You're Correct!

Posture and achieving the correct posture in your set up position is absolutely crucial if you are going to make a successful golf swing, as your posture affects the angle which you swing the club head around you at, or your swing plane.

Swing plane is key to making a great golf swing and hitting great golf shots. If you swing the club head around you at the correct angle, or on plane, you will consistently return the club face back to the ball successfully and with accuracy, to produce really good golf shots.

To produce the correct swing plane when you swing, you need to have produced the correct posture at set up, as your posture will dictate the plane that you swing the club head on during your golf swing. You need to ensure that you keep your back straight and that you hinge forwards toward the golf ball with this straight back, from your hips.

To get a feel for the correct posture, try the following drills. To help you keep your back straight, place an alignment pole down the inside of your t-shirt and tuck it into the top of your trousers. Now stand upright with the back of your head, the middle of your shoulders and the bottom of your back all in contact with the alignment pole. Keep these three points in contact with the pole and tilt forward from your hips until your arms hang freely from your body. Maintain this position and soften your knees to take the pressure from the back of your legs and you have created a great posture position. If you struggle to tilt forward well from your hips, place a club across the top and front of your hips and lean over this. This will get you hinging forward from your hips.

When out on the golf course, a good routine to use to help you create good posture would be to address the ball and achieve the correct distance to stand away. Take your stance up with your feet shoulder width apart and place your hands correctly on the clubs handle. Stand upright with your back and hold the club out from the waist so the shaft is parallel to the ground. Keeping the back of your head, middle of your shoulders and bottom of your back all in a straight line, hinge forwards from your hips until your arms dangle freely off your body. Allow the club head to drop any remaining distance required to the golf ball. You have now created an excellent posture position and will be able to make a great on plane golf swing from here.

If you just bend your knees at address then you will adopt a sitting type of position. Your spine will remain upright and will not tilt forward. As a result of this you will find it difficult to rotate your upper body appropriately. It will rotate around an axis (your spine) which is more vertical than it should be and as a result you will end up lifting your arms up in an effort to get the club in the correct position at the top of your back swing. This will produce a steep down swing and you will tend to hit the top of the golf ball, producing low shots.

If you just drop your head forward, rather than tilting and hinging forward from your hips, you will not have a straight back, you will "hunch" at your shoulders and have more of a "C" shape look to your spine. From this position it will be very difficult to rotate your upper body correctly and your back swing will again be dominated by a lifting action in your arms. This will produce a steep down swing and you will strike the top of the golf ball, producing a low shot.

Just walking up and swinging at the golf ball will not allow you to achieve a golf swing that is consistently on plane and producing great results. Routine is absolutely crucial and a routine that creates the correct posture repeatedly to make every swing from is a must.