Matt Jones proves why lifting your head is a good thing

“You lifted your head.” How often have we heard that on the golf course?

It’s an easy excuse for a poor shot. The issue with peddling that kind of nonsense is that it causes you to keep your head down too long, and stops you from extending your upper body properly at impact. Matt Jones knows this and you should, too. 

• Solid strikes with putting

• Collin Morikawa’s ‘imperfect’ grip

As Jones comes into impact, below, you can see that he allows his head to follow the ball. This enables him to rotate his upper body into a full release, maintaining the arm speed he has created in the downswing. 

If you keep your head down, you will likely see a bending of the left arm… the famous ‘chicken wing’. Repeat that for years and it becomes very difficult to work your way out of it.

If done correctly, the left shoulder will move up, below, and your upper body can clear. This will create much more room in your swing, giving you the freedom to hit the ball as hard as you possibly can. 

Jones can then turn his right shoulder straight through to his target, below, with the hips following in sequence. 

Allowing your eyes to follow the ball at impact can feel strange, but it does work. After all, watching the flight of the ball is the best part of the swing so you might as well see the whole thing.