The Basic Steps to Perfect Golf.

Masterfile.

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Upper Body Angles. (Changed - 25/02/2013)


Maintaining the upper body angles is one of the most important principles of the golf swing, so read this section and remember the content.
( See Video
and see how the upper body angles are maintained throughout the golf swing.)


At the address position the upper body is set at two particular angles.

First of all the upper body must be slightly tilted to the right so that the right hand can be comfortably placed on the golf club, but you also need to adopt a posture of the upper body which assume an forward angle of the upper body.

Therefore it is absolutely vital to the success of the golf swing that once these angles has been created, they must be strictly maintained throughout the golf swing, but especially as the whole body turns to fully face the target area thus allowing the right shoulder to rotate under the chin as the follow through movement is performed.


Back Swing.

You have to learn to rotate a very compact upper body unit around a fixed point (See below) whilst maintaining the forward upper body angle and a sideways tilt of the upper body so that the left shoulder is positioned under the chin at the end of the back swing movement (depending on the flexibility of your body)

Down Swing.

But importantly you must maintain the forward and the sideways angle of the upper body during the down swing and the follow through movement.

It is vital that you retain these upper body angles as the right shoulder is forced to rotate under the chin as the club head swings to the bottom of the swing arc, thus ensuring that the club head moves through the contact area whilst square to the target line, but also giving a boost to the velocity of the golf shot.

However in order to perform this action correctly, you must also keep the head firmly held slightly behind the ball until well after the ball has been struck.


Vital Information.

Most high handicapped golfers allow the upper body angle to straighten as the clubhead moves through the contact area.

Ironically this is the precise part of the golf swing when the upper body angles should be firmly held in place.

So if you want to play very good golf, it is absolutely vital that the upper body angles are maintained, the hips do not sway towards the target area and the head remains slightly behind the ball until well after the ball has been struck.

You must concentrate on this aspect of the golf swing, especially as the clubhead goes through the contact area, but importantly, you must continue to maintain these upper body angles until the completion of the golf swing.


Exercise

This exercise is performed without holding a golf club.

Therefore whilst facing a wall, place your toes about 300mm away from the wall and slowly adopt your normal address position and as you bend over, you will note that your head is either touching or nearly touching the wall.

If the head is not quite touching the wall, slowly shuffle your body forward so that as you move closer to the wall, your head actually touches the wall.

Whilst maintaining both a sideways angle and a forward angle of the upper body, move the weight of your body on to the balls of your feet, so that the whole body begins to tilt forward and the head rest heavily against the wall.

Therefore hold the head firmly against the wall whilst you carry out this exercise.

 

As long as you keep the head touching the wall, the head will be kept firmly in place.

Therefore whilst holding this position, simply rotate the shoulders back and forth, but to achieve the desired effect, focus on a spot on the ground.

As the shoulders make a full rotational movement towards the target area, the right shoulder will automatically to rotate under the chin.

The feeling you experience whilst carrying out this exercise is exactly how the upper body angles should be maintained as you carry out the full golf swing.


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