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Three Postures in Golf

From Dave Phillips On November 22, 2022

Whether you're a beginner golfer or a plus handicap, it's never a bad idea to review and practice the fundamentals of stance, setup and alignment. How you stand to the ball and position your body has a... huge influence on how you're able to move and swing the golf club. By extension, how you're able to move has just as big an impact on how your shots will fly and where your golf ball will ultimately go.

In this video, Titleist staff member and TPI co-founder Dave Phillips shines some light on the importance of a key element in your setup – posture. As Dave tells us, the goal from a biomechanical standpoint is neutral posture. In neutral posture, your body is able to move freely and in balance. As Dave shares, there are two important benefits of neutral posture:

1. Neutral posture, where the spine is relatively flat from your tailbone to the middle of your back, allows you to rotate your upper body freely around your spine as you swing – just as your body is designed to.
2. Because neutral posture allows you to rotate without restriction, it greatly reduces the chances for injury.

Unfortunately, many golfers have a tough time getting into neutral posture. They exhibit either "C" Posture or "S" Posture. C Posture is characterized by a rounded, C-shaped curve of the spine from the tailbone all the way to the neck. S Posture is just the opposite, with excessive arching in the lower back. It's named "S" posture because in most cases, players will have a rounded bowing (opposite curve of the arch) from the middle of the back to the neck. Together these curves in the spine roughly resemble an "S" shape.

If you try to rotate with C posture, you'll feel pressure and restriction towards the middle of your back. This restriction will typically cause you to swing on a flat plane and/or change the elevation of your body throughout the swing. When you try to rotate with S Posture, you'll feel pressure in your lower back. In fact, TPI's research has shown that S Posture is one of the most reliable predictors for lower back pain. Neither posture is ideal for golf.

Knowing about C and S Posture can be beneficial, however. As Dave demonstrates, by moving from exaggerated C Posture to exaggerated S Posture, you can then find your own middle ground – your own neutral posture. By doing this when you set up, you'll give yourself the best opportunity to rotate properly and swing efficiently and safely.

Whether you're a beginner golfer or a plus handicap, it's never a bad idea to review ... and practice the fundamentals of stance, setup and alignment. How you stand to the ball and position your body has a huge influence on how you're able to move and swing the golf club. By extension, how you're able to move has just as big an impact on how your shots will fly and where your golf ball will ultimately go.

In this video, Titleist staff member and TPI co-founder Dave Phillips shines some light on the importance of a key element in your setup – posture. As Dave tells us, the goal from a biomechanical standpoint is neutral posture. In neutral posture, your body is able to move freely and in balance. As Dave shares, there are two important benefits of neutral posture:

1. Neutral posture, where the spine is relatively flat from your tailbone to the middle of your back, allows you to rotate your upper body freely around your spine as you swing – just as your body is designed to.
2. Because neutral posture allows you to rotate without restriction, it greatly reduces the chances for injury.

Unfortunately, many golfers have a tough time getting into neutral posture. They exhibit either "C" Posture or "S" Posture. C Posture is characterized by a rounded, C-shaped curve of the spine from the tailbone all the way to the neck. S Posture is just the opposite, with excessive arching in the lower back. It's named "S" posture because in most cases, players will have a rounded bowing (opposite curve of the arch) from the middle of the back to the neck. Together these curves in the spine roughly resemble an "S" shape.

If you try to rotate with C posture, you'll feel pressure and restriction towards the middle of your back. This restriction will typically cause you to swing on a flat plane and/or change the elevation of your body throughout the swing. When you try to rotate with S Posture, you'll feel pressure in your lower back. In fact, TPI's research has shown that S Posture is one of the most reliable predictors for lower back pain. Neither posture is ideal for golf.

Knowing about C and S Posture can be beneficial, however. As Dave demonstrates, by moving from exaggerated C Posture to exaggerated S Posture, you can then find your own middle ground – your own neutral posture. By doing this when you set up, you'll give yourself the best opportunity to rotate properly and swing efficiently and safely.