I’m lifting my head in the backswing- I may have found a fix

2021 Update…

What I thought a couple of years ago makes perfect sense, but I don’t think my lack of flexibility is the main issue here. I got into the habit of videotaping my swing lately and I found that I still lift my head, but something else is causing it.

I take my club IN (behind me) instead of back(UP), in the path of the shot.  I’ve been practicing the backswing for weeks now with much better results, but I still do that when I’m not thinking about it while I swing. I have to FORCE myself to take my club back on-plane, otherwise, I go back to my usual IN swing with very predictable results. What I think I’m doing and what I am actually doing is so different. Curse!!!

I know that if I have a good backswing it will fix lifting my head and also fix the over-the-top swing as well. Why? Because when I take the club IN – behind me, in order to then hit the ball, I have to bring the club forward first, otherwise I collect my foot on the way down. That is the classic over-the-top swing. However, if I take the club up, on the target plane, then the club just needs to come down to hit the ball. No adjustment of the swinging plane is necessary.

I’ve been practicing at home and on the golf course and I’m getting great results. I am shooting about 15 over with the faulty backswing, but I know I can do much better!

… end of update

I am not completely against video analysis. In fact I’ve been recording my progress for a while now. What I don’t like is picking apart my swing into the tiniest of parts and trying to find drills to “correct” that one by one. I get it, the best way to retain a customer is to teach him a little bit at a time so that it takes him or her years to develop a decent enough swing. That’s years of potential income.

I can scrutinize the swing myself, I don’t need to pay 65$ for half hour for someone to tell me what I already see myself. I’m not angry, well, a little bit, because I sank over $500 into useless lessons that only made things worse, and almost compelled me to give up golf altogether. I’m so glad I stuck with it.

My biggest issue at the moment is lifting of my head during the back swing. It certainly explains the inconsistencies in the club and ball contact. I can hit a really good shot, but the next one I hit the grass before the ball, or top it. It’s extremely frustrating.

I take my club back quite well, but at 3/4 backswing, I can’t twist anymore, so I lift my body to give myself those few inches of backswing. On the way back, sometimes I get back down into a perfect position and manage to hit the ball straight, but more often than not, I miss the ball. Not completely, but enough to ruin the shot.

I’ve been trying to keep my head still, and in a practice swing I manage to do it OK, but in the proper swing, no matter what I do, I always reach out a bit more and turn more than my body allows. Every single time I do that. Even if keeping my head still is the only thing I think about when I take my club back, I still overdo it.

I just need those few extra inches of backswing to get enough power into my shot.

I watched a few YouTube videos again, and yes, everyone agrees that getting out of posture, which then causes lifting of the head in a golf swing, is the cause of my misses, but no matter what they suggest, I do not improve. If I do a half swing, for a slow pitch, I have no problem; my body stays in posture, but the full swings are ruining my game.

One thing I noticed, however. When I set up into a golf posture at address; if I just look down on the ball, it is impossible for my body to turn enough to make a full swing. Sometimes I even look down towards the target as I start my back swing. This is the tip:

Instead of looking straight down at the ball, I actually turn my had away from the target. As if I was looking at my right foot. My eyes are still on the ball, but with my head already turned in the direction of the backswing. That is why the intermediate point in front of the ball is so important to maintain the right direction of the swing.

Ben Hogan swing. Notice how his head is turned away from target at address, as if looking at his right foot. Not straight down

I should not need to get out of posture to achieve full swing. Makes sense, and seems natural, but will test it tomorrow.

I actually started watching the best tour players. They don’t face straight down. They face sway from the target, just look at the ball with their eyes. A tiny detail that should hopefully make help.