Drop head on downswing

[JackieTreehorn]

I have been hitting the ball well but when I looked at a slow motion video of my swing I realized I drop my head a lot, or more specifically, bury my chin into my chest on the downswing. (See youtube link below...easiest to see my problem if you pause at impact).

Is this much head drop very bad? Any tips on how to avoid dropping my head so much? Thanks.

a clip of me hitting a perfect 5 iron but my head drops significantly (sorry it is slightly off angle and inverted!)

[x-forged]

I say if its working, then dont change it. this movement is pretty common, and i say your head movement isnt too severe, so i wouldnt worry too much. As long as this head movement doesn't affect your spine angle during the swing, then you're fine, and your spine angle looks pretty good to me.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I drop my head a little too, but from the neck and not the back, which I guess is natural. I hit the ball ok so I dont worry about it that much. If I hit a bad shot i wouldnt assume it was because I dropped my head.

[JackieTreehorn]

Thanks for your comment. I should further add that the head drop is most obvious when you pause the swing at impact.

[BASHERBAKER69]

theres a good swing..the head doesn't drop that significantly, and if your ball striking is consistent then don't worry about it. I enjoyed the tour trajectory on that shot. Well Done!

[Hustle]

That swing looks good to me, have you always had that pause mid-way back?

[JackieTreehorn]

have you always had that pause mid-way back?
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No...after not playing for the last few years I am really trying to revamp my swing. I am using the unconventional tip from Jerome Andrews (Golf Digest November 2007) to set my wrists very early (right away) and it is helping me a lot. But I haven't incorporated it into a non-paused swing yet...I might not even try cause I've got good results so far.

I am most concerned with my head position at impact...it jsut doesn't look right.
Even in my old swing I was still burying my chin into my chest at impact. BY the way, my misses tend to be pulls (they were pull hooks with my old one-piece takeaway swing).

[Hustle]

have you always had that pause mid-way back?

It does not look right compared to ????

It actually looks great to me! Look at Tiger when he goes down after a ball, you look to be in a great position...

[elchene]

I'm sure it's fine. A lot of LPGA players do that ie. Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer but a lot more than yours. I'm not really sure why.

[Hustle]

I'm sure it's fine. A lot of LPGA players do that ie. Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer but a lot more than yours. I'm not really sure why.

Now that I am pushing my left (i'm a lefty) hip over my right toe to begin the downswing, I have also noticed more head drop thru my down swing. And to be honest I am getting thru to my finish so so so much better...

[andre112]

i have the same problem too
more serious hence my handicap
what i try to do is stand tall and keep my chin up during the entire swing

[tm22721]

If you properly shift your weight to the left your right shoulder will drop and your left shoulder will rise. The head should stay neutral although mine dips a little according to an instructor I saw yesterday.

So long as you are not hitting it fat I would not tamper with what appears to be an otherwise good swing.

[JackieTreehorn]

I'm sure it's fine. A lot of LPGA players do that ie. Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer but a lot more than yours. I'm not really sure why.

You're right, that's a more severe version of my problem. I was watching Natalie and Paula drop their chins last week.

I am now thinking the chin drop is for me to see the ball better? Not sure if this matters but I am definitely left eye dominant. I also really must look out of the bottom of my eyes at setup to see the ball. I golfed for years as a kid with a "low" chin at address because it helped me see the ball better, and I might just be continuing an old habit. In the meantime, I am working to keep my chin high for the whole swing but seek a drill! Maybe attach a sharp tee to my chest!