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Head
Down?
One of
the time-honored expressions is to keep your head down. To
play golf well it is helpful if the head does not move vertically
or laterally to any great degree until the ball has been struck.
But it does not mean that the head must be held in a fixed
rigid position. The head should release through the shot with
the release of the arms and body.
Players that think they looked up or lifted their heads, usually
have a swing error and the spine straightens, thus the head
comes up. If the club is swinging on the correct plane, the
spine should stay constant during the swing. I believe that,
apart from short shots, golfers rarely lift their heads involuntarily
and certainly never consciously. When I hear from a student
that they looked up when they miss a shot, I just chuckle
inside. In fact in full shots it is next to impossible to
see the club-face contact the ball. By the time you feel the
shot come off, the ball is long gone.
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Many years
ago, a famous local golf professional shared his views with
me about keeping your head down. He told me that things with
their heads down get eaten, chickens, cows, etc. He said you
have to play golf like a lion with your head up.
So my advise this month is to play golf more with the eyes.
Use the eyes in the pre-shot routine to define the target,
use the eyes more over the ball looking at the target, and
let the eyes follow the ball to the target. I think you will
have a more free feeling swing as the head is released and
hit more shots to the target.
Great golf,
Neil Wilkins
Neil
Wilkins, Director of Instruction at Sienna Plantation Golf
Club.
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