Elite players maintain a fixed spine angle and allow their arms to swing the club around their body. Many swing faults occur with excessive vertical or lateral movements of the body and spine angle. Practice keeping the body still and maintain the original golf posture and spine angle from the address position throughout the entire swing.

Steady Head

The average PGA Tour player only moves his head one inch during the backswing and less during the downswing. Players that create lateral body movements directly correlate to excessive head movement during the swing. Since PGA Tour players create minimal movements with their head they also swing with a fixed spine angle. If your head moves so does your spine angle. Practice keeping your head stationary and you will limit excessive movements with the spine angle.

Lateral Sway

Sways occur when the lower body creates unnecessary lateral movements and shifts the weight to the outside of the right foot during the backswing. Players lose all stability when the body moves away from the target during the backswing. A sway often allows the spine angle and head to move towards the back foot during the backswing. The lateral movement relies on perfect timing to get the body and club moving forward at impact. The result is inconsistent contact. Physical limitations often lead to a sway during the swing sequence.

Reverse Spine Angle

A Reverse Spine Angle occurs when the upper body leans toward the target during the backswing. The Reverse Spine Angle position creates an unnatural weight shift to start the downswing. The upper body is forced to start the downswing which generally leads to an over the top movement and incorrect swing path. Impact usually results with incorrect amount of weight on the back leg and foot. The ball starts left of the intended target and normally slices back toward the middle. In addition, a Reverse Spine Angle places an enormous amount of stress on the lower back, often leading to lower back pain or injury.

Flat Shoulder Plane

The golf swing begins with the correct golf posture and spine angle by keeping the back as straight as possible without curving the spine. During the swing the shoulders should move on a perpendicular plane to the spine angle. However, many amateurs turn the shoulders on a horizontal plane, also known as a Flat Shoulder Plane.

During a swing with a flat shoulder plane a player typically stands up and loses the original spine angle during the backswing. The shoulders move to a horizontal position that is nearly parallel with the ground. Creating a flat shoulder plan often causes several other flaws and compensations during the swing sequence.

Players that fight a flat shoulder plane need to separate the upper body movement from the lower body movement. Rotating the shoulders around the spine without altering the original spine angle helps off set the flat shoulder plane. The Windmill exercise is a really good motion that simulates the correct perpendicular motion of the shoulders while maintaining a stable lower body.