Putting - Shoulder Tilt

An article by: Bobby Eldridge on 12-17-2007
This article has been read 11134 times.

Putting Backswing - The Shoulders

For the past two chapters I have talked about the "Y" and swinging the putter straight back. In this chapter I am going to describe what the right shoulder does during the backswing.

The Right Shoulder Tilts

If you swing the "Y" back correctly on a straight line, the right shoulder will tilt up slightly. The longer the putt the more the right shoulder will tilt up. If you have a two or three foot putt you will not have to swing the putter back far enough for the shoulder to tilt.

On the other hand, if you swing the putter back inside on an arc the right shoulder will have to TURN out of the way and not TILT. The best visual that I can give you is if you are watching a boat rock from side to side in the water. You have to have the feeling the right shoulder rocks or tilts up in the backswing and yes you are right, the left shoulder tilts up in the downswing. We will touch on that in the next chapter.(#29)

After you address the golf ball and you do not bend over at the hips, your posture will be too upright. If you are standing too tall to the golf ball at address, the right shoulder will have a tendency to turn and not tilt.(#30)

Your Shoulder Need to Be Alignd Correctly

The one part of the address that is barely talked about is the shoulder alignment. After you address the golf ball you have to have your shoulders parallel to your intended target line. If your shoulders are closed (right shoulder back too far) the shoulder will turn and not tilt. If your shoulders are open (right shoulder in front of left) the right shoulder will tilt too much and the putter will arrive at impact on a steep angle.(#31)

Putting Backswing - Keep the Putter Head Low

You have to pay close attention to this one detail during the backswing. The putter head does not have to come up off of the ground just because the right shoulder is tilting up. You can make a smooth swing backwards away from the golf ball and still keep the clubhead close to the putting surface as the right shoulder tilts up.

If you find out the putter head is coming off of the ground too high, focus on the clubhead for some time and not on the right shoulder tilting up.

By the way this is the most profound thought about the right shoulder tilting up. The right shoulder tilting up is a RESULT not a cause.

If you have the correct length putter for you and you have the correct posture and your shoulders are parallel to your intended line with the correct ball position, you are 99% of the way there. If you swing the putter back on the correct path, THE RIGHT SHOULDER WILL TILT UP.