You're Correct!

Its something you hear repeated constantly whenever someone hits a bad shot, keep your head down!

Although golfers dont want to actively encourage big changes in height during the swing, forcing the head down can actually do more harm than good. Golfers would be better suited in achieving a solid posture and then keeping the head ‘centered during the swing.

A good, athletic posture will produce a solid spine angle around which players can rotate and swing. Follow this guide to produce a solid posture.

• Using a mirror, stand bolt upright and look at your side profile. Your whole body should be straight with your chest out and shoulders back.
• Pick up a club and extend it in front of the body. The shaft should be parallel to the ground and the grip pointing back at the navel.
• Tilt forward from the hips keeping the back flat and straight. This tilting should continue until the club touches the ground. The club should only fall as the hips tilt with the arms staying extended.
• When looking back in the mirror the spine should be straight and tilted over from the hips.
• Now add some knee flex. This should be a flex and not a bend. Its important to flex because it adds athleticism to the posture; a bend could cause the hips to tuck under the body. The body weight should be tilted onto the balls of the feet.

This posture and spine angle will allow you to turn the shoulders away from the ball whilst keeping the head still and central. If the spine angle remains tilted over the ball and the knees flexed, the head will not have the opportunity to dip up or down. Keeping central with your head means there shouldnt be big lateral movements left or right until the ball is struck; keep the body weight 50/50 on each foot until approaching impact.

Players looking to hit better shots should not force the head down but maintain the posture and keep the head central during the swing.

Its a piece of advice that has circulated throughout the game for decades. Its easy to repeat and doesnt involve a great deal of explanation. People who tell other golfers to keep their head down probably mean well but probably dont have a great deal of technical knowledge about the golf swing.

By forcing the head down, tension will spread down from the neck, into the shoulders, the back, arms and hands. This tension will cause a stunted and jerky swing causing mis-hits and dropping ball flights.

Although forcing the head down will have negative consequences in the long run, abandoning a solid posture and central position all together will be suicidal. Focus on maintaining a solid posture and central swing for the best results.