One of the first things we are taught when we start playing golf is not to move our head. We are told to “keep our head still” or worst yet “keep our head down”. As a young teacher, I could never understand why we would teach players to not move their heads.
I spent many hours examining footage of tour players whose heads would start centered behind the ball at address but would rotate 3 to 5 inches over their back leg when they were at the top on their swing. Their head would stay solidly behind the ball until impact and then it would release and move up as it rotated over the front leg on the follow through.
Many golfers have the impression the head needs to stay fixed and down throughout the golf swing. This is a common misconception that keeps a lot of players from reaching their potential. Players who try hard to keep their heads still end up creating more swing flaws and work way too hard to hit the ball.
I see it every day in my learning center. Players who try hard to keep their head still instead move it up and down without realizing their head is even moving. Or they will kick their lower body way out of position because they are trying to keep their head over the ball. This creates tension and a total lack of the proper torque needed to create power in the swing.
We need to allow our heads to rotate with our torso because we are swinging in a circular motion around an axis. Because we have two legs, we are creating an axis on the backswing and one again on the following through, which can only be done if we allow the head to rotate with the torso over each axis.
Most people I teach have a hard time allowing their head to move at first because it feels so uncomfortable for them. They think they are moving too much or swaying but once they get the proper feel, they begin to realize what a better position they are in to hit the ball. By allowing your head to move, you will allow your body and arms to move freely and efficiently, which will help to increase distance, consistency and accuracy.