This Posture Mistake Could Be Game Over For Your Golf Swing (Here's How To Avoid It)

This common posture issue kills your ability to consistently achieve a centred strike, but you can identify and avoid it with our expert's top tips...

Top 50 Coach Russell Covey demonstrating a common posture mistake that kills golfer's ability to achieve a centred strike, with retro gaming text reading 'game over' layered over the top
Give your golf swing posture a refresh with Russell Covey's expert advice
(Image credit: Getty Images/Matt Lincoln)

You might not even know you are doing this, but one simple posture mistake could be killing your ability to consistently strike the golf ball out of the middle of the clubface.

Grooving the correct posture is just as important as ensuring you have the perfect golf grip or a straight left arm in the golf swing - but so many golfers neglect this crucial aspect of the set up position.

As Top 50 Coach Russell Covey expertly explains below, so many amateur golfers head out onto the golf course or arrive for lessons with their PGA Pro with common posture faults - many of which centre around an incorrect chin and shoulder position.

Latest Videos From

Thankfully, the fix is fairly simple. With the guidance of Russell and his decades of experience coaching golfers of all abilities - you can make strides in this criminally overlooked area of the golf swing and cut your handicap in 2026...

This Posture Mistake Could Be Game Over For Your Golf Swing

Top 50 Coach Russell Covey demonstrating an incorrect posture for the golf swing with shoulders slumped and chin tucked

This poor golf swing posture restricts rotation and kills power

(Image credit: Matt Lincoln)

This is a typical, very common hunched position I see, where the shoulders are drooping over the ball, along with the chin, which has sagged down.

From here, it's incredibly hard to rotate the torso and create the necessary range of motion for a powerful, centred strike.

If you're concerned you've slipped into bad habits with your posture, get someone to take a photo of you addressing the ball from down the line - this will really help with identifying the issue.

Top 50 Coach Russell Covey demonstrating a correct posture for the golf swing with the chin more elevated and the spine angle improved

This is a much stronger and more athletic posture - which promotes increased power in the golf swing

(Image credit: Matt Lincoln)

With most golfers, we're looking for a 90˚shoulder turn. If your chin is too far down and your shoulders are drooping over the ball, it makes it very hard to work your lead shoulder beneath your chin, which is a good way to think about it.

In the image above, I'm addressing the ball properly through the upper spine with good setup fundamentals.

There is clear space for me to rotate correctly and engage all those big muscle groups, allowing the levers of my arms to stretch out and create a nice, wide motion.

Top 50 Coach Russell Covey in an athletic 'goalkeeper' style pose to demonstrate correct weight distribution and position

Think about a football goalkeeper when trying to groove that crucial athletic golf swing posture

(Image credit: Matt Lincoln)

Think of a goalkeeper trying to save a penalty. He or she would adopt this very dynamic, very athletic position, like they're ready to pounce.

In the goalkeeping position feel the sensation of how springy you are on the balls of your feet. This will help you to stop getting trapped on either end of your feet, i.e., your toes or heels.

You may want to try feeling this position, as it can really help with your golf swing. If you can get used to achieving this athletic posture – as shown in the image above – you will develop a more consistent and more powerful motion.

Michael Weston
Contributing editor

Michael has been with Golf Monthly since 2008. A multimedia journalist, he has also worked for The Football Association, where he created content to support the England football team, The FA Cup, London 2012, Wembley Stadium, and the FA Women's Super League. As content editor at Foremost Golf, Michael worked closely with golf's biggest brands and has developed an in-depth knowledge of the equipment side of the industry. He's a regular contributor, covering equipment, travel, instruction, and feature content. Michael has interviewed many of the game's biggest stars and has attended and reported on numerous Major Championships and Ryder Cups around the world. A single figure golfer (just), he's a member of Formby Golf Club in Merseyside, one of the 35 Top 100 courses he’s ticked off to date.

With contributions from

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.