If you top shots, most likely you are standing up as you strike the ball.  Ideally, you want to keep the same angle your torso and legs formed at address position the same throughout your swing.  Many high-handicappers stand up (straighten their legs, lift their torsos or pull in their arms) as the they strike the ball resulting in an array of bad shots including thin and topped shots, pulls and slices. If you take a look at professionals, you will see that they keep their spine angle through out their swing and even many players squat down as they strike the ball.

If you tend to stand up during your swing, ask yourself a few questions:

• Do you have poor posture?
• Do you lack flexibility in your hips?
• Do you have a tight low back?
• Do you lack flexibility in your hamstrings?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then you may want consider assessing your ability to squat. This is a very informative test for golfers to determine if they have any mobility/flexibility/stability/strength issues preventing them from keeping their angles as they swing.

Deep Squat to Test Lower Body Strength and Stability

This test will help you measure the overall mobility in your legs, ankles, shoulders and spine. If you are unable to perform this test, it is likely that you will not able to maintain your spine angle throughout your downswing. The natural tendency is to thrust your hips toward the ball at the start of the downswing, thus pulling yourself up and out of the shot causing an array of errant shots and loss of power.

1. Standing in your golf address position, place a club behind your back or simply raise your arms above your head while holding a golf club.
2. Perform a squat as you attempt to maintain your original spine angle.
3. Keep your arms raised over you head. Keep your knees aligned over your feet and heels planted on the ground.
4. Maintain your balance.

To learn how to access your squatting ability, visit Cardiogolf.com.