Symptom:  You are a beginning player who manages to attract unsolicited golf advice from those around you.  You frequently are told to "keep your head down" in order to improve your swing, and sometimes even say this to yourself after hitting another poor shot...

Overview:  The idea behind this tip is that if you keep your head down, a better swing will result.  The problem is that your head stays down (or more correctly, stays still) as a result of a proper swing. The proper swing doesn't happen because you kept your head down.  

Why it works (or doesn't):  "Keep your head down" works only for chipping and putting.  When you putt, it is a very good idea to listen for the ball to drop, which requires your head to stay down.  When you chip, similarly, I recommend that you listen (not watch) for the ball to hit the ground.  In both these circumstances, keeping your head down (and still, of course) is indeed very good advice.  Putting and chipping are short strokes that do not call for a powerful body motion.

But for a full swing or a pitch shot, "keep your head down" is not good advice.  It is more correct to say "Keep your head still", but better still to say "swing such that your head stays relatively still".  The difference is subtle but important:  the still head is an effect, NOT a cause, of a good swing.  (Similarly, a relatively straight left arm is an effect, not a cause, in a good golf swing).

Actually, in a really good golf swing, the head actually moves back slightly just before impact.  Watch Geoff Ogilvy demonstrate this for us  -- use the palm tree over his left shoulder as a reference point and pay close attention to his head.  See it move backwards slightly just before impact?:




So how do you, the Occasional Golfer, swing such that your head stays relatively still?  Obviously it is not simple.  But the combination of a good setup, a proper starter move, an elastic left shoulder at the start of the downswing and a throw the stick motion with your right arm through the ball will get you a long way towards your goal.  Use the two-ball drill to prevent a casting motion on your downswing.  Do all these things and you will find that you are swinging in such a way that your head stays pretty still, without really trying to keep your head "still" or "down".  And that is the feeling your want!  Try it and see!

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