If you find yourself constantly sitting every day due to an office job, you know first-hand how difficult it can be to focus on and perfect your posture. Unfortunately, having a poor posture can have many consequences, including back pain, neck pain and more! From a golf perspective, having bad posture on the course, specifically, during your swing, can greatly affect your game. It is important that you know exactly how to align your posture on the course because if you are not set up correctly from the start, you will be more prone to failing. To help you focus on your posture, we’ve provided a few things that you should strive not to do on the course:
- Do not stand too upright. It is important during your swing that you do not stand too upright, as this can cause a poor takeaway and can result in your elbows flying too outward. Make sure that you allow for some curve to be in your back and that you flex your knees slightly.
- Do not curve your spine. This cannot be stressed enough – keep your spine in line! If you curve your spine too much, it will make it much harder for you to fully turn your shoulders back and forth.
- Avoid an “S-shaped” spine. If you are not familiar, an “S-shaped” spine can cause you a lot of discomfort and pain in your lower back. If you continue to participate in physical activity and play the game with this back pain, you can run the risk of herniating or slipping a disc! Make sure that you are listening to your body on the course and if you feel intense back pain – stop!
Overall, working on your posture is really important for your game as well as your everyday health. Be focused and alert when it comes to your posture – point your feet on an angle, flex your knees and make sure you feel all of your weight in your ankles. Once you are properly aligned, take your swing!