Questions & Answers Responses from PGA/LPGA Teachers on FINDaLESSON.com                                                                                  << BACK From Rick, golfer: I am a 9 handicap and my head moves up on my back swing. How do I prevent this? PGA/LPGA TEACHING PROFESSIONAL RESPONSES: Florida "Check your head position at address and your shoulders. If your head is buried in your chest, you will have to raise your head to get your shoulder under your chin. If your shoulders are tense and pushed up at address, you'll have to raise your head to get your shoulder under your chin. Try these drills; 1) watch your shadow when taking practice swings. Put a ball at the top of your shadow. You can monitor your head position. 2) practice with your head against a wall. Put some masking tape on the wall and keep your head against the tape when you swing. 3) practice brushing the grass. Swing five times without stopping. You want to see some grass flying up. If you can do this, your head is not moving up." - John Pallot, Teaching Professional Massachusetts "Rick: Good morning!  Hope you are enjoying our "fall-like" weather! To answer your question: I would suspect that your posture at address needs to be examined.  If you watch players on the PGA Tour, you will notice a few things as they address the golf ball: 1) Most players stand "tall" at address.  Not hunched over, not a ton of knee flex, not a lot of curve in their spine. 2) They bend from the hips, NOT the knees- with a SLIGHT knee flex. 3) They tilt their spine, from vertical, approx. 15' - 25'. If you check your posture and set up- standing tall- this should help you! And, I hope it does! If you have any further questions or are in need of further assistance, just let me know. Thanks."  - Skip Guss, Teaching Professional Minnesota "You must be too "low" or bent over to start with. Try straightening your knees and spine angle and raising your head slightly at address." - Jim Manthis, Teaching Professional Oregon "Rick, you may be over swinging and taking the club back beyond your flexibility. Shorten your back swing." - Penny Larsen, Teaching Professional Pennsylvania "Dear Rick, Stand as tall as you can at address and keep your grip as soft as possible. It will keep you level." - Bob Sheppard, Teaching Professional South Carolina "Rick: Does your head move up and down, or just a little to the right?  If it is moving up and down, this can cause a lot of problems. Moving the head behind the ball during the back swing is not too big an issue. Curtis Strange won two consecutive US Opens doing this. When the head moves behind the ball, the object would be to leave it there through impact. To prevent the up and down movement, check your set-up posture first. If you are stooping too low, or standing too high, this can cause the excessive vertical movement. After you have gotten your set-up straight, make swings looking in a full length mirror, keeping focus on your head. You might even put a grease pen mark on the mirror to identify where your head is at address. Let me know if I can help in the future."  - John Hughes, Teaching Professional South Carolina "The shoulder turn is flat to the spine, Rick. There is no effort to go up and down. Your forward tilt insures it. Best luck!" - Michael Lucas, Teaching Professional