staying down

[rice12oketman]

i need help in staying down in my swing. when i tend to turn up in my swing i hit the ball straight push 20 yards right or slice my ball. any help in what i can to in my swing

[garth]

I have always disliked the idea of "staying down." Even worse is when you hear someone on the range tell a beginner "keep your head down!" To me, it is the biggest swing myth in existence. I would much rather see a golfer thinking "chin up" or "head up."

I'm interested to see what others think, but I feel like keeping your head down will get you in to an unathletic position where you are almost frozen at impact. I have always tried to keep my head up, so that my shoulders can turn freely under my chin.

Another tip that I have always liked - since we are talking about the head here - is to keep your head behind the ball at impact. I think Nicklaus said it best when he stated that the buttons on your golf shirt should be pointed at the ball when you are at address but to the right of the ball at impact. This is going to help you approach the ball from the inside.

[jy]

I totally agree with garth. If pple think that it is not a myth, just go to swing analysis websites where they show you frame by frame action of how professionals swing.

Tiger woods for one nearly SQUATS upon impact of the ball, his head very much lower then the original position it was in. Of all the swings I saw, all were in head positions lower then the original on impact. This proves that none of the professionals concentrate consciously think about "staying down", they concentrate on set up, tempo and other stuff.

Head behind the ball like Garth said, good set up, see two knucles blar blar and give it a nice easy swing. Do not swing faster then you can ( ie. u cannot finish properly or u are all over the place after a swing) or decelerate through impact. Do not conscienciously think about staying down or fear you will skull the ball. ALWAYS think positive, imagine that you are a going to execute a deft stroke : you are going to pick the ball nicely with a soft click and send it screaming through the air. More often then not you will get a decent shot. The moment you think that you will skull the ball, you will. Regroup and go through your pre shot routine again when funny thoughts creep into your head and until you are comfortable again, go after the ball.

It seems to me that you are looking up too fast, anxious to see where your ball goes as you had no confidence when executing the shot.

Not sure if thats the case but my 2 cents, hope it helps :smile1:

[jeffy]

My guess is that, at impact, too much weight is on your back foot, your body has not rotated enough toward the target and your right arm is insufficiently extended, common enough faults. I do them all the time. You also could be guilty of too much tension in the arms and/or a left arm dominated backswing.

The way I try to correct these faults is as follows:

At address, evenly distribute your weight and maintain this distribution through impact, and let the momentum of your arms and club pull you onto the front foot; finish with the back foot on the toe, vertical to the ground. Be very target oriented as you swing. This should keep your weight more centered and less likely to sway back and stay on the right side.

Grip the club with equal pressure in each hand (and each finger, from the left pinky to the right forefinger) and each arm. Maintain this constant grip pressure throughout the swing. Grip firmly enough that the hands control the club (too loose and the arms takeover) and DO NOT tighten any part of the grip during the swing.

On the downswing, use your right arm consciously, specifically the upper right arm: the forearm and elbow need to stay relaxed and responsive. Different feels work for me: my favorites are: 1) to feel the right arm extending behind me on the downswing, and 2) from the top, use the upper right arm to swing the club toward the target. Practice swing and hit practice shots using your right arm only; you can't use the right side too much. You'll need to rotate the body counter clockwise through the downswing; I find that happens more or less automatically if I swing my right arm correctly and focus on the target. Other helpful thoughts are to focus on finishing with the left hip over the left heel and the right shoulder over the left toe.

I've assumed that your posture is good and that you maintain it throughout the swing. Have someone watch you or swing in front of a mirror to make sure your body is not raising up on the backswing.

Good luck!

Jeff

[Junior]

A little think I used when I was pulling up was for a few shots I forced myslef to stay down longer by actually watching my divots explode.

[HipCheck]

I'd simply just focus on maintaining the proper spine angle throughout the swing. It can be that easy. :cool: