Why this common advice is actually “the worst thing you can do” in golf

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Novice golfers almost always find it difficult to establish solid contact with the ball. They look at their target, remove the club and make a nasty eyelash, to be perplexed when they establish low contact – or even worse, completely lack the ball.

“You must remember Keep your head down! “”

The chorus is too common of doctors swing amateurs on driving ranges around the world. The advice comes from a well-intentioned place, but is it really good advice? According to Golf top 100 Tony Ruggiero, the mantra generally does more harm than good. Find out why in the video below.

Should you “keep your head down?”

Having the feeling of keeping your head down can give you the impression that it will help you establish a stronger contact, but that is not often how it works. If it is true that you do not want excessive movement of your head and your spine, it does not mean that you want to keep your eyes too long after the impact.

“This is actually one of the worst things you can do,” says Ruggiero. “(Keep your head down) really restricts the ability of your upper body to continue to cross, which tends to make the club behind (the ball).”

Look at any professional golfer hitting the ball and you will see that after impact on their turn and their eyes continue to follow the ball. Indeed, when you swing in the most effective way, you must allow your upper body to turn by impact – and this includes your head.

When you limit your head and focus on “keeping below”, it usually leads to inconsistent contact. Instead of finishing the club just in front of the ball, you will hit yourself behind and the thief, to catch up and break it.

In fact, if you want to hit the ball as well as possible, try to allow your head to turn fairly quickly after.

“Find this horrible ball quickly down,” said Ruggiero. “Keeping your head lowered is not good for the right golf course.”

So the next time you hear someone tell you to keep your head down – ignore it! If you want to hit the ball of your best, your eyes will have to follow the ball because it flies in the range.