By Morgan Cooper, with Lea Friese-Haben

With the decline in the economy, employers are forced to take a closer look at their workforce. One of the things they have to consider is employee health, a growing concern partly based on increasing health care costs.

So where will they “trim the fat?” Simple—by looking at employees that cost them money. Key elements of a 2006 study provided by Leade Health and titled “The Business Case for Weight/Obesity Management Using Health Coaching Interventions” focused on obesity-related diseases and their effects on the bottom line of businesses. Employee obesity is the number-one factor in productivity loss, and employees under scrutiny are those who are severely overweight.

In the study, it was determined that medical costs for obese employees are 77 percent higher than for those who maintain a healthy weight, and that obesity-related disabilities cost employers up to $8,720 per claimant a year. Additionally, obesity represents an estimated 43 percent of all health care spending for coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis of the knee, and endometrial cancer.

If you’re overweight, and your employer is evaluating job performance, missed days due to illness, and work limitations, then your employment may be at risk. Let’s face it—obesity is a growing epidemic in our society. Out of all the countries in the world, America is ranked number one for its overweight population. 30.6 percent of the population in America aged 15 and above have a BMI greater than 30. By comparison, the lowest is Japan at 3.2 percent.

So what is feeding the obesity epidemic? Dr. Dave Johnson, bariatric surgeon for Arizona Weight Loss Solutions, states, “The way people eat has changed. Many families try to make food dollars stretch by loading up on carbs and not enough protein, fresh vegetables, and fruit. Portions are larger, and fast food is on every corner. Fresh-food meal preparation has decreased due to busy schedules. The most concerning ripple effect is the alarming rise of obesity and inactivity in our children.”

Dr. Johnson questions the effectiveness of popular fad diets, which he says fail when people go back to eating “normal food” and gain back the weight they lost and continue to gain. The dieters, he says, don’t learn through these diets how to make wise food choices.

So what can employers do to help build a stronger, leaner workforce? We talked with United Healthcare, one of the largest insurance providers in the United States. They said that an increasing number of companies are providing wellness programs to help educate their employees while offering the employees positive incentives to create a healthy workplace. One such program is called Vital Measures, and the incentive is simple: If you don’t smoke, maintain healthy cholesterol levels, keep your blood pressure down, and maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI) level that is proportional to your height and weight, you receive a credit on your deductible for each criterion met.

So where do we go from here? “Exercise, proper diet, nutrition, and behavioral education are the key to a person’s success with weight loss,” Dr. Johnson says. “Employers and employees need weight loss programs to mobilize their workforce and help them succeed in their efforts. Most insurance companies require a five-year weight history before bariatric [weight loss] surgery is approved. Because of this, we have added a medically supervised weight loss program for the people who do not qualify for weight loss surgery but still need to lose twenty to fifty pounds to get into that healthy weight range.”

To tip the scale in the right direction, America seriously needs to get moving, eat less, and eat more nutritious meals in order to trim the fat from its waistline. Don’t be a target—set a goal and get to your target weight instead.

To calculate your BMI, go to azwls.com.

By Diana Bocco

Let’s face it: Even with the best intentions, it would be difficult to lose weight if you’re surrounded by temptations every time you open a cupboard or check your fridge. So, get your healthy shopping list ready and stock up on water and lots of veggies, but also make sure you follow these tips to turn your kitchen into a skinny ally.

Stay out of the kitchen

The best way to do a successful kitchen makeover is to change the way you use it. “The kitchen should be for cooking and eating; not talking on the phone, doing work, or arguing,” says Dr. Erik Plasker, author of the book The 100 Year Lifestyle. If you spend less time in the kitchen, you’re less likely to want to look in the fridge/pantry for something to snack on while you’re doing other things or are bored.

Paint your kitchen blue

Or eat off blue plates. Research suggests that blues and purples may be appetite suppressants because they are the natural colors of molds and poisonous berries. According to registered dietitian Kristin Reisinger, this is because those colors don’t appear naturally in most foods and therefore decrease the appetite and desire to eat more.

Rearrange your fridge

Position all healthy items like fruits and protein in the front of the shelves and place all unhealthy items in the back. “Many of us like to open the refrigerator even when we’re not hungry, and we end up grabbing an unhealthy snack,” says Marta Montenegro, an exercise physiology professor at Florida International University. “If you have the habit of opening the fridge, at least you will grab a piece of fruit instead.”

Clean up your cupboards

Trash all junk food, such as sweets and fried snacks. Anything that you may have a tendency to binge on should be given away, thrown away, or at least hidden,” says Plasker. Stock your shelves with healthy, tasty food that you will want to eat when hungry but that won’t gnaw at you until you eat it. If you keep items like chocolate chips and other baking items around, be sure to keep them in hard-to-reach places. The more inconvenient it is to get at them, the more chances you will change your mind before reaching for them.

Take the TV out of the kitchen

“We know that when eating occurs in places other than at the table and when not solely focused on the eating process, we tend to eat more food,” says Dr. Craig Primack, one of the founders of the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. If our kids are asked to eat at the table and finish before going to watch their favorite show, they won’t sit eating an entire bag of chips before the show is over.

By Scott Sackett

KEY THOUGHTS ON PUTTING:

The goal in putting is quite simple: Get the ball in the hole. As with all areas of the game, developing a consistent putting stroke affords you the greatest opportunity to accomplish this task. However, putting is not a science but a physical action. Therefore, try to maintain an athletic disposition when putting. There are only two things you should be concerned with when putting: distance and direction. Many things—such as the slope of the green, grain of the grass, time of day, and weather conditions—can influence a putt, but once these factors have been considered, you must simply decide how far you want the ball to travel and along what line. Of the two, distance is more important than direction. Since the cup is almost three times as wide as the ball, there is room for error in direction. Even with long putts, if you are consistent with your distance, your ball will end up somewhere near the hole. Conversely, your direction is irrelevant if you consistently hit putts either too hard or too soft. Amateurs tend to hit their putts too soft.

Goal: Aim it/stroke it/get it in the hole.

Scotty Cameron, golf-putter designer for Titleist

GRIP FACE ON

GRIP SIDE VIEW

SET UP FACE ON

CHARACTERISTICS OF PUTTING:

- light grip pressure, around 3 or so on scale of 1–10
- square stance (feet parallel left to 12 o’clock)
- ball position forward in stance off left eye
- 50/50 weight equally balanced on both feet
- eyes over or slightly inside the ball’s target line
- hands hanging directly under shoulders
- head very steady
- putter in front of body center
- allowing the putter to swing on its natural arc
- hands quiet throughout the stroke
- backswing and follow-through approximately same length
- hit and hold position

By Diana Bocco

Weight loss doesn’t have to be a never-ending battle. In fact, the secret to effective (and lasting) weight loss is to make permanent changes you can live with, no matter how small.

1. There are no bad foods, only bad portions. Rather than depriving yourself of something you love and then overeating a couple of days (or hours) later, have a small bite of anything you love. “Since no foods are ‘bad foods,’ all foods can be enjoyed,” says registered dietitian Sandra Marin. “The secret is to keep high-calorie foods as items you consume once in a while, as opposed to daily food habits.”

1. Think thin to lose weight. Thin people tend to think that they will always be thin, while heavy people think that they will gain weight back after they lose it. They are setting themselves up for failure even before they start. Also, thin people tend to enjoy their food, while heavy people, oddly enough, often don’t enjoy their food because they feel guilty and believe that they should be on a diet.

1. Give up fruit juices. They contain an unusually high amount of sugar (even the natural or unsweetened kind), which wreaks havoc with your glucose, adds weight, and causes cravings. Instead, drink water, herbal teas, or diet products.

1. Spend time with like-minded people. By surrounding yourself with others who want to make healthy choices, you’ll begin making healthy choices as well. Can’t find anybody around who would join you? Visit a site like MyDietBuddy.com and find a virtual weight-loss buddy.

1. If you are short on time and looking for the most efficient and effective way to work out, try circuit training (going from one exercise to another without resting). This way, you get the “high” of aerobics with the “pump” of weight training in the same session.

1. Bring healthy snacks with you wherever you go. This will make it easier to avoid temptations, such as the vending machine at work. Nuts, crackers, and low-fat cheese, yogurt, or a piece of fruit are all good options.

1. Choose a breakfast that is high in fiber and a good source of protein. The mixture of protein and fiber helps us feel full for a longer period and prevents those unwanted blood-sugar spikes. Examples include high-fiber cereal topped with berries and low-fat milk or cheese toast with a piece of whole fruit.

1. Finally, forget quick fixes. There are no genies in bottles or single exotic-food diets. Registered dietitian Debi Silber says that any diet that promises a quick fix is a scam and that lasting weight loss takes time. “Any diet very low in calories will show an immediate weight loss,” Silber says. “However, the weight that is lost is mostly water, along with important lean body mass, which you don’t want to lose because that’s what increases your metabolism.”

By Scott Sackett

Photos by Colleen Miniuk-Sperry

Whether one drives the ball really long like Bubba Watson (AVG 311.3), long like Tiger Woods (AVG 298), or relatively short like Corey Pavin (260.7), a reliable driving game seems to be a common denominator of all great champions. You cannot underestimate the importance of a well-executed drive. A successful drive off the first tee sets a positive tone for the entire round, no matter what level player you are. Jack Nicklaus has even called it the most important shot of the day. Good driving puts you in an offensive position, whereas weak driving puts you in a defensive position.

In no way do I believe there is a separate driving swing, but I would like to share some important setup adjustments that are unique to the driver swing and can greatly aid your performance off the tee.

Properly setting up to the ball is a simple task but can mean the difference between an enjoyable and a miserable round of golf. If you follow the procedure, your ball position will be in the same place every time.

A) Grip pressure very relaxed (1–10), around 3 or 4

The reason you want to grip the club lightly is that it ultimately gives you more clubhead speed. As you know, speed is distance. Sam Snead often said that grip pressure at address should be done the same way as holding the neck of a bird and not trying to strangle it.

B) Hands farther from the body

The hands will naturally be slightly farther away from the body with a driver than with an iron. The reason this is important is that as your hands get farther from the ball, the swing arc will naturally be flatter.

C) Ball position off instep or big toe of left foot

By placing the ball forward in your stance, it allows you to hit the ball on an ascending blow. Keep in mind that the farther the ball is back in your stance, the more the swing will be a V-shape; conversely, with the ball forward, the swing will naturally be more of a U-shape. For driving, U is good, V is bad.

D) Square stance (feet parallel left at 12 o’clock)

The best visualization for alignment is railroad tracks. The ball sits on the target line, which acts as the outside track, and your body runs parallel left of that on the inside track.

E) Front foot out up to 45 degrees

The more the left shoe is open, the easier it is to rotate through impact. If you are swinging rotationally through impact, the swing will naturally be flatter.

F) Back foot 90 degrees to ball target line

If the right shoe is perpendicular to the target line, it allows the body to be more coiled, which restricts the lower body.

G) Assume a wider stance—feet more than shoulder width apart

The best drivers place their feet wider apart than shoulder width. Past professionals who were considered premier drivers and who played from a wide base include Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson. Today, Tiger Woods, Davis Love, and Ernie Els depend on the same setup key. The wide base encourages a shallower swing and an elongated “flat spot” through the hitting area, which is ideal for accurate driving.

H) Weight on back foot 60/40

When there is more weight on the back foot, it allows the swing shape to be flatter. Conversely, when you’re hitting a wedge, you sit 60 percent of the weight on the front foot. This makes a wedge swing more upright.

I) Hands slightly behind the ball

With this position, the grip will point approximately toward your belt buckle. This allows two great things to happen: The club will leave on a slight outside take-away, which makes the arc larger in the backswing, and it will promote a more ascending blow throughout the impact area. This is a position that you will see all great drivers use.

J) Soften the arms and keep the wrists flexible

Relaxation is a vital part of any good swing. The more you can learn to relax at address, the more successful you will be, not only with driving but also with all shots. Remember: Tension kills the golf swing.

K) Shoulders square at address

Because the ball is naturally farther forward in your stance, the shoulders will have a tendency to open. This is detrimental because if the shoulders are open to the stance line, you will naturally take the club back on a steeper plane, which will also cause you to swing on a steep out/in path through impact.

Key visuals on what the best drivers in the world are doing today:

Figure 1 This picture shows the ball slightly back, off the inside of the left heel. This is where most of us still play the ball.

Figure 2 This picture shows the ball more forward, along with the handle leaning slightly back. A good guideline is to get the grip pointing at the zipper. The key reason for this position is that it allows you to strike the ball on the way up—an ascending blow. This is what the latest technology is telling us about gaining more distance. If you keep the ball more forward in your stance, it will allow you to hit up on the ball at impact. By doing this, you are putting less backspin on the ball, which ultimately gets the ball to stay in the air longer, which in turn equates to more distance. It is that simple!

These next three pictures show you how to get into the new setup.

Figure 3 Old position, or where you currently are playing your driver.

Figure 4 Set the head of the driver in front of the ball.

Figure 5 Then set the club behind the new ball position. It is going to feel much more forward, but give it a try. I think you will like it!

Final Thoughts on Driving

It is very important to understand that there is not any difference between your driver swing and your iron swing. The only differences are the things that take place at address. What you need to understand is that the changes that take place at address make the driver swing more flat. By making proper setup changes with a driver, you are able to hit the ball on an ascending blow instead of a descending blow. Hitting a driver is the only shot in golf in which you have the opportunity to place the ball on a tee with a perfect lie every time. With that thought in mind, make sure you have a great routine for ball position, distance from the ball, posture, and alignment. Mastering these basic elements is the difference between hitting or missing fairways.

By Dr. Daniel Fung

Uneasy Glistening

I suffer from excessive sweating from my underarms and feet, which tends to be embarrassing in the hot weather. Can I get rid of this condition with Botox injections? And is this treatment permanent?

Sweating is an essential bodily function. Whether you’re working out at the gym or just outside on a hot day, you sweat to keep your body temperature from going beyond “safe temperature”—that is, one at which your vital organs will not overheat. It’s normal, too, for stress and even spicy foods to make you sweat a little. However, about three percent of adults sweat excessively in areas such as the face, under the arms, the palms of their hands, and the soles of their feet, without even moving a muscle. This condition is called hyperhidrosis.

The body’s estimated four million sweat glands, which are connected to nerves in the sympathetic nervous system, trigger the release of a chemical called acetylcholine. For some unknown reason, certain people overreact to the release of this chemical and sweat excessively from their face, hands, feet, and underarms.

Treatments can be simple and inexpensive, depending on the severity of hyperhidrosis. To control mild cases, consider over-the-counter antiperspirants that contain high concentrations of aluminum or the use of a prescription topical cream. Ask your dermatologist or pharmacist for a recommendation, particularly if you feel uncomfortable using antiperspirant that contains aluminum. These preparations are relatively affordable; however, they can irritate the skin and cause burning and rashes.

For more severe cases, injections of Botox in the hands, feet, underarms, or scalp block the action of acetylcholine to stop excess sweating after about one week, and the benefit of a single treatment lasts about seven months. Botox injections are considered safe and have few side effects, but check with a licensed and approved dermatologist or plastic surgeon before going this route.

As a last resort, you may consider a surgical procedure called endoscopic thoracic sumpathectomy, during which physicians cut the nerves that cause excessive sweating in other areas (such as on the face, scalp, back, and chest).

Don’t be embarrassed to ask your doctor about treatment options, as there is much you can do to alleviate excessive sweating.

Undrawing the Line

I have tried Botox before, but I recently heard of Botox combination therapy. What is it?

The expression combination therapy refers to the use of two or more treatments that work together to create an enhanced result that one or the other could not achieve on its own. Botox, for example, used in conjunction with dermal fillers, has become a popular method for achieving longer-lasting and more natural-looking results.

Many people are confused about the difference between Botox and fillers. Botox relaxes the muscles that cause dynamic lines like frown lines or crow’s feet. It stops repeated expressions from creating lines and stops current lines from deepening over time. Dermal fillers work by adding volume and fullness. Typical treatments add plumpness to lips, reduce hollowness in the cheeks, create improved facial contours, and fill deep lines or folds.

Combination therapy for injectables can work in two ways. First, different areas of the face can benefit from different injectables on the same visit. You may get Botox to prevent frown lines on the forehead and have dermal fillers around the mouth area to restore lost fullness to the lips and fill in fine lines. This combination will give you a better overall result than one or the other would give by itself.

Second, the same area can be treated with both Botox and fillers in two subsequent visits. Not only does this combination treatment provide amazing results but it also makes both products last longer if injected in the same area.

The best way to get personalized information is to have a free consultation with an experienced injector, preferably an approved plastic surgeon or dermatologist. Often, you can have a treatment done the same day. Should you choose to go ahead, book a follow-up appointment within a couple of weeks to ensure that you are getting the best and longest-lasting results possible.

By Sophi Lang

Something Good to Know about Tea
 
The origins of tea go back to ancient China. Holy Farmer, the medicine god in Chinese mythology, was said to have tasted a hundred kinds of herbs, eventually discovering an amazing plant that was later called tea. Originally, tea was used primarily as a medicine, but later it became a popular beverage.
Then, around the seventh century A.D., the status of tea was lifted from just a beverage to a symbol of artistic sensibility and a fine lifestyle. Drinking tea also became a popular hobby in the imperial court among high-ranking officials.

The Joy of Green Tea
 
From spring to early summer, educated tea lovers know they can enjoy freshly harvested green tea. Fresh green tea is believed to have many restorative properties such as fighting fatigue, minimizing PMS symptoms, and lifting the spirits. There has even been a recent study showing that green tea may play an amazing role in fighting cancer.
 
Tea is classified according to its degree of fermentation. The lazy way of doing this is to divide tea into different color groups. Instead of saying 35 percent, 60 percent, or 100 percent fermented, we say green tea, white tea, oolong tea, red tea, black tea, etc. Green tea is the only kind of tea that is not fermented at all.

To get the most out of green tea, it helps to know some secrets about how to make it. Here are a few easy rules:
 
1) Heat water to around 167 to 185 degrees.
2) Pour one-quarter cup of the hot water into your mug or pot, then put the leaves in. Let it sit for about 30 seconds, and then gently rotate the pot in your hand, as you would do with red wine. This is to wake up the leaves.
3) Add more water to fill the pot, wait three to four minutes, then use a filter to drain the tea into a cup. Let the tea leaves stay in the pot. You can reuse the leaves to make the next two to three pots of tea.
 
The proper utensils for making green tea are tea sets made of porcelain or glass. They have sealed surfaces, which is essential for keeping green tea at its purest quality.

You can also make a nice cold drink out of green tea:

The Spicy Geisha Cocktail

Ingredients:
1 tsp green tea leaves (the one I like best is called high mountain foggy)
3 fresh strawberries
1/3 tsp ginger powder or 2 tsp fresh ginger juice
1/3 cup berry juice
¼ cup champagne (to make it virgin, skip the champagne)
3 tsp honey
 
Make ½ cup of green tea and let it cool down. Put berries, ginger, cooled green tea, juice, honey, and champagne into a blender, add eight ice cubes, then blend into a liquid. Pour into a large cocktail glass and garnish with crushed rose petals.
 
It looks beautiful and tastes great, too!

By Scott Sackett
Photos by Colleen Miniuk-Sperry

In the last two issues of NVM, I have covered the importance of grip and posture. This issue, we are going to discuss the alignment in great detail. One thing that’s important to understand is that by mastering these three items, you now—and only now—have a chance to make a perfect swing.

Jack Nicklaus said it best: “The single most important maneuver in golf is the setup” (how you position yourself to the ball before you swing). “Set up correctly, and there’s a good chance you’ll hit a reasonable shot, even if you make a mediocre swing,” Nicklaus advised. “Set up poorly, and you’ll hit a lousy shot, even if you make the greatest swing in the world.”

You have probably heard some element of the phrase “Most golf shots are missed before the golf club even moves.” You can have the best swing in the world, but if your alignment has you aiming into the foliage right of the fairway, then you have little chance for success. Alignment is one of the most important fundamental elements of any golf swing, yet it is often one of the last things people consider when trying to identify ailments of their game. Proper alignment is crucial to a successful golf swing and, with the proper dedication, it is one area of the game that you can do just as well as any tour player.

Lining up to the right is the most common alignment error, and it happens because the average golfer thinks that the body should line up to the target (fig. 1). The other error is to line up to the left of the target (fig. 2). The best shots begin with a square setup, in which the body is parallel to the target line (fig. 3).

Think of imaginary lines drawn across your feet, knees, hips, shoulders, forearms, and eyes and set them parallel to the target line. One of the most frequently used images in the game is a set of railroad tracks. The body stands on the inside rail; the ball is on the outside rail. The ball should be on the rail pointing to the target; your body, because it’s to the side of the ball, must be aimed just slightly to the side of the target (fig. 4).

Result of Good Alignment

Good alignment promotes a consistent, on-plane swing. Poor alignment leads to compensations. Aim to the right, and you have to do one of the following to hit the ball online: swing over the top, or swing along the body line (in to out), rolling the hands over to shut the face through impact. The latter action—a better player’s move—produces hook spin to bring the ball back into play.

Aiming left of the target—a common slicer’s reaction—also leads to two mistakes: swinging out to in, holding the clubface open through impact to impart the slice spin necessary to keep the ball in play; or rerouting the club on an inside-out path. Neither of these is a very efficient way to play, because the more the club veers from its original path, the more clubhead speed (and power) is lost.

So, the next time you are on the range before a round and you hit your first ball left and then the next one right…STOP. Lay two clubs on the ground (fig3). Get your alignment perfect, and from there, you will have to make a good swing if the ball is going to end up at the target. It is that simple—really!

By Dr. Wilson Kwong
I have a sore in my mouth. How can I be sure whether it is a canker sore or oral cancer?

In addition to checking for cavities and gum disease, dentists look for signs of oral cancers when we do an examination during a checkup. We look at the most common areas where oral cancer is found: under the tongue and on the floor of the mouth, on and around the sides of the tongue, in the back of the throat, on the sides of the cheeks, on the roof of the mouth, and around the lips. Sometimes an X-ray will reveal cancer in the bones of the upper or lower jaw or in the spaces in the sinuses. Dentists will also examine the neck for unusual swellings or hardening of the lymph nodes, which may indicate cancer in the throat. One of my patients noticed an unusual change in his voice and later found that he had a tumor on his larynx. Fortunately, it was operable and he continues to sing in his band today.

Oral cancers look like red sores or white patches. They are often painful and irregularly shaped, and bleed easily. Unlike canker sores or cold sores, they do not improve or disappear over time. Teeth around the area may be loose or uncomfortable to chew on. Patients may also notice a lump or thickening in the mouth or throat.

A biopsy is the only certain way to determine if tissue is cancerous. Biopsies can be performed by your dentist or an oral medicine or surgical specialist. The tissue sample is then sent for a histological test at a lab to determine if it is a cancer. Different levels of severity, from benign to malignant, will be assessed and treatment will be recommended. Complete removal of the cancerous tissue is recommended to prevent spread, or metastasis. Treatment may also involve radiation and chemotherapy if it is suspected that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Unfortunately, if the cancer is advanced, radical surgery to remove large areas is often required in order to save a patient’s life. This type of surgery can be disfiguring and debilitating to the patient, who will often have difficulty with chewing and swallowing, and may require speech rehabilitation. As with all forms of cancer, early detection is crucial.

There is no absolute prevention of oral cancers. There are ways to reduce your risk, however, such as minimizing drinking, refraining from smoking or chewing tobacco, and eating healthy foods. The combination of alcohol and tobacco is particularly risky, as alcohol thins out or strips away the lining of the oral tissue, which then allows the carcinogens in tobacco to damage the cells. Limiting sun exposure and using a lip balm containing sunscreen will help to prevent cancer on the lips. Infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV) has been linked to several types of cancer, including oral, so practicing safe sex can also help to reduce your risk.

Going to the dentist is an important part of your total wellness and should be done on a regular basis. Ask your dentist to evaluate your overall oral health with a thorough cancer screen.

Keep smiling—sometimes a sore is just a sore!

By Scott Sackett
Photos by Colleen Miniuk-Sperry

In the last issue of NVM, I talked about Step One of a great setup: The Grip. This article is going to cover Step Two of a great setup: Posture. The body angles that you create at address determine what you can and cannot do in the golf swing. When you maintain a consistent posture, the likelihood of creating a repetitive swing is magnified. If you want to improve your current ball striking, you must understand the importance of how the body moves through the golf swing.

Fig. 1: Address:

Fig. 2: Address: 

The most difficult thing about the golf swing is the up-and-down movement of the arms and the rotation of the body. These two movements control the overall path and the angle of attack. Their coordination produces solid contact and powerful shots. The first key to combining these movements effectively is posture, because how you stand directly affects the size and shape of the motions. Check the posture of tour players, and you’ll see that these angles are almost universal. They include a spine angle (forward bend from the hips) of approximately 30 to 40 degrees from vertical and a side tilt away from the target of two to ten degrees, with the left shoulder slightly higher than the right and the head behind the ball.

Take your grip; stand straight up with your feet together. Fig. 3

Spread your feet shoulder width apart, with knees locked. Fig. 4

Stick your rear end out with your knees still locked. This position allows you to bend from the hips rather than from the waist. Fig 5

Ground the club while keeping your knees locked.

After the club is grounded properly, bend your knees slightly. This places the spine at the proper angle. Fig. 6

Your head should be behind the ball. This raises your left shoulder slightly higher than your right and should give you a small amount of side tilt away from the target. (see Fig. 1)

Your weight should be balanced over the balls of your feet, partly favoring the heel. Never are you on your toes during a golf swing.

Side Tilt

At address, the spine must be tilted slightly away from the target. (See Fig. 1) This is the number-one fundamental that I see golfers overlook, because many amateurs think the head starts directly over the ball in a full swing. This is a vital element of great ball striking.

Preset the hips an inch or two toward the target and position the sternum slightly away from the target to create the proper side tilt. Once you tilt, it is important for your body to be balanced at address. With effective side tilt, we are now prepared to use our body to its greatest extent. It allows us to load on the right post in the backswing and return to impact with our head behind the ball. This is one universal fundamental of all tour players—Claude Harmon said it best: “It’s pretty hard to get behind something that you never got behind in the first place.” Achieving side tilt at address allows us to hit the ball with power and accuracy.

Remember: If you’re going to implement power into the action, your head must be behind the ball at the point of contact.

Your posture should remain constant, regardless of the club you’re hitting. If the club is shorter, the overall shaft plane will be steeper; conversely, if the club is longer, the overall shaft plane will be flatter.

Results of Good Posture

Good posture promotes a level backswing. If your stance is overly upright, for instance, you will grow taller in the backswing, thus restricting your shoulder turn and reducing power. Stand too hunched, and the swing becomes very steep. By staying level throughout the swing, you can swing the clubhead at maximum speed at a 90-degree angle to your forward spine tilt. Fig. 7

The proper side tilt also helps you turn behind the ball, which allows you to load up on your right post for a powerful coil. All good golf swings operate around two axis points: the right leg and the left leg. If your posture is poor, you’re more likely to rotate around only a single axis point, which makes it next to impossible to deliver the club with any balance and force behind it. As stated earlier, all good players set up with the head behind the ball—a result of the spine tilting away from the target—and keep it behind the ball through impact. It does not return in front of the ball or over the top of the ball. This is why side tilt is necessary. Make sure the entire spine tilts as a unit; don’t simply move your head behind the ball.

Now that you have a better understanding of posture, start observing Tiger Woods, and you will see why he is the best ball striker in the world today.