Head Rotation in Golf

 

The Effects of Head Rotation

In my teaching every day, I see many faults in golf swings created by players not knowing how to move their head correctly. Many players think their head should remain fixed, and they try and keep it as still as possible, or try to keep their eye fixed on the ball.  For most players, this will create many issues.

Test

To explain this, first, I want you to test your neck flexibility.

  • Place a chop stick in your month and stand up straight.  The chop stick should be pointing at 90 degrees to your head.
  • First, rotate your head to the left, and check how many degrees you can rotate?
  • Second, rotate your head to the right, and again check how many degrees you can rotate?

Test

Most players will have less than 90 degrees of head rotation.  So think about this.  If you cannot rotate your head 90 degrees, but you want to rotate your shoulders 90 degrees or more in the backswing, you will have to let your head rotate a little also.  If you can rotate your head 90 degrees, you are one of the few players who can keep their movement almost still during the swing.

Players who don’t let their head rotate limit their ability to turn their shoulders,  Their swings are normally short and incomplete.

Some other players have different faults from not letting their head rotate, because their shoulders cannot complete the turn.  They find a different way to complete their backswing.  These are 2 of the most common, but there are many more.

  • Tilting their upper body to complete their backswing.
  • Lifting or collapsing their arms to complete the backswing.

The Cure

  • Like with the test, place a chop stick in your mouth pointing at the ball.
  • As you start your backswing, the chop stick should not move much.
  • As you complete you backswing, allow the chop stick to rotate to the right a little, so at the top of the backswing the chop stick points to the right side of the ball.  This will allow your shoulders to keep turning. The less neck flexibility you have, the more you will need to allow the chop stick to move.

Picture5

You might find it a little difficult to start with, but give it time and a little practice, and you will see the benefits.  Most notably, you are sure to gain a few yards due to your increased shoulder turn.