Is perfect posture necessary to improve?

[ggbrands]

Been a while, love the info here.

Have been bitten by the improvement bug and working on some things.

63 years of age, 4 hcp, decent tee to green with room to improve. No major physical limitations that a couple Advil or a Budweiser can't address.

Question - can one improve in being closer to plane without emulating the Adam Scott/Jason Day/Justin Thomas posture at setup? I find it very challenging to swing from that position.

Thanks for any and all feedback.

[MonteScheinblum]

Irony is those guys are the ones that don’t have the “perfect” posture and that doesn’t exist anyway.

[scooterhd2]

I assume you are talking about how straight their backs are? If you find it uncomfortable or challenging trying to swing with emulating their posture dont... Especially trying to replicate the straight back. Forcing a straight back often leads to a concave lower back. Instead focus on the upper back and shoulder. Think more of having your shoulders back and not so hunched or rounded rather than purposefully forcing this super tight posture.

Schwartzel  / Scott / Day / Wie

 

 

[tthomasgolfer605]

Here's what a healthy spine looks like. These pros in the photos are asking for trouble. I wonder why Jason Day and Michelle Wie seemed to be injured all the time.

[BTP]

Square your feet. Flex your knees and let the hands drop. Does it feel comfortable? Good. Then swing.

Don't over think it. You'll just screw yourself over and then look to what the pros do and think that it's what you need to do and screw yourself over more by going further into a rabbit hole. Been there, done that.

They can stay in that posture because they have trainers, etc. training them everyday to maintain it. You, me, 99% of us on here don't have that luxury. So find your comfortable "posture" and commit to the shot. Look at a target behind the actual target you're going for and swing through the first target.

[bluedot]

You might consider the possibility that you lack sufficient hip mobility to get into the correct posture at address, and then to maintain that thru the swing. This is VERY common among older golfers and/or people that sit a lot.

[Man_O_War]

as my athletic ability is waning due to turning 50, i have found better posture and fundamentals to be the saving grace. YOU NEED good posture...I don't think it has to be ram rod as the pictures above show, but it has to balance your swing both posterior and anterior.

one thing of note also is that these young guys already have normal perfect posture : shoulders down, no forward head lean, spine in the right place...so getting into golf posture as above is very normal and not that big of a strain....if you aren't in such form in your normal life, then the adjustment is severe and very uncomfortable. You may need to get some exercises to get yourself in good shape to be able to achieve a great golf posture...irrespective of the pictures which are of A class athletes

[bunta]

i have found that having a concaved lower back feel (almost a "locking" my lower back feel) and subsequently rotating around that concaved feeling, allows me to not EE and that has allowed me to hit my irons very solid.

its similar to Tom Watson Secret to the Golf Swing youtube vid.

Sometimes i do worry how much wear and tear im putting on my lower back instilling this feeling in a golf swing.

[chigolfer1]

What is the "correct posture" though?

[bluedot]

I think at a minimum, "correct" means hinging from the hips rather than rounding the back and shoulders. From that position, the thoracic spine and shoulders can move thru the full range of motion IF the hips have enough mobility to move thru the shot and get out of the way of the arms. If the hips aren't in that position to be begin with, or if the hips can't clear correctly, then the upper body has to come up and around to get out of the way.

The angle of spine tilt is going to vary somewhat from person to person. But a relatively straight spine and neck and head alignment, which is allowed by a correct hip hinge, and the ability to stay in that posture thru the ball because of good hip mobility, doesn't vary; ALL good ball strikers can do that.

 

[chigolfer1]

You're probably aware that some well known instructors think having that ram rod straight spine at address is the opposite of what you want to do to obtain the proper pivot.

[juststeve]

I'm not sure there is a universal perfect posture that is right for everyone, but there is a posture that works for each of us. Finding it and working from it consistently will help you improve.

Steve

[bluedot]

I not only didn't use the term "ram rod straight" to describe the spine at address, I didn't describe it at all, except to say that the spine and shoulders shouldn't be rounded in order to get into posture. I don't think there's any disagreement among instructors about that, is there?

I DO know that ALL instructors will tell any golfer that to get into the correct posture, they have to hinge from the hips, which is MUCH harder than many realize, especially older golfers. The alternative to hip hinge, of course, is rounding the spine and shoulders, which is a distinctly unathletic position that imposes a lot of limitations on the golf swing, not to mention strain on the back.

My post was in response to the OP, who is 63 and says he has trouble swinging from a good posture, which I think we could agree the pros he references have. That makes him far from unique among older golfers who have lost strength and mobility in their core and glutes and hips, and who either can't hinge properly in the first place to get into a decent posture, or can't move/clear their hips thru the range of motion and have to use their spine to clear instead. Again, I don't think there is anything controversial about that issue.

 

[chigolfer1]

To answer your question, yes, there is. Just listen to Gankes and his "old man" posture at set up, which he advocates. I didn't mean to mischaracterize what you said but I don't think most people would have an issue with calling Jason Day's address posture, as one example, as ram rod straight. At least that's what I call it.

[Keen2bDumb]

Look at Sam Snead, or Jack Nicklaus. They have good posture for a golf swing.

[Dumpedunder]

Yup, old man posture is where it’s at.

Armpits, kneecaps, balls of the feet in line.

It feels wicked at first, but looks normal down the line.

At Gankas’ range, it’s always funny when guys are warming up before the lesson starts. He’ll quietly point out the posture....”what is he about to do?”

”Jump like a frog.”

”Exactly. Why? Because he HAS to.”

 

[NoFancyUsername.]

How long is a piece of string?

[RedSon]

Perfect posture is necessary for a lot of things, including your health.

[chigolfer1]

Compared to a Jason Day type, flat back address set-up, the funny thing is I think most people would not call this "good posture."