How to Maintain Your Spine Angle and Stay in Your Shot

The Core Concept: The angles you create at address are critical because you must maintain them throughout the entire swing to avoid making compensations.

The “Dangle Test”: Set up to the ball, then let your club dangle freely from your shoulder toward the ground.

The Perfect Checkpoint: When dangling correctly, the club should clip your kneecap and point directly toward the balls of your feet.

Bend from the Hips: Ensure you are bending from your hip sockets rather than your waist; bending from the waist often pushes your weight too far into your toes.

Knee Flex: Maintain a slight knee flex to keep your weight centered; too much or too little flex will shift your weight onto your heels or toes, respectively.

Practice at Home: Perform this “plumb line” check in front of a mirror at home so your posture becomes second nature on the course.

Questions and Answers

Q: How can I tell if I’m bending from my waist instead of my hips? A: Use the dangle test—if the club doesn’t pass through your knees and points at your toes, you are likely rounding from the waist.

Q: Why is it bad to “raise up” during the backswing? A: If you change your spine angle by raising up, you’ve altered the circle of your swing and must make a difficult mid-swing compensation to find the ball again.

Q: Where should I feel my weight at address? A: Your weight should be balanced over the balls of your feet, not back on your heels or forward on your toes.