St. Johns November 2019 Newsletter P2_STM81677 November Newsletter | Page 7

NOTE FROM THE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL
Shoulder Tilt: The Key to Better Ball Striking
One of the most common swing characteristics in the golf swing is a flat or horizontal
shoulder turn. With most students, rotation to one degree or another, is not a primary
concern. With an instructional focus on rotation, the tendency is to take the club too far
on the inside in the backswing and create a balance by coming outside and “Over the Top”
in the downswing. This basic motor pattern creates a glancing blow at the bottom of the
golf swing creating excessive spin and loss of energy transfer. A second influence created
by a Flat Shoulder Plane is lack of compression and a sufficient Angle of Attack on impact.
Often, with these outcomes, the default is to assume posture, when there is a probability
the shoulders turned horizontally, not vertically.
Once we have identified a flat shoulder turn, the focus is on how to develop a new
awareness and possible solutions. One common reference point as the shoulders turn is
to keep them perpendicular to the spine both in the backswing and in the forward swing.
To create this relationship, we want the feeling of turning the Left Shoulder down to the
Right Foot in the backswing and turn the Right Shoulder down to the Left Foot in the
downswing. This swing thought will create proper tilt as well as rotation.
Play Well,
John Mousley
PGA, TPI
7