Keep Your Head Down?

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I'd like to know who coined the phrase "Keep your head down" or "You lifted your head" This phrase has become the mantra for almost every golfer I've ever seen or heard miss a golf shot.

"I must have lifted my head"are the first words out of a golfers mouth when a shot goes bad, and of course there's always the ever helpful playing partner who's quick to give everlasting cure all advice "you lifted your head". This phrase (in my opinion) has caused and will continue to cause miss-hit golf shots until players understand you can't keep your head down and stay in balance. Whenever a player misses a shot and a friend tells him he lifted his head, the player buries his chin in his chest so as to be sure not to lift his head again. This action sets in motion a series of events during the swing that is almost guaranteed to adjust your consistency triangle mid swing.

This is what happens when you keep your head down...

Your head weighs between 12 to 15 lbs, when you put your chin in your chest, that's up to a 15 pound weight pulling you toward your toes. At the address position, you can easily hold your balance points on the knuckles of your big toes while you're stationary, but the moment you move the club head away from the ball, you have a 12-15 pound weight moving around your body (the swinging club head), and a 12 -15 pound weight pulling you to your toes (your head). Your Central Nervous System (CNS) then takes over; it's the body's natural defense mechanism that will not allow you to fall on your face in front of your friends on Saturday morning. The moment you begin to fall forward, your CNS readjusts your weight distribution back to the heels of your feet. This keeps you upright throughout your swing, but your consistency triangle is way out of shape and the bottom of your swing has changed, causing you to miss hit the shot.

Always remember to keep your chin up and off your chest, (like you are holding a grapefruit under your chin). This will ensure your move away from the ball won't result in an off balance swing.

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