Guest post

How Posture Boosts Golf Performance

 

Scott McCormick writes for Golf Now Houston about the best places to hit the links in Texas.

               

                Posture is important throughout our daily lives in a number of ways, and its significance doesn’t wane when the game of golf is considered. In a sport where technique and consistency are expected in order to achieve any level of success, posture is a key ingredient for a pleasant scorecard.

                A lot of it is mental, and a lot of it is physical. Posture is a major factor in a player’s efforts to acquire a fundamental technique on the golf course. Many factors affect a person’s ability to develop and maintain a good posture:

-Body type

-Practice

-Natural tendencies

-Physical ability and athleticism

-Developed habits

-Mental awareness

-Focus

The bottom line is that the exact ideal posture for each golfer is different. However, there are ways to improve it, and they often apply nearly universally in principle.

 

How to Position Yourself for Success

 

                There are a few ways that golfers of all types and skill level can enhance their stance and positioning. While all of them surely don’t apply to every player, the gist of each can often be applied to some facet of a person’s game.

1.       Stand tall with knees bent slightly:

 

One of the most critical factors in mastering golf posture is trying not to curve the back and stand tall. This helps golfers drive through the ball and avoid the natural tendency of pulling upward in the down swing. While there will surely be a dip of some sort in each player’s swing, the goal is to stay consistent through the stroke follow through. Standing mostly upright with knees slightly bent is a good place to start.

 

2.       Arms should fall straight from the body:

 

Arms need to be straight when a player gears up for a swing. This doesn’t mean that they need to be flexed straight to the point of hyperextension, but rather a calm and focused arm position.

 

3.       Body weight should be positioned to fall on the balls of feet:

 

 Like most sports, athletes perform better when they are acting and moving on the balls of their feet. Golf is no different, and with the importance of balance in the game, this idea is even more critical. The better the balance and weight distribution, the more fundamentally sound a swing will be.

 

                There are so many essential ingredients to compile a well-rounded and successful golf game. While posture is simply one of them, it’s a significant step toward improvement and performance on the golf course.