Swing Faults
Reverse Spine Angle
Early Release or Scooping
Over the Top
Trapped or Stuck
Slide
Sway
S - Posture
C - Posture
Early Extension
Chicken Winging
Loss of Posture
Loss of Posture
Loss of Posture is defined as any significant alteration from your body’s original setup angles during your golf swing. This loss of posture can affect all aspects of the golf swing including timing, balance and rhythm. Losing your spine angle or alternating your posture usually causes two typical miss hits, the block to the right and a hook to the left. And as most competitive players know, having two misses, one to the right and one to the left, can be disastrous in tournament play.
Physical Parameters Affecting the Loss of Posture and How to Diagnose:
In order to not lose your posture during the golf swing several physical characteristics must be developed. First and foremost, research has shown that any limitation in performing a full deep squat or full hip bend can force a player to lose their pelvic posture during the downswing. Failure to perform a deep squat means generalized stiffness and asymmetry in the musculature and joints of the lower body. This limitation will always limit a good set up posture and force players to alter their spinal posture throughout the golf swing. These limitations are best evaluated using the Overhead Deep Squat Test and the Toe Touch Test (both part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). Secondly, the ability to separate your upper body from your lower body allows your shoulders to rotate around your spine without altering your original posture. Limited trunk to pelvis separation is usually caused by reduced spinal mobility and shortened lat flexibility. This separation is best be evaluated using the Seated Trunk Rotation Test, the Reach, Roll, and Lift Test, and the Supine Lat Test (all part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). Next, the ability to stabilize your spine angle during the swing is directly proportional to the strength and stability of your core musculature (your abs and glutes). When it comes to spinal stabilization the core is the king. These muscles help keep your trunk forward flexed throughout your golf swing. Core strength is best evaluated using the Pelvic Tilt Test, the Bridge w/ Leg Extension Test and the Side Bridge w/ Leg Lift Test (all part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). Finally, in order to rotate around a stable posture one must have good flexibility in your hips and shoulders. This allows you to get the club into key positions without altering your spine angle. The overall flexibility of your hips and shoulders are best evaluated using the 90/90 Test, the Supine Lat Test and the Hip Windshield Wiper Test (all part of your Self-Evaluation Screen).
How Do I Test for Loss of Posture
Overhead Deep Squat Test
Toe Touch test
Seated Trunk Rotation Test
Reach Roll Lift
Supine Lat Test
Pelvic Tilt Test
Bridge with Leg Extension Test
Side Bridge Test
90/90 Test
Supine Lat Test
Hip Windshield Wiper Test
How Do I Control My Loss of Posture?
In order to limit the loss of posture in your golf swing, we have assembled some quick and easy exercises and coordination drills to get you on the road to success. Check them out.
Related Exercises:
Chest Press - Lunge Stance Decline w/ FMT
Rows - Lunge Stance Incline w/ FMT
Reach Roll Lift Planks
Chops (No Rotation) - Half-Kneeling w/ bar
Lifts (No Rotation) - Half-Kneeling w/ bar
Single Leg Bridge
Bird Dog Hip Extension
Related Coordination Drills:
Torso Acceleration Good Shoulder Plane
Torso Backswing in Neutral Pelvis
Related Swing Drills:
Pivot
Merry Go Round
Chicken Wing is defined as a loss of extension or breakdown of the lead elbow through the impact area. This swing fault makes it very difficult to develop speed or power and tends to put excessive force on the outside of the elbow joint. If you”re suffering from high weak shots or you tend to develop tennis elbow on your lead side, you probably have a chicken wing.
In order to fully extend your lead arm and maintain a good width into the hitting zone several physical characteristics must be developed. First and foremost, lead arm strength and lead side shoulder flexibility are paramount for a strong and fully extended lead arm at impact. If the arm is unable to rotate around the shoulder due to joint or muscular restrictions than chicken winging will dominate the pattern. Lead shoulder external rotation and overall shoulder mobility are best evaluated using the 90/90 Test, the Reach, Roll, and Lift Test, and the Open Book Test (all part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). Secondly, if your downswing is out of sequence and your club is traveling on an over-the-top path, the lead arm is almost always forced to chicken wing due to the direction of the forces that are applied upon it. To see if your path is over-the-top or if you have any physical limitations that may be causing this path, see the Over-The-Top swing fault description.
| Exercises and Drills to correct Chicken WingingThe Chicken Wing swing fault can be caused by a variety of issues from path to body action. We generally prescribe path drills to give the student a sense of the correct arm motion. I often need to re-educate the motor learning skills that they have and I do that by having them swing the club with the left and right hands separately so they can sense and feel the correct role each arm plays in the downswing.Attached are some drills that we use to attack the Chicken Wing Swing Fault. | Related Exercises: Pizza Dumbell DrillForehand Topspin DrillTwo Hand Forehand Topspin
Weighted Club Swings Elbows Together Triceps - Diagonal Chops Related Coordination Drills: Forehand Topspin Drill Pizza Dumbell Drill Two Hand Forehand Topspin Related Swing Drills: Chicken Wing Body and arms fault Chicken Wing Left arm release Chicken Wing fault Impact fix |
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Early Extension is defined as any forward movement (thrust) of the lower body towards the golf ball during the downswing. This swing fault causes the arms and club to get stuck behind your body during the downswing, and forces your torso to raise up and elevate through the hitting zone. This swing fault usually causes two typical miss hits, the block to the right and a hook to the left. And as most competitive players know, having two misses, one to the right and one to the left, can be disastrous in tournament play.
Players that have this fault will also complain of getting stuck or trapped, this is due to the fact that the lower body has moved closer to the golf ball on the downswing. As a result the body is in the way of the arms on the downswing and thus the term I feel stuck or trapped
What Causes Early Extension?
In order to not early extend during the downswing several physical characteristics must be developed. First and foremost, research has shown that any limitation in performing a full deep squat or full hip bend can force a player to early extend during the downswing. Failure to perform these movements means generalized stiffness or asymmetry in the musculature and joints of the lower body. These limitations will always prevent a good address position and force players to alter their spinal posture throughout the golf swing. These limitations are best evaluated using the Deep Squat Test and the Toe Touch Test (both part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). Secondly, lead hip internal rotation is paramount for allowing the lower body to fully rotate without any forward thrust towards the golf ball. If the pelvis is unable to rotate around the lead hip due to joint or muscular restrictions than forward and lateral movements will dominate the pattern. Lead hip internal rotation is best evaluated using the Hip Windshield Wiper Test (part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). Next, the ability to separate your upper body from your lower body allows the lower body to stabilize while rotating your shoulders through impact. Limited trunk to pelvis separation is usually caused by reduced spinal mobility and shortened lat flexibility. This separation is best be evaluated using the Seated Trunk Rotation Test (part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). Finally, the ability to stabilize your lower body is directly proportional to abdominal strength and control of the pelvic musculature, which help control the orientation and movement of the pelvis during the downswing. These muscles help prevent the lower body from thrusting towards the golf ball during the downswing. The strength of your abdominals and your ability to control them is best evaluated using the Pelvic Tilt Test (part of your Self-Evaluation Screen).
How to test for Early Extension?
Overhead Deep Squat Test
Bridge with Leg Extension Test
Hip Windshield Wiper Test
Seated Trunk Rotation Test
Pelvic Tilt Test
C-Posture is used to describe a posture that occurs when your shoulders are slumped forward at address and you have a definitive roundedness to your thoracic spine
The C-posture is described as an excessive roundness in your upper back and can be caused by the following:
1. Limited thoracic spine extension.
2. Upper Crossed Syndrome - muscle imbalances including tight pecs, lats, upper traps, and levator scap and weakness in the mid-scapular muscles, serratus anterior, lower traps, and deep neck flexors.
3. Scapular instability.
4. Instability in the core muscles causing poor posture and the slouched forward position at address.
5. Lack of proper instruction - not understanding the correct setup and posture.
6. Lack of pelvic tilt causing the upper body to bend to address the ball.
7. Clubs that are too short.
8. Grip that is too much in the fingers of both hands.
You need to work on the prescribed exercises first to increase the range of motion that you have. Then you can start on the attached swing drills.
Related Exercises
Cats & Dogs
Club Behind Spine Forward Bends
Press Ups
Ts - Ys - Ls - Ws Swiss Ball
Reach Roll Lift Down
Related Coordination Drills
Club Behind Spine Forward Bends
Rows - Golf Stance
S-Posture, is a swing fault that can be caused by the player creating too much arch in their lower back by sticking their tail bone out to much in the setup position. This excessive curvature in the lower back or S-posture puts abnormally high stress on the muscles in the lower back and causes the abdominal muscles to relax. This deactivation of the core muscles can cause a loss of posture or reverse spine angle during the backswing. This in turn puts the lower body out of position on the downswing and will affect the sequence of motion in the golf swing.
You can actually stick your butt out at set up without arching your back if you just hinge from your hips and keep your spine in a neutral stable posture. Obviously, this requires good core strength and proper stabilization in the lumbar spine.
Sometimes the S-posture is actually cause by a series of muscle imbalances called a Lower Crossed Syndrome (LCS). One of the most clinically relevant patterns of muscle dysfunction is a lower crossed syndrome. Simply stated, the lower crossed syndrome is a grouping of weak muscles combined with overactive or tight muscles, that create a predictable movement pattern in the lower back that can lead to injury. A physical therapist from the Czech Republic, named of the Vladamir Janda, was really the first person to document this type of muscle imbalance. Janda noticed that many people developed a distinct pattern of muscle imbalances due to prolonged static postures, such as sitting at a desk all day.
He noted that when a muscle is subjected to a short or contracted state for an extended period of time it causes a reflex inhibition or weakening of the muscles on the opposite side of the body, called reciprocal inhibition. For example, if you sit in a chair for eight hours a day, with time your hip flexors will become shortened or tight. Therefore, your brain will automatically start to shut down or inhibit your glute muscles (butt) which are on the opposite side. Now, since your glute muscles are not working properly your body will recruit synergistic muscles like the hamstrings and lower back muscles to assist the glutes in performing hip extension. In other words, you start to recruit muscles that were not intended to be used for specific actions such as walking.
The most common pattern of imbalance that Janda observed, he named the Lower Crossed Syndrome. It is basically the combination of tight hip flexors and a tight lower back, paired with weak abdominals and weak glutes. This combination leads to an excessive arching or rounding up your lower back (swayback), a flabby or protruding abdomen, and a flat butt due to weakness in the glutes. This is a very dangerous combination of muscle imbalances due to the excessive stress that it places on the structures of the lower back.
Causes of S-Posture
The S-Posture is created by having too much arch the lower back as a result of sticking your tail bone out too far or by having a Lower Crossed Syndrome. S-posture causes are as follows:
1. Lower Crossed Syndrome - tightness in the hip flexors and lower back and weakness in the abdominals and glutes.
2. Student does not understand how to bend form the hips to setup to the golf ball.
3. Student has been told to stick their butt out to create more room for their arms on the downswing.
4. Lack of Abdominal strength or relaxing the abdominal musculature.
5. Too much flex in the knees with the torso to upright.
Tests to Check for S-Posture
Pelvic Tilt Test
Bridge with Leg Extension Test
Seated Trunk Rotation Test
Overhead Deep Squat Test
Supine Lat Test
Solutions for S-Posture:
The S-Posture can be fixed by learning how to get into a neutral pelvic posture and brace the core muscles to stabilize that position. Then learn how to bend from the hip sockets and rotate your torso without losing your neutral pelvic posture.
See the attached drills and exercises to attack this swing fault
Related Excercises
Cats & Dogs
Pelvic Tilts Supine
Hip Flexor Stretch - Half Kneeling
Bridge w/ Leg Extension
Dead Bugs Criss Cross
Bird Dog Alternating Arm and Leg
A Sway is defined as any excessive lower body lateral movement away from the target during your backswing that forces your weight to the outside of your back foot. This swing fault makes it very difficult to develop a proper weight shift during transition and the downswing. Imagine a baseball batter digging in at the plate with their back foot. This simple routine allows them to coil around their back leg and drive their weight from their back leg to their front leg in a very efficient manner. If there is no stable platform to drive your weight off of during transition, you will lose power and try to develop speed in an inefficient sequence.
| What causes a Sway?In order to coil around your right hip (for right handed golfers) duringe backswing several physical characteristics must be developed. First and foremost, right hip internal rotation is paramount for full rotation into the right hip without any lateral sway. If the body is unable to rotate around the right hip due to joint or muscular restrictions than lateral movements will dominate the pattern. Right hip internal rotation is best evaluated using the Hip Windshield Wiper Test (part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). Secondly, the ability to separate your upper body from your lower body allows the lower body to laterally stabilize while rotating during a large shoulder turn. Limited trunk to pelvis separation is usually caused by reduced spinal mobility and shortened lat flexibility. This separation is best evaluated using the Seated Trunk Rotation Test and the Open Book Test (both part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). Finally, the ability to laterally stabilize your right leg during the backswing is directly proportional to the strength and stability of your gluteal musculature (your butt). When it comes to lower body lateral stabilization the glute medius is the king. This muscle helps prevent the right hip from elevating and shifting lateral during an aggressive coil into the right hip. The glute medius is best evaluated using the Side Bridge w/ Leg Lift Test and the Single Leg Balance Test (both part of your Self-Evaluation Screen).Solutions for the Sway:Follow these exercises and drills to help correct your Sway
Related Exercises: Related Coordination Drills Related Swing Drills |
A Slide is defined as any excessive lower body lateral movement towards the target during your downswing. This swing fault makes it very difficult to stabilize your lower body during the downswing, which will eventually rob power and speed from the upper body through impact. Your upper body needs a stable lower body to accelerate around during the downswing. Once the lower body starts its forward shift into the downswing its job is to transfer energy to the upper body and stabilize the extreme rotary forces that are created in the upper body, arms, and club. If there is no stable platform to rotate around, players will lose power and try to develop speed in an inefficient sequence.
What causes me to Slide and how do I correct it?
In order to coil around your lead hip during the downswing several physical characteristics must be developed. First and foremost, lead hip internal rotation is paramount for full rotation into the lead hip without any lateral sway. If the body is unable to rotate around the lead hip due to joint or muscular restrictions than lateral movements will dominate the pattern. Lead hip internal rotation is best evaluated using the Hip Windshield Wiper Test (part of your Self-Evaluation Screen).
Secondly, the ability to separate your upper body from your lower body allows the lower body to laterally stabilize while rotating your shoulders through a full finish. Limited trunk to pelvis separation is usually caused by reduced spinal mobility and shortened lat flexibility. This separation is best evaluated using the Seated Trunk Rotation Test and the Open Book Test (both part of your Self-Evaluation Screen).
Finally, the ability to laterally stabilize your lead leg during the downswing is directly proportional to the strength and stability of your gluteal musculature (your butt). When it comes to lower body lateral stabilization the glute medius is the king. This muscle helps prevent the lead hip from elevating and shifting lateral during an aggressive downswing rotation. The glute medius is best evaluated using the Side Bridge w/ Leg Lift Test and the Single Leg Balance Test (both part of your Self-Evaluation Screen).
This is perhaps the most common phrase used to describe a fault that occurs among better players. They feel that they are trapped or stuck on their downswing. This occurs because the arms are stuck behind the body as they transition into their downswing. As a result they will often have two misses. A block to the right or a hook to the left ( for the right handed golfer ). Most players that suffer from two misses struggle with their consistency and have difficulty making solid ball to club contact.
Causes of Trapped:
There are several reasons this fault could occur,
1. Early extension fault discussed early is one of the main reasons this fault can occur. When the lower body moves closer to the ball it can cause the body to be in the way of the arms on the downswing.
2. Club shallows too much on the downswing due to sliding the hips excessively toward the target.
3. Lack of body rotation on the downswing.
4. Poor alignment at address.
5. Standing too close to the ball at address.
Solutions for Trapped
The trapped or stuck swing fault can be attacked by utilizing the attached swing drills and exercises.
Trunk Rotation Narrow Base - Seated
Weighted Club Swings Elbows Together
Torso Acceleration Good Shoulder Plane
Chops with Rotation - Dyna-Disks
Side Arm Pitch
Step Change of Direction
Common Causes of Over-The-Top:
In order to prevent the club from coming Over-the-Top during the golf swing several physical characteristics must be developed. It is paramount to develop a proper weight shift from your back foot to your front in order to start the downswing in the proper sequence. Without this initiation of the lower body during the transition a player can easily dominate the downswing with an upper body throw right from the top, forcing the over-the-top swing plane. A proper weight shift requires several physical factors including good balance, a strong core (glutes and abs), and the ability to disassociate the lower body from the upper body. These physical characteristics are best evaluated using the Single Leg Balance Test, the Bridge w/ Leg Extension Test, the Pelvic Tilt Test, Seated Trunk Rotation Test and the Open Book Test (all part of your Self-Evaluation Screen).
Other causes include:
1. Weak grip at address.
2. Reverse pivot or Reverse Spine Angle fault.
3. Too much rotation of the club face on the backswing.
4. Poor address position with the shoulders too level or even leaning toward target at address.
5. Lack of understanding of an inside approach and the correct sequence.
| Related test to check if your body is causing this fault |
Single Leg Balance Test
Bridge with Leg Extension Test
Pelvic Tilt Test
Seated Trunk Rotation Test
Open Book Test
Related Exercises:
Stork Turns Supported
Side Step Ups
Open Book Rib Cage Stretch
Step Change of Direction
Trevino Drill
| A Reverse Spine Angle is defined as any exc essive upper body backward bend or excessive left lateral upper body bend during the backswing. This swing fault makes it very difficult to start the downswing in the proper sequence, due to the lower body being placed in a position that usually limits its ability to initiate the downswing. This swing fault is also one of the prime causes of lower back pain in golfers. When the lower body can’t start the downswing or has a limited ability to initiate the movement, the upper body tends to dominate the swing which will eventually create path problems and limited power output. This swing fault puts excessive tension on the lower back due to a forced inhibition of the abdominal musculature during the backswing. |
Causes of Reverse Spine: In order to maintain your spine angle during the backswing several physical characteristics must be developed. First and foremost, the ability to separate your upper body from your lower body allows your shoulders to rotate around your spine without going into backward bend or excessive left lateral bend. Limited trunk to pelvis separation is usually caused by reduced spinal mobility and shortened lat flexibility. This separation is best be evaluated using the Seated Trunk Rotation Test, the Reach, Roll, and Lift Test, and the Supine Lat Test (all part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). Secondly, right hip internal rotation for a right-handed golfer is paramount for full rotation into the right hip without any lateral movement. If the body is unable to rotate around your hip due to joint or muscular restrictions than a lateral sway he may occur. Any lateral sway during the backswing will force the spine to tilt into backward bend and create the reverse spine angle. Right hip internal rotation is best evaluated using the Hip Windshield Wiper Test (part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). Finally, the ability to stabilize your spine angle during the backswing is directly proportional to the strength and stability of your core musculature (your abs and glutes). When it comes to spinal stabilization the core is the king. These muscles help keep your trunk forward flexed throughout your golf swing. Core strength is best evaluated using the Pelvic Tilt Test, the Bridge w/ Leg Extension Test and the Side Bridge w/ Leg Lift Test (all part of your Self-Evaluation Screen). This fault can also be caused by the following:
- 1. Too much pelvic tilt at address which can cause you to have an S curvature in your lower spine. If this does not return to neutral as you swing back it can cause the Reverse Spine Angle fault.
- 2. No rotation of the forearms going back with the arms being lifted into position as the player takes the club back.
- 3. Coordination, with no understanding of the correct position at the top of the swing and how to get their
Physical Tests for Reverse Spine Seated Trunk Rotation Test Reach Roll Lift Supine Lat Test Hip Windshield Wiper Test Pelvic Tilt Test Bridge with Leg Extension Test Side Bridge Test Solutions for Reverse Spine The Reverse Spine Angle can be fixed by maintaining a neutral pelvis from the setup position to the top of the backswing. You must also strive to maintain the forward flexion you had with your spine at address to the top of your backswing. This will give you the feeling of a shorter but wider backswing plane. See the applicable drills and exercises to attack this swing fault. Related Exercises Pelvic Tilts Supine Dead Bugs Leg Slides Bird Dog Hip Extension Stick Reverse Crunches
