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What Exactly Is Head Dipping?
Head dipping in golf usually happens when your head drops down during the swing. This leads to several problems.
- What it is: A significant downward movement of the head, in this case, occurring during the backswing.
- The consequences: It can disrupt your posture, affect your balance, and prevent you from hitting the ball cleanly.
- Not all dipping is bad: A small, controlled dip of an inch or two is normal. It's often seen in PGA Tour players, they use it to generate power.
- The underlying issue: Issues like swaying off the ball, excessive body flexion, or a weak core can lead to head dipping.
How Head Dipping Ruins Your Shots
When your head dips, it lowers the bottom of your swing arc. This forces you to make awkward, last-second adjustments just to hit the ball, which often leads to these frustrating results:
- Fat or "Chunked" Shots: This is the most common outcome. Your club smashes into the ground before the ball, leading to a shot that goes nowhere.
- Thin or "Skulled" Shots: To avoid chunking it, your body might instinctively lift up through the downswing, causing you to hit the top half of the ball.
- Major Loss of Power: A stable swing is an efficient swing. When your head moves up and down, you can't transfer energy into the ball effectively, costing you distance.
- Inconsistent Contact: With your head moving, trying to find the center of the clubface becomes a total guessing game.
Other Names for Head Dipping
While "head dipping" is the most common term, you might also hear this swing fault referred to as:
- Head Dropping or Diving
- Losing Your Height
- Excessive Vertical Head Movement
- Losing Your Posture
What Causes Head Dipping?
Swing Technique Mistakes
- Swaying Off the Ball: Your hips slide sideways away from the target instead of rotating. Your head then dips down to keep you from losing your balance.
- Bending Over Too Much: If you crunch your upper body or round your back during the backswing, your head has nowhere to go but down.
- Incorrect Weight Shift: Your weight moves onto your toes instead of back into your trail heel, causing you to fall forward and dip.
Physical Limitations
- Limited Hip Rotation: If your hips are tight and can't turn properly, your body will find another way to feel like it's making a full swing—usually by swaying or dipping.
- Stiff Upper Back (Thoracic Spine): A lack of flexibility in your upper back will block a proper shoulder turn, often leading to a dip.
- Weak Core Muscles: Without a strong core, you can't maintain your spine angle against the powerful forces of the golf swing.
Drills to Stop Head Dipping
1. Head Against the Wall Drill
This classic drill gives you instant feedback on whether your head is staying stable.
- Get into your golf posture with your forehead gently touching a wall.
- Make slow, smooth backswings, focusing on keeping that light contact with the wall.
- The goal is to feel your body rotate *around* a stable head, not move away from or press into the wall.
2. Belt Buckle Rotation Drill
This drill helps you feel proper hip turn, which is a major antidote to swaying and dipping.
- In your setup, imagine your belt buckle is pointing at the golf ball.
- As you start your backswing, focus on turning your hips so the belt buckle points behind you.
- This promotes a powerful rotation instead of a weak lateral slide.
3. Shadow Drill
Use your shadow on a sunny day as a free and effective visual guide to monitor head movement.
- Position yourself so the shadow of your head is directly over the ball at address.
- Make slow practice swings while watching your shadow.
- The goal is to keep your head's shadow perfectly still throughout the backswing.
4. Lead Hip Pressure Drill
This drill promotes proper rotation and stable lower body control by preventing a lateral sway.
- Stand sideways near a wall with a soft ball or foam roller between your lead hip and the wall.
- Cross your arms over your chest and begin a slow backswing.
- Maintain light, constant pressure on the ball with your lead hip.
- Focus on rotating your upper body, not shifting or dipping.
Physical Fixes for a Stable Swing
Helpful Golf Fitness Exercises
Often, the fix isn't on the range, but in the gym. Improving your mobility and stability can make a huge difference.
- Cat-Cow Stretches: Great for improving your spinal mobility and awareness of your posture.
- Bird-Dogs: A fantastic exercise for building core strength and controlling your posture.
- Standing Thoracic Rotations: Teaches your upper body to rotate independently without your whole body collapsing.
Adapting Your Swing to Your Body
If you have permanent physical limitations, don't fight them. Adapt your swing to what your body *can* do.
- Try a shorter backswing. It reduces the need to force a turn you don't have.
- Flare your trail foot out. Turning your back foot out a bit can make it easier to turn your hips.
- Consider a wider stance. This can give you a more stable base to turn against.
Helpful Training Aids
These tools can provide excellent physical and visual feedback to help you feel the correct movement and stop dipping.
Alignment Stick Behind Head: Tuck an alignment stick vertically along your spine and the back of your head. If your head dips, you'll feel it separate from the stick, giving you instant feedback.
Mirror or Reflection: Practice in front of a mirror or a reflective window. This provides real-time visual feedback on whether your head is maintaining its height through the swing.
Cap with Hanging String: A simple DIY aid. A weighted string hanging from the brim of your cap gives you a clear reference point. If the string moves, your head is moving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is all head dipping bad in a golf swing? ▼
Not at all. A small, controlled dip is fine and even desirable for power. It's the large, uncontrolled drop that causes problems with consistency and contact.
What's the #1 cause of head dipping? ▼
It varies, but a lateral sway (sliding instead of turning the hips) is a huge one. The head dips down to keep your body balanced during that incorrect lower body move.
Can I fix this just by trying to keep my head still? ▼
Probably not. Head dipping is a symptom, not the disease. If you just try to hold your head still without fixing the root cause (like a sway or bad rotation), you'll likely just restrict your swing and create new problems.
Stop Guessing, Start Fixing
Fixing a head dip means figuring out why it's happening. By using the right drills to promote a stable, rotational swing, you can finally get rid of this error and build the consistent, powerful game you want.
Ready to diagnose your swing with precision? Download the GolfWiz app! Our AI-powered analysis will instantly identify if you're dipping your head and give you the personalized drills you need to fix it fast.
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