Common swing errors in golf

Every year students come to me for lessons, and I see many of the same swing errors. Even though every golfer is unique, their swing issues are usually very common.

Below are several common swing faults, along with corrections and drills that can help alleviate these problems.

Keeping your head down — You have probably heard someone say you should keep your head down during your golf swing. However, if your head is down, you won’t have good posture and will lack a proper shoulder turn. Instead, think “chin up, eyes down.” Remember that your shoulders must turn under your chin.
Drill: Stand tall facing a mirror. Bow forward from the hips until you see a nice crease in your pants and have a slight flex in your knees. Look in the mirror while keeping your chin up, then let your eyes drop until you see the ball.

Quick, wristy takeaway — I see this problem quite often. You need to use a one-piece takeaway where the shoulders, arms and club move back together in unison. Then you can hinge your wrists.

Sway — This is excessive lower-body lateral movement on the backswing to the outside of your trail foot. You should shift your weight to the inside of your trail foot while keeping your knees flexed.
Drill: A helpful drill is to place a doorstop on the outside of your trail foot. This will encourage you to shift your weight to the inside of a flexed trail knee. On the forward swing, push off the doorstop to help eliminate the sway.

Hanging back on your trail foot after impact — This is usually caused by not rotating your hips and failing to bring your trail knee toward the target. I see this often in faster swings.
Drill: Place a foam noodle near your lead hip and practice rotating your hips inside the noodle while bringing your trail knee toward the target. Focus on pushing off your trail side.

Early extension of your hips toward the ball — This occurs when you lose your posture and stand up during the downswing, causing your hips to thrust toward the ball and your chest to rise. This is actually the biggest fault in my own swing because I am smaller and sometimes try to hit the ball too hard.
Drill: Work on maintaining your posture and make sure your hips rotate inward during the forward swing. Place alignment rods on the ground inside your target line and follow the rods with your hips.

Golf is a difficult game, and understanding what you are doing wrong is important. Have someone videotape your swing and watch it back in slow motion. If you can get on a simulator, it can also give you a clearer idea of your swing faults.

Dr. Jean Harris is an LPGA Master Professional and teaches at local golf courses. jean.golfdoctor.harris@gmail.com; golfdoctorjean.com