Many of the phrases used in the analysis of the golf swing are correct to a degree, but they often paint a picture that is more destructive than helpful.
For instance "transfer the weight" or "don't sway" or "keep your head still" are phrases that have some truth to them, but they are not the complete pictures.
Many times the golfer is trying to transfer the weight and keep the head still at the same time. If the weight is going back and forward in the swing, clearly the head must move along with it.
Therefore, it is not correct to say, "Keep your head still or down." A more accurate phrase is, "Your height must remain constant." This image allows the head to move freely with the turning of the body.
If your height is changing in the swing, it is simply responding to an incorrect pivot motion or poor address position. The head does not involuntarily move in the swing; there is a reason it is out of position.
Likewise, we are often told that we must transfer the weight in the swing, but we must not sway. These statements contradict themselves. How does the weight transfer without it moving?
The weight should move back and forward in the swing by way of a rotation of the body. The shoulders and chest rotate over the stable right leg on the back swing; the hips and shoulders rotate to a point over the left foot at the finish position.
With this in mind, neither phrase is correct and should be eliminated from golf vernacular.
To get your game on the right track, eliminate the phrases "transfer the weight, keep your head down or still" and "don't sway" from your golf swing analysis.
Replace them with the terms "rotation of the body, height constant" and "athletic pivot." Some of these old cliches simply paint the wrong picture and actually harm your swing technique, the very thing we are trying to avoid.
-- Junior camps at Eagle Valley Golf Aug. 15-17. Cost is $55 per person. This is the last camp. Sign up now. Also, drop in lessons from 4:30-6 p.m. Wednesdays, $7 per person.