Head Movement In The Golf Swing (Complete Overview)

Written by Todd in Online Golf Instruction

There have been great golfers that keep their head centered while other great golfers have moved their head back and then bring it back to center.  The simplest way and the best method for most amateurs would be to keep the head centered in the swing.

Are you confused on whether or not your head should move in the golf swing?

I understand where your confusion may be coming from.

There are golf instructors that you teach you to move off the ball in the backswing and those that teach you to stay centered.  For years, the most popular teachers taught you to completely shift off the ball and then come back to center. 

Recently, there are more and more teachers who teach you to stay centered and use tilt and bends in the backswing and downswing.

If you study the all-time greats, you will notice that while many stayed somewhat centered, there are some that moved slightly off of the ball.

The major key in any golf swing, whether you move your head off the ball or keep it centered is to keep the head behind the ball at impact.

There are pros and cons of both swings and teachers that teach both movements that rank among the top 100 teachers in the world.

Our goal is to provide a complete overview on the head movement in the golf swing.  Study up on the different pros and cons and the different instructors and pick what best suits your game.

Update: If you are seeking the most consistent swing, I do believe keeping the head centered gives you the greatest chance to be consistent. It builds a swing that is based less on timing.

On the PGA Tour you will find golfers in both camps.

Head Movement In The Golf Swing

This would help the golfer with consistency and solid ball contact.

Below, I will dive into the following topics related to head movement in the golf swing:
  • The Fundamentals of Golf and How Head Movement Is Impacted
  • Pros and Cons of Keeping the Head Centered
  • Pros and Cons of Shifting the Head off the Ball
  • Instructors Who Teach To Stay Centered
  • Instructors Who Teach To Shift Off the Ball
  • Which Method Is The Best?
  • Measure What Is Best For Your Game
  • Next Steps

The Fundamentals of Golf and How Head Movement Is Impacted

The Stack and Tilt instructors studied many of the all time greats. 

What they found was various grips, stances, and alignments.  What this tells us is that the major commonalities in the golf swing included the centering of the head, the straightening of the right leg and then the rotation of the hips through the shot, allowing the club to remain on an inside path and to hit the ball on the backside of the arch, resulting in a shot that was hit from the inside and setup for a nice push draw or a push fade.

Golfers need to be able to do the three  following fundamentals to play consistent golf:

They concluded that the true fundamentals of golf could be described below.

  • Fundamental #1: Consistently strike the ball solid by having the club contact the ground in the same spot every time.
  • Fundamental #2: Be able to start the ball slightly left or right of their intended start line and have it curve back towards the target.
  • Fundamental #3: Have enough swing speed to play the golf course.

It makes complete sense when you consider the best golfers you have either played with or have watched at an event or on television.  They all strike the ball solid, they all play a consistent shot pattern and they all have plenty of speed to play the course.

While the weakest golfers struggle with contact, slice or hook the ball without too much consistency and may lack power.

Do you struggle with a slice – Check out some simple solutions

Pros and Cons of Keeping the Head Centered in the Golf Swing

The Pros Include:

  • Creates greater stability in the swing
  • Easier to time up then the shift off the ball
  • Power can be created through tilting, bending and rotating
  • Superior swing with shorter irons

The Cons Include:

  • May lose some slight power
  • May get stuck too much on front side

Pros and Cons of Shifting The Head Off the Ball in the Golf Swing

The Pros Include:

  • May increase the power if timed up right
  • Creates more space to stay behind the ball at impact
  • Allows for easier rotation and clearance of hips

The Cons Include:

  • Without a lot of practice, it may be difficult to time up.
  • Can produce fat or thin shots if weight doesn’t get back to front side

Instructors Who Teach To Stay Centered In The Golf Swing

Instructors Who Teacher To Move Off The Ball

Here is an example of Lucas Wald’s take on this topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_u5_KH2_qU

Which Method Is The Best?

Golf is a game that requires certain match ups in your swing.  If you do one thing, you sometimes have to do something to balance it out.  I believe that staying centered requires less manipulation and less reliance on timing in the swing.

For most amateurs, who if they are fortunate, get to play and practice 2-3 times per week need to have something that they can rely on for consistency. 

While the pressure will shift to the back leg in any good golf swing, the head can stay centered and would be recommended for any amateur golfer.

Now if you are an amateur golfer that has had success with moving off the ball, then stick with it. 

You can play great golf this way.  However, if you are newer to the game, I could recommend checking our reviews linked above and finding a teacher in the first list.

Find out what is best for your game by measuring your results. See our “Next Steps” below for more help!

Measure What Is Best For Your Game

The great thing about golf in today’s era is that golfers have access to some wonderful technology that can allow them to experiment and figure out what is best for their game.  I highly recommend tweaking and trying to find your “secret” to your golf game.

One piece of technology that can truly help you here is a golf launch monitor.

In today’s golf world, the access to affordable launch monitors is a complete game changer. 

Not only can one help you set up you experiment with different swings and philosophies, but it can also help you map your bag by knowing the distance you carry each club.

Even amateurs can have access to this technology and data with the technology now available.

Are Launch Monitors Worth It: 7 Reasons To Buy!

A Launch Monitor is a great addition to your practice session.  Stop guessing on your ball and club data and get the immediate feedback that you need to improve your game.

The professional golfers of today all have access to some great technology including launch monitors to help measure their swing and know their numbers.  Can an amateur use this same or similar technology for game improvement?  Yes, absolutely and I would highly recommend it.  

Even if you aren’t going to go all out and build an indoor golf simulator like I did (see below), you can still pick up a launch monitor at a reasonable price and use it in your indoor net or taking to the course or driving range with you!  

Knowing numbers like spin rate, ball speed, spin axis and other key information is vital to your growth.  Sharing these numbers with your instructor can be helpful and help with equipment selection as well. 

This will help you select the right clubs for your bag and when to add that extra hybrid or wedge.

I would recommend one of the three launch monitors listed below:

The great thing about today’s golf world is the access to some great technology to help you get better. The SkyTrak is one example!

Next Steps

Complete the following two assessments/drills if you do not have a launch monitor to measure your game.

Drill 1: The Stock Shot Drill

  • At the driving range, set up an alignment stick about 6-8 yards in front of you, straight down your target line.
  • If you have a second alignment stick, set the stick 3-4 yards right of the first stick (for a draw) or left of the first stick (for a fade).
  • Complete your initial assessment see how many times out of 10 you can start the ball to the right or left of your target.  Pick one side and measure your game at this point.
  • The goal is to eventually get 7 out of 10 shots to start to the correct side and draw back towards the target.

Try this assessment/drill with both a centered head and shifting your head off the ball.  Make sure you setup your smartphone to measure your swing from the side view.  This will help you measure how far you are moving your head.

Drill 2: The Low Point Control Drill

  • Take some yard paint and paint a 1-2 yard long line.
  • Setup with 55% of your weight on your front side.
  • Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully!
  • Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to to this successfully in trials of ten.
  • You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swings.

Here are out top drills we recommend!


Once again measure your performance with both head movement approaches.

Regardless of what method you decide to go with after testing out. Make sure your head is behind the ball at impact. If your head moves forward you will throw your angles early and lose power and consistency.

Final Thoughts: My Secret To Golf Improvement

Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently.  About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage.  

I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.

This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer.  I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. 

I can practice or play rounds of golf.  I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.

It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.

Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you?  I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor.  Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed.  Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier.  Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system?  It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:

Recent Posts