74. The top players in the world all share several fundamental characteristics in their swings even though no two swings are the same. One of these similarities is they all retain their head position behind the ball until after impact and all club players would do well to emulate them

The pivotal point or hub of the swing is dead center between the shoulders at the base of the neck. The head, been situated on top of the neck is a great indicator to the position of the hub so when we talk of head position, we are in fact relating to the pivotal point which is several inches below.The hub position is of vital importance as it creates the correct right for the arc of the swing in to relation to the ball. If we lose our center, the club will come off line in relation to the ball and result in undesirable shots.    

This message however must never be stated or thought of as simply keeping your head still. In a separate lesson I stated that certain words used in coaching, though spoken with good intention, actually convey the wrong idea. The word Still, as in trying to keep your “Head still" more often than not produces a tight and stifled action, and in a lot of cases actually makes your head move! Studying video film of the top players however does reveal stationary head positions, in the majority of the swings, slightly behind the ball position. This is achieved not by forcing the head still, but as a result of correct emphasis placed upon swinging the club head. Recall the recent column when I related the principles behind playing shots with the rubber shafted club. To swing the rubber shafted club without doing damage to yourself would find you holding the hub of the swing slightly back of the ball automatically.

One more point I must clarify is that it does not imply you stay back on the right foot in order to keep your head / hub back behind the ball. As the diagram also reveals, as the club head is swung the body follows the swing on to the left foot and eventually to a balanced finish. Express this idea into your next swing and you will find it far easier to not only make a flowing follow through but also feel the club head is sweeping the ball away with consummate ease.