By T.J. Tomasi
Universal Press Syndicate

According to Wikipedia, good posture is "the stance which is attained when the joints are not bent and the spine is aligned and not twisted. In this position, a person is able to completely and optimally attain balance and proportion of the body mass and framework."

In golf, good posture is created by bending forward from the hip sockets and back from the knees. Most amateurs make the mistake of forcing the knees forward over the balls of their feet. This leaves the upper body too erect and blocks the arms from swinging correctly; it also makes it difficult to turn the hips and ruins in-swing balance.

Weight distribution also affects balance. Your weight should be distributed from the balls of your feet to your heels for maximum balance. The top of the spine, the tips of the elbows, knees and balls of the feet should all be in alignment, with your knees bowed out over your ankles to help create torque.

The spine is your upper-body pivot point, the axis around which your upper body turns. The correct posture also arranges the clubshaft and spine at 90 degrees to each other. This is an important angle because an object swings fastest when it's perpendicular to its axis.

If your spine is too vertical, centrifugal force would pull the clubhead out toward the target line, causing an out-to-in swing path. Also check your lower leg to make sure that it's straight up and down from sky to ground; if it's slanted at more than a 10 percent angle, your knees are too flexed.

The only adjustment I'd make to our model golfer's posture is more knee flex so that his knees are directly over his shoelaces. But here is something worth noting: The model, pro John Bierkan, is a very good player, and talented athletes can make things work that others cannot ― which is why it is dangerous to slavishly copy the pros.