Back in the 1920s Bobby Jones was publishing golf tips in several newspapers. In 1996, fifty of the columns in this book were compiling and printed. Jones was quoted as follows: “Stay behind the ball is a splendid maxim. Should your head ever get ahead of the ball, at any point in the swing, a poor shot will no doubt result.”
Harvey Penick, The Little Red Book published 1992 by Penguin, page 75. “Stay Behind the Ball” “All great golfers move their head slightly backward before and during impact, but never forward. A golfer must stay behind the ball. I mean set up with your head behind the ball and keep your head behind the ball. If you move your head forward during your downswing or through impact, you will hit a wee, ugly shot, probably a pulled slice.”
Tommy Armour’s How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time (1953), emphasizes that the cardinal principle in all shotmaking is to move your head. Armour’s 12 key points summary of his book lists the key points 5, 10, and 12 exactly as in his previous 12 key points summary. “keep your head steady.”The head can be seen through the impact area in almost all photographs of golfers’ swings.
David Leadbetter at 100% Golf in 2004, states: “the head and upper body stay behind the ball as you unswing and accelerate into impact.”Keep your spine straight through the entire set up, including the point of impact. At impact, your head should be behind the ball.
Jack Nicklaus has the best head movement. Nicklaus warns in his book Golf My Way (2006): “If you are hoping to improve your game through these pages, but can’t or won’t learn to keep your head steady throughout the swing, read no further. There is nothing I, or anyone else, can do for your golf game. Any shifting of the head, at any point from address to impact, will alter the arc and plane of the swing, which, if not a totally destructive factor, is certainly a complicating one.”Jack’s swing photos show that Jack is holding his head steady and keeping the ball in front of him until impact.
As many others, I tried numerous instructional methods and tips, but to no avail. This aspect of the swing was what helped me break 80. It wasn’t until that moment, at 65. After breaking 80, several more times have passed and now I can finally enjoy the game. The hardest part was keeping my head down. This took a lot of practice and was not possible without using a ball. I had to develop new muscle memory, which was challenging at this age. The bad habit of “looking up”This could be achieved.
Tiger Woods released his book How I Play Golf in 2007, and it is already a bestseller. His words are: “Impact should look like address. My spine angle is the same and my head is in virtually the same spot.”His head is clearly visible in the accompanying photo. He concluded: “It proves how uncomplicated the golf swing can be.”
Golf swings can become confusing because of the contradictory advice that is available in print as well as word-of-mouth. Pros will tell you that your head must remain stable throughout the swing. Some pros will tell you that there is no harm in having some backward, lateral or even a little bit of movement just before hitting the ball. Some will advise you to stay focused on the ball. The head should not be lifted or moved forward until impact. The majority of pros, if they are not unanimously agreed on this point, will say that the head should remain backwards and behind the shot as it passes through the impact zone.