Perfecting the Golf BackSwing - Move Your Head

When you are learning to play golf, a tip you will often hear is to keep your head still. Some instructors and well-meaning coaches will say it to you at leasst 50 times per round, especially when it comes to perfecting the your backswing.Moving your head on the way back is one of the best golf backswing fundamentals you can learn.Why move your head as you start the golf backswing? The idea is you have to move your head to create an axis to move around. An axis has a both a top and a bottom, like the north and south poles. When you set up to start your golf backswing, your head becomes the top of he axis and your feet and legs create two bottoms.This means that on the way back your head should be moving 3 - 5 inches to the right in order to create your first axis to swing around - the foundation of a good golf backswing technique. Your head will stay there as you come down and fall even further back through impact. Then, after the ball has been hit, your head will move forward over top of the left leg to create a second axis, and this second axis will allow you to complete the circular rotation in your golf back swing allowing you to finish your swing.Your head should float, not stay stationary. Your head should float like the top axis of a spinning top. This allows your golf backswing be a circular motion, though not a perfect circle. It's slight egg-shaped oval. Which is why you will never hit the ball with 100% accuracy each and every time.If you don't move your head during the backswing you will never be able to hit the ball as long and as far as you are truly able because you are never setting up the top axis correctly.The challenge most golfers have when learning this proper golf backswing technique is feels uncomfortable. It just doesn't feel natural to move your head back.One way to get past this is to consciously consider moving your head about 12 inches when you start your backswing. Think 12 inches and your head will naturally move five to six inches. Still uncomfortable? Try practicing your golf backswing in front of a mirror.Using a mirror for feedback, you can notice if you are moving your head or holding it still. Try it both ways. Now notice how your weight shifts and loads to your right leg as you move your head when you start the golf backswing. Do you feel it? If so, know that you have just created the top axis - a fundamental requirement to create the golf backswing. In fact, the only way to effectively load your right leg is to move your head to the right as you swing back. Don't move your head and you'll lose power.If you are wearing a hat when you play golf just take your backswing and look to see if the brim of the hat is level to the ground not tilted to the left. If the brim of the hat is level to the ground at the top of your backswing your head will have moved the proper amount.As a final check just ask a friend to watch your head to see if it moves back a few inches or use a video camera to see for yourself. If your head is too still then constantly remind yourself to move it back or have someone constantly remind you to move your head.As you move your head back, beware that it may cause you to hit behind the ball a little. This is a good sign at first. It's telling you that you are moving your head back but you have too much weight on your right foot at impact. To remedy hitting behind the ball (fat shots), all you have to do is feel a little more weight shift off of your right foot through impact. If you do, you will hit the ball perfectly and with much more power than you are used to.