It wasn’t until around the year 2000 that the concept of spine angle was first mentioned as an important aspect of the golf swing. Prior to that year, words used in golf instruction or literature could rarely be found. Today, there is hardly a golf magazine, golf newspaper, new golf book, instructional video, or television analyst that does not discuss the concept. And there are over 30,000 “maintain spine angle” links that can be found on the Google search engine.
Prior to this recent and growing focus on the importance of maintaining spinal angle during the swing, professionals, instructors, and analysts commented on other aspects of the golf swing. Observations were made on the golfer’s head, the plane, one or two planes, the length of the backswing, the tempo, the weight shift and still others. However, all aspects seemed open to discussion, contradictory or could be misinterpreted. However, maintaining the angle of the spine is irrefutable, as agreed by almost all, if not all, of the experts.
So what exactly is the angle of the spine in relation to the golf swing? Why has it become such a popular and important aspect of discussion? And what can the average golfer do to incorporate knowledge of spinal angle into their golf swing? The purpose of this article is to answer these three questions and provide the reader with all the information necessary to fully understand and utilize this important swing concept.
Depending on which analyst you listen to, there are actually two golf spine angles.The first is the most discussed and is best viewed by looking to the golfer’s right side (for a right-handed golfer) and down the target line. Imagine a straight vertical line extending from the back of the golfer’s shoe, down to the hips, and up to the head. Now imagine the straight line that the golfer’s spine makes, from the neck to the base of the spine and intersecting the vertical line. The angle formed at that intersection is the english loinmy. To view an image of this angle, click the link in the resource box to our website. The angle will be unique to each golfer depending on build, physique and stance at address, but the average for most golfers will be around 30 degrees. Note that there is said to be a straight line from the neck to the base of the spine. The back or spine should not be hunched over…they should be straight.
The second angle of the spine, which has been recently introduced by some analysts, can best be seen by looking straight ahead of the golfer. In this view, the line of sight is perpendicular to the target line and 90 degrees from the first and more conventional angle view mentioned in the previous paragraph. Here imagine a vertical line extending upward starting at the base of the spine. For most golfers with proper address, the head, and therefore the spine, is tilted slightly to the right of the right-handed golfer. Now imagine a straight line from the base of the golfer’s spine, extending up and through the center of the golfer’s head. This angle can be better termed as the front column angle. To see an image of this angle, click the link to our website in the resource box. This angle will also be unique and will depend on the golfer’s constitution and physique. But it will also vary during a correct swing, being greater in impact than in address. In the image below, this frontal column angle is approximately 8º at steering and 25º at impact.
Now let’s look at why spine angle is so important to a golfer’s swing. By carefully observing the angle of the golfer’s spine from behind and down the target line, a pro, analyst and even the average golfer can easily visualize what can happen during a swing and particularly towards impact. If the golfer decreases the angle of the spine from its initial angle, say from 30 degrees to 25 degrees, the head, shoulders, and arms will move away from the ball toward impact. The result will likely be a push or slash to the right, or worse, a finishing punch or even a blow. If the golfer increases the initial angle of the spine, say 30 to 40 degrees, the head, shoulders and arms move closer to the ball towards impact. The result of these movements can be a drastic hook, a jab behind the ball, or a jerk to the left.
There is much less agreement on the angle of the front column. There are some who say that it should be constant, like the conventional angle of the spine. But no good swing is capable of doing that; the only sensible discussion is how much should change. Think about it. There are a few ways that almost everyone gets old for a good golf swing:
- Feet should stay where they are, not move in or out, forward or backward.
- The head must remain behind the ball during impact.
- The weight should shift on the downswing to the lead leg.
When we think about the implications of these three aspects, which are almost universal rules (only the “stack and tilt” approach questions the third point), we see that the front column angle must necessarily increase during the downward phase. Consider:
- The feet are planted.
- The head does not move forward.
- Yet somehow the weight shifts forward.
The only way these considerations can occur would be if a significant fraction of the body below the neck and above the feet moves forward. What’s going on here? Let’s look at two of the most common proverbs for a good swing:
- You must “hit against a firm left side.”
- You must “shoot the right side”.
These proverbs suggest that the hip twist, which everyone agrees is essential, involves a forward movement of the hips. Even if you’re rotating your hips instead of sliding them, shooting the right side against a firm left side means your hips are moving from center right (top of the backswing) to a point over your left foot (for balance on the backswing). monitoring). -through). And that forward movement of the hips is where the weight shift comes from. The feet do not move and the head does not move; forward movement of the hips shifts the weight.
Another look at the front column angle image shows us why the front column angle must increase between steering and impact. The hips move forward and the head falls back. You need an increased column angle or a guillotine! So “holding” the front angle of the spine does not require a constant angle, but rather a tilt of the spine so that the head stays back while the weight is shifted forward.
So how can the golfer learn to maintain the correct angle of the spine, both conventional and forward? Most pros, instructors, and seasoned golfers will say that golf is a game of sensation. And if he wants to maintain his spine angle, he has to know what this aspect of the swing feels like. The golfer can have his swing videotaped from both views of the spine angle and could quickly see how and if the spine angle changes. However, such a revision would not translate into the desired sensation. Without that sensation, one does not know what physical movements to correct or what to practice to improve.
For many years, and still today, many golf experts have focused on the head as the critical part of the body that affects the swing. The head is at the top of the spine and it follows that if the head were to remain relatively stable throughout the swing, the conventional angle of the spine would also remain relatively constant. Additionally, a firm head is the key to proper front spine angle sequencing. It was perhaps with this end result in mind that Jack Grout, Jack Nicklaus’s first professional instructor, held young Jack’s hair in his outstretched left arm for two hours and made Nicklaus hit real balls. Grout knew that tactile feedback was the best way for a golfer to become familiar with any aspect of the swing.
More recently, Hank Haney used the exact same technique on Charles Barkley on the Golf Channel. haney project. However, it did not require Sir Charles to hit the balls for two hours with tactile feedback. Charles could not have gained the desired sensation of a firm head and consistent spinal angle with Haney grabbing and holding Charles’s head only two or three times. Acquiring a feel and ultimately developing muscle memory to maintain a constant spinal angle would have required Charles’s head to be held for two hours or more, and would likely require subsequent practice sessions as well.
The brain has memory and can remember physical and muscular movements and bodily sensations so that they can be repeated. The task is to tell the brain exactly the movements, the bodily sensations, that you want it to remember. Tactile feedback has been shown to be the best procedure for programming or reprogramming the brain to acquire new and desired physical movements and bodily sensations. And probably the best tactile feedback to help a golfer get the feel for maintaining spinal angle is to use the Jack Grout/Hank Haney technique. To do this, he has to ask another person to hold his head in a stable position (which will also maintain the angle of his spine) while he swings or hits real or plastic balls, until he gets that feeling. Gaining such a feeling will not happen in one practice session. Or you can use a training aid that supports your head in a similar way and allows you to swing, with or without balls, and allows you to hit real and/or plastic balls.
The more often you can practice your swing with tactile feedback, with or without hitting the balls, the sooner that feeling will become a natural part of your swing. Eventually new muscle memory will develop. You will have acquired the sensation of maintaining the angle of the spine, an irrefutable aspect of a good golf swing. You will get more consistent and solid blows. You will lower your scores and your handicap. Enjoy your game.
