The Worst Advice in Golf: Why “Keep Your Head Down” is Ruining Your Game
By Julian Mellor with Jo Cameron – Proper Golfing
If you’ve ever had a golf lesson from a well-meaning friend or an old-school coach, you’ve probably heard the dreaded phrase:
👉 “Keep your head down!”
It’s shouted on driving ranges (we see it all the time wherever we go in the world), whispered on golf courses (we hear it!), and passed down through generations like an ancient secret to better golf. The problem? It’s completely wrong. COMPLETELY WRONG!
In fact, keeping your head down is one of the worst pieces of advice ever given in golf. It creates tension, wrecks your body’s natural movement, and leads to poor shots, injuries, and frustration. 21 million golfers are not playing golf at any one time due to golf injuries, many of which are aggravated by keeping the head down.
If you don’t believe us today, we’ll uncover the truth about this golfing myth and explain why the Proper Golfing Method promotes a far superior, biomechanically correct, and effortless way to swing.
Where Did “Keep Your Head Down” Come From?
The origins of this phrase go way back to the early days of golf, when instruction was based more on observation than science. Back then, if someone topped the ball or whiffed completely, it was assumed they had lifted their head too soon.
In reality, their timing, weight transfer, or tension levels were the real culprits. But instead of addressing the root cause, early instructors simply told golfers to keep their head down in an attempt to make better contact.
This “advice” became a golden rule and was repeated so often that even professional golfers started believing it, despite the fact that the greatest players in history all let their heads move naturally.
Keeping your head down is one of the Proper Golfing Swing Killers and here we explain why.
Why Is It Still Said All Over the World?
1️⃣ It’s Easy to Say, Hard to Disprove – When a golfer struggles with consistency, telling them to keep their head down seems like an obvious fix. But in reality, it only masks deeper swing issues.
2️⃣ It Looks Right (But Isn’t!) -When you see someone lifting their head too soon, it appears to be the problem. However, their lack of proper body movement is the real issue.
3️⃣ Old Habits Die Hard – Many traditional golf instructors still teach this outdated advice simply because that’s how they were taught, even though modern science has proven it wrong.
Why Keeping Your Head Down Is Terrible for Your Body
🔴 Tension in the Neck & Shoulders – Forcing your head to stay down locks up the muscles in your neck and shoulders, making a free-flowing, powerful swing impossible. Around 40% of our clients have this problem when they first come to us
🔴 Kills Rotation & Power – A proper golf swing relies on rotation, but keeping your head pinned down prevents your shoulders from turning fully, robbing you of distance and control.
🔴 Leads to Back Pain – Golfers who keep their heads down often develop lower back pain because they aren’t allowing their bodies to move naturally through the shot.
🔴 Destroys Your Follow-Through – Keeping your head down stops you from finishing in a balanced, athletic position. Instead, you end up stuck, rigid, and falling back after impact.
The Science: Why Keeping Your Head Down Reduces Distance & Accuracy
Biomechanics experts have proven that a good golf swing is a sequence of efficient movements. The Proper Golfing Method teaches a natural, unrestricted motion that allows for:
✅ Effortless Power – The head should move naturally with the swing, allowing the body to rotate freely, maximising clubhead speed.
✅ Perfect Weight Transfer – Keeping your head down stops you from shifting your weight correctly, leading to weak shots and inconsistent strikes.
✅ More Consistency – Studies show that professional golfers all have head movement during their swings, which allows them to strike the ball cleanly every time.
🚨 The Big Myth: People think lifting their head too soon causes poor shots. But the truth is, bad shots happen because of poor weight transfer, tension, and restricted movement, not because your head moves!
How Keeping Your Head Down Reduces Distance & Accuracy
📉 Distance Loss – A stiff, restricted swing results in lower clubhead speed, which means you’ll lose yards off the tee and with every club. You’d never kick a football with a stiff leg, would you? Or throw a ball with a stiff arm, would you?
📉 Poor Accuracy – If you keep your head down too long, your clubface won’t square up properly, causing shots to leak right, hook left, or be completely unpredictable. You wouldn’t throw a dart at a dartboard without looking where you are aiming would you?
📉 Topped & Fat Shots – The lack of proper body rotation makes it harder to control low point (where the club meets the ground), leading to thin and heavy shots.
The Proper Golfing Method: The Correct Way to Move
At Proper Golfing, we teach golfers a biomechanically correct, natural movement that leads to:
✅ Relaxed, tension-free swings
✅ Full rotation for effortless power
✅ A natural, flowing motion, no forced positions
✅ Proper weight transfer for crisp ball striking
✅ A balanced finish with all the weight on the front foot
Instead of forcing you to keep your head down, we help you:
🔹 Follow the ball naturally with your eyes – Just like throwing a ball, your head should move in sync with your body.
🔹 Rotate freely for effortless power – Letting your head move naturally improves clubhead speed and accuracy.
🔹 Finish in a strong, balanced position – With your weight forward, your chest facing the target, and no stress on your back.
Interesting Fact: The Best Golfers Let Their Heads Move
📌 Jack Nicklaus – One of the greatest of all time, and his head moved naturally through impact.
📌 Tiger Woods – Watch slow-motion footage, and you’ll see Tiger’s head rotate with his body, allowing a full release.
📌 Rory McIlroy – His head moves beautifully with his swing, helping him generate enormous power and accuracy.
📌 Ernie Els – The “Big Easy” is famous for his fluid, natural motion, proving that relaxation is key.
Not one of them keeps their head down rigidly.
Final Thoughts: Stop Keeping Your Head Down & Start Playing Proper Golf!
If you take one thing away from this, it should be:
🚫 Keeping your head down is ruining your golf.
✅ Letting your head move naturally unlocks power, accuracy, and consistency.
At Proper Golfing, we guarantee you’ll play better golf by following correct, science-backed movement, not outdated myths but once you start to move your head other things change so make sure you reach out so we can guide you where to go next.
So, the next time someone tells you to keep your head down, smile, nod politely, and then completely ignore them. 😉
Want to finally unlock your best golf?
👉 Visit ProperGolfing.com for world-class coaching, tailored for senior golfers who want to play pain-free, effortless, and powerful golf!
Kindest Regards,
Coaching & Membership Programs
We offer two structured programs to help you achieve your goals:
Master’s Level Program (6-Month Coaching)
- 1-year membership to our interactive academy.
- Five one-on-one coaching sessions.
- Unlimited contact for guidance and support.
- Regular swing metric analysis.
- Personalized practice plans.
Foundation Level Program (8-Week Coaching)
- Access to our Academy for structured learning.
- Three one-on-one coaching sessions.
- Biweekly masterclasses.
- Swing metric assessments to track progress.
Interactive Academy
- Over 450 instructional videos.
- Nearly 90 recorded masterclasses.
- Step-by-step guidance for all skill levels.
- Online coaching tailored to your swing.
Final Thoughts
Golf improvement is a journey, and we are here to guide you every step of the way. Whether you are looking to gain distance, perfect your swing, or break through mental barriers, our structured approach ensures measurable progress.
If you’re ready to take your game to the next level, explore our programs at ProperGolfing.com and let’s start your transformation today!
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Happy golfing!
Julian Mellor & The Proper Golfing Team
