You would be hard pressed to find a golf magagzine these days where one of the 'tips from the tour' doesn't mention something about how the Pro works hard on 'Maintaining their Posture' throughout their golf swing...

Today I want to give you a little insight into what that means exactly...

And then we are going to branch off into a Super-Important TPI Screen ...

That you can try at home ...

And that could give you an insight at to why YOU struggle to 'Maintain Your Posture' ...

Leading to inconsistent ball striking ...

And inconsistent results on the ol' scorecard ...

Frustrating isn't it ..!?!


Anywho.

Maintaining Your Posture ...

Just imagine a video of yourself hitting balls, from behind looking straight down the target line ...

Take that video and stop it at address just before you start your backswing ...

Now draw a line from your ear to your hip through your torso.

Another one from your hip to your knee.

And another from your knee to your ankle.

The last line - a vertical one straight down the line of your butt (very important this one ...)

Now play the video ...

In order to 'Maintain Your Posture' and get the consistent ball striking results this delivers ...

Your body must maintain its relationship with all of these lines through your backswing and down into impact ...

Any significant deviation results in a change in swing plane ...(bad)

That then needs to be manipulated to get back to the ball successfully ...(hard to do consistently)


The most common deviation I have seen...???

A torso that lifts up above the original 'ear to hip' address line and hips that come forward off the 'butt line' ...

Effectively 'standing up' out of your address posture as you make a down swing ...

An absolute ball striking KILLER.


Now if this is you it may not be your fault ...

I'm here to tell you today that your can blame your body ...


Enter The Toe Touch Test ...

The Toe Touch Test is a great test for overall mobility in the lower back and hamstrings ...

But it is a critical test when it comes to your ability to Maintain Posture ...

If you FAIL, you can pretty well assume that you will struggle to keep your posture lines during your golf swing ...

And your ball striking and your scores are suffering.


You see setting up to a golf ball well requires a good forward bend or 'hip hinge' movement.

If you can't 'hip hinge' well currently then your body will compensate:

• It will round the spine excessively
• Bend the knees excessively
• Or just try to 'get out' of the 'hip hinge' as quickly as possible leading to 'standing up' ...

Try this test for yourself ...

How to Perform The Toe Touch Test:

1.   Begin by standing with feet together and toes pointing forward.

2.   Bend from the hips forward and try to touch the ends of the fingers to the tips of the toes, without bending the knees.

You Pass if you touched you toes with straight knees, you Fail if you didn't.


It is imperative to go a step further to differentiate the cause if you have a limited toe touch.

3.  Now perform the same test however this time we will elevate one of the feet slightly with a lift of some sort (phone book, mat etc.). This will cause a slight bend in one knee while the other is straight. Now bend over and touch the toes. Repeat in the opposite direction.

4.   If this test is tough on one side but easy on the other side you have a unilateral hip limitation, not a lower back or hamstring flexibility issue.

5. Always go as far as possible without pain and try to keep your knees straight throughout the entire test.


The Toe Touch Test - (click to watch a video demo) ...


So, what if you failed ...?

Can't touch your toes …?

Why are you doing all this again ...?

Because a the ability to 'hip hinge' at address and 'Maintain Your Posture'throughout your swing is a CRITICAL goal in your Golf Improvement Plan.

And it could well be your BODY that is holding you back from achieving:

- More POWER, to hit the ball further.

- Good postural maintenance for highly CONSISTENT ball-striking.


So there you have it.

The Toe Touch Test and how it relates to posture ...

Just one of the 16 key elements of the TPI Golf Fitness Screen.

Want an individualised TPI Screen? Head here:

Click here to request a complimentary Golf Fitness Consultation with Andrew. (In-person or via Skype. You choose.)