Heads Up! or Box on Neck

Which do you prefer... Posture with the head more Up (Tiger Woods), or with the head more like a "Box is on the Back of the Neck"(Hogan)?

Does one work better with a particular shoulder turn or component than the other?

Originally Posted by lagster Which do you prefer... Posture with the head more Up (Tiger Woods), or with the head more like a "Box is on the Back of the Neck"(Hogan)?

Does one work better with a particular shoulder turn or component than the other?

Always use the latter- that is have the upper back/neck almost parallel to the ground at address.

Why?

Reason #1: Your lens (eyes) look directly at the ball, rather than looking down. This gives you better clubface/ball control.

Reason #2: All great players at impact have their upper back/neck parallel to the ground. If you start off with the disgusting head up position like Tiger (and even more exaggerated by Adam Scott), a compensation is needed to bring the head back into its correct position. This is one of the reasons why Tiger's head bobs.

Study pictures 9-2-3 #1 and 9-2-10 #2/3.

As Ben would tell ya, the shirt label by your neck looks at the ball...........

Originally Posted by tongzilla

Originally Posted by lagster Which do you prefer... Posture with the head more Up (Tiger Woods), or with the head more like a "Box is on the Back of the Neck"(Hogan)?

Does one work better with a particular shoulder turn or component than the other?

Always use the latter- that is have the upper back/neck almost parallel to the ground at address.

Why?

Reason #1: Your lens (eyes) look directly at the ball, rather than looking down. This gives you better clubface/ball control.

Reason #2: All great players at impact have their upper back/neck parallel to the ground. If you start off with the disgusting head up position like Tiger (and even more exaggerated by Adam Scott), a compensation is needed to bring the head back into its correct position. This is one of the reasons why Tiger's head bobs.

Study pictures 9-2-3 #1 and 9-2-10 #2/3.

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I see what you are talking about in the pictures!
I know Ben, Mac O., and others teach the "box on the neck".

There are many others, however, that want the spine. or BACK to look fairly straight, from the down the line view. I think they believe that this promotes, and enables better shoulder turn, and/or spinal rotation. The Body Balance(Callaway) guys, I believe, also want a straight BACK.

Any ideas on this?

Originally Posted by lagster I see what you are talking about in the pictures!
I know Ben, Mac O., and others teach the "box on the neck".

There are many others, however, that want the spine. or BACK to look fairly straight, from the down the line view. I think they believe that this promotes, and enables better shoulder turn, and/or spinal rotation. The Body Balance(Callaway) guys, I believe, also want a straight BACK.

Any ideas on this?

You want a visually straight lower/mid back.

Originally Posted by tongzilla

Originally Posted by lagster I see what you are talking about in the pictures!
I know Ben, Mac O., and others teach the "box on the neck".

There are many others, however, that want the spine. or BACK to look fairly straight, from the down the line view. I think they believe that this promotes, and enables better shoulder turn, and/or spinal rotation. The Body Balance(Callaway) guys, I believe, also want a straight BACK.

Any ideas on this?

You want a visually straight lower/mid back.

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If Tiger and Adam Scott simply bent their heads down, and left everything else the same... would they then have the look you want?

If one positions the head so that the eyes are focusing directly ahead at the ball, then shouldn't one have to adjust the eyes to look slightly downward to focus on the inside corner of the ball?

I noticed this the last time I was at the range. At address, my head is looking either at the ball or slightly above it, and my eyes need to point a bit downward to see the inside aft quadrant of the ball. However, during startup, and continuing on throughout the rest of the swing, my eyes refocus back to center, and look at the outside corner of the ball or the back of the ball.

I wonder if one should position the head so that the straight ahead position is slightly downward so that hte inside corner of the ball is the neutral focus position of the eyes.

Originally Posted by DDL the inside corner of the ball

Originally Posted by DDL the outside corner of the ball

Obviously everyone on this forum will understand, but do not be surprised if the world outside do not get it!
LOL

Back to your question. I have experimented & experienced that if the head is set into a position needing zero eye muscle activity to focus on the ball the eye muscles become "too relaxed" and do not work as well during the swing as if they are just a tad off and requiring sort of an activity / Eye Extensor Action ? / Eye Waggle, (LOL) i.e. a "slight athletic tension" to the eyes. For that reason I do not bother trying to get my head in the "optimum position for minimum eye muscle activity"" but rather prefer the eyes muscles to remain "active" and "agile" as I start the swing.

JMO

I went to a VERY GOOD physical therapist for shoulde rehab.....does a lot of top notch athletes in my area.

I gave him golf lessons, he rehabbed my shoulder

You should be able to take a straight piece of anything and align 3 points on your back:

- lower back
- mid back
- back of the head

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there should be a small natural curve that isn't touching between the low/mid back area as it is the natural curve of your spine.

S. Appleby looks like he is trying to get the "BOX ON THE NECK" at setup... from the pictures I saw on T.V. in the tour event yesterday(9-15-05). His BACK(POSTURE) looks fairly straight otherwise.