The Importance of the "Spine Angle."

May 1, 2002

Monthly Golf Tip by the Mel Sole Golf School.

Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction at the Mel Sole Golf School, headquartered at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC. We conduct 1, 2 and 3-day golf schools, hourly golf lessons, and senior golf schools—any golf instruction program your heart desires. Give us a call at 800-624-4653 or 843-237-4993. We will be happy to book a commuter school or a package that contains accommodations, golf, and golf school.

This month's tip results from working with my student Chip Linville. He was having problems staying in his posture on the backswing, through the impact area and the follow-through.

The Importance of the "Spine Angle" in the Swing

The Flaw.

As you can see in picture #1, Chip is in his address position. His shoulders are slumped, and his spine is rounded.

The Importance of the "Spine Angle" in the Swing

In picture #2, he is at the top of his backswing as you can see that he has raised, coming out of his posture. This was due to his poor posture, causing him to pick the club up too steeply, causing the right elbow to "fly." This position also sets up the dreaded "over the top" move that causes most golfers (including Chip) to slice.

Picture #3 shows a typical position at the end of the swing for someone with this problem. Chip has come out of his spine angle. Notice the right shoulder is higher than the left, a sure sign that the ball is going to the right of the target. The Importance of the "Spine Angle" in the Swing cannot be stressed enough.

The Solution

Anyone can do this at home in the backyard to get the feel of maintaining your spine angle both on the backswing, downswing and through impact.

Take a rope, attach it to a hook or peg in the ground, and loop the rope around your neck as in picture #4

In picture #5, Chip is swinging through the impact position without raising and making sure that he makes a good extension of the arms through impact. Notice that the clubface angle indicates a good "release" through the impact area.

Golfers need feedback to know when they are making a move correctly or not. In this case, the rope is Chip's feedback!

Chip's body receives the necessary feedback to help him improve this position by doing this drill at home. In addition, after some practice, those shots to the right on the course will be a thing of the past.

Source: Mel Sole Golf School.

Thanks for reading - The Importance of the "Spine Angle." This should add some solid ball striking to your game!

The Flaw.

The Solution

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