No matter your age, ability or body type, proper posture at address is essential to move freely and swing the club with ample speed and control. It also is a must to prevent and protect against injuries.
It starts with finding a balanced, athletic stance. To do this, address the ball, then distribute your weight evenly across the centers of both feet, with your spine and neck in line with each other. Your spine should be neither rigid nor arched, droopy nor rounded.
Now, lean forward from your hip joints, not by hunching over. This creates more room for your arms to hang freely without tension and gets your knees into a flexed, powerful position as well.
How you start is likely how you’ll end. If you’re not in an athletic, comfortable and agile position at the beginning of your swing, chances are you’ll be out of sorts through impact and at the finish.
Justin Parsons is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and teaches at the Sea Island Golf Performance Center in Sea Island, Ga.