched over [below] – known as “C posture” because of the rounded look of the spine – will struggle to swing the club on the correct path. It’s real easy to hit slices and pulls and/or make poor contact with the ball from this posture.
Players who have a pronounced arch at the bottom of their back [below] – known as “S posture” – will also probably have swing issues, notably timing and weight shift suffer. This posture also puts extra stress on the lumbar discs at the bottom of your spine. Back pain or injury can be exacerbated by this pinching move of the lower back.
Ideally what you want is to find the middle ground between these two extreme spine orientations at address. Jonathan Avalos, one of Golf Digest‘s 50 Best Fitness Trainers in America, is demonstrating here what good posture looks like [below]. It comes from bending forward from the hip joints, not the waist. Avalos says it can be difficult to get into good golf posture if you have dysfunction or inactive muscles around the pelvis, abdomen and upper legs.
