Around The Bend December 2018

AROUND THE BEND

December 2018

PAGE 9

GOLF TIP OF THE MONTH

Ron Nutty, PGA Director of Golf

Keep Your Head Down? No! I have been on the golf course many times when a lady has cold-topped it off the tee and/or hit a worm burner. The first thing her husband says is, “Honey, you lifted your head.” This is the worst advice you can give a golfer. Once a golfer hears “keep your head down,” they are often so worried about lifting their head they put their head down and tuck their chin in, which leads to rounded shoulders and poor golf posture, as I’m demonstrating in Photo 1. If the golfer tries to hit a shot with this set-up they almost always hit another shot that dribbles off the tee. Here is the issue...When golfers hit the skinny low shots off the tee or in the fairway, they do not “lift their head,” instead they come out of their posture (Photo 2). Usually they have either straightened their legs or more commonly they have lifted their torso as they come through impact. This results in players hitting the ball on the bottom of the club face, creating very poor contact and a lack of distance. To correct this shot, instead of “keeping your head down,” focus on keeping your chest level through impact or think of brushing the grass with your club face. This technique will lead to maintaining your posture throughout the swing, provide more center-of-face hits and better ball flight. Photo 3 shows good posture at set-up. Work on this diligently on the practice tee using training aids if you can. By no time, you’ll be striking the ball with far more consistency, power and accuracy.

The HBCC Golf Staff

Contact Us! 770-992-1818

RON NUTTY Head Golf Professional

George Payne Golf Shop Att.

Connor Towne Asst. Golf Pro

Dave Werner Asst. Golf Pro