One of the biggest differences between elite players and amateurs happens before impact ever occurs. This way they maintain their slope to the ground during the swing.
Your slope to the ground is set at address, determined by how much you bend forward at your hips and spine.
“You set your slope to the ground at address based on your posture – the angle of your spine and the degree to which you bend forward,” says Josh Troyer, GOLFTEC’s director of educational quality. “On average, Tour players stand about 40 degrees forward with their shoulder flexion.”
The best players in the world can keep that angle remarkably consistent as they rotate. But it’s something that many recreational players struggle with.
“They maintain that tendency toward the ground as they make a backswing,” Troyer says. “You can think of it like trying to hammer a nail into a wall; if your body moves all over the place while you do that, it’s very difficult to hit the same spot.”
So how consistent are great ballplayers at maintaining this angle? At the top of the backswing, their shoulders are tilted about 3 degrees less than at address.
“If the Tour average is 40 degrees forward at address, the best players tilt their shoulders about 37 degrees to the left at the top of the backswing,” Troyer explains. “That little difference keeps your slope to the ground.”
Amateurs, on the other hand, often tilt too little.
“What bad golfers do is start 40 degrees forward, but they only tilt their shoulders 20 or 22 degrees,” says Troyer. “That’s a flat shoulder turn — and when that happens, their head goes up and they stand up from their position.”
The key, Troyer says, is understanding the relation between your setup and your shoulder tilt at the top – not just chasing specific numbers.
“If a golfer is standing 30 degrees forward at address, his shoulders at the top should be about 27 degrees to the left,” he says. “That’s how you maintain your slope. If they went to 37 degrees instead, they would actually sink toward the ball.”
It’s not about memorizing measurements – it’s about retaining the correct measurements cartridge. “
“The numbers are important,” says Troyer, “but understanding how that relationship works is what really matters.”
When your shoulder tilt matches your setup bend, you’ll stay in your stance, turn efficiently, and make solid, repeatable contact – just like the pros do.
If you would like to learn how to properly maintain the forward bend in your own swing, book a swing evaluation with GOLFTEC below.
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