Bob
 

What do you see(or know) as the major culprit for people that have a BACKSWING BOB(SPINE ANGLE GETTING MORE VERTICAL)? Bad back, tight hamstrings, visual, other?

what do you mean? when people "stand up" on the backswing you mean?

If that is what you mean, then it's just pivoting incorrectly.

Taller
 

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Yes... when they get taller on the backswing. If you circle the guy's head, and at the TOP he is above the circle some. I realize that some joint is straightening to cause this in people, and may be different for different people(hip, knee, spine,etc.).

Some people seem to have a hard time with this, even after they know they are doing it.

Bobbing is a swing flaw that I fight. For me, it's from 1) overswinging and bringing me out of my posture 2) taking the clubhead too far underplane on the backswing, needing a quick upward shift, pulling me out of my posture. Using extensor action and tracing the plane line on the backswing have help me. That and not getting too quick.

Lack of flexibility a fair amount of the time.

Most folks aren't flexible enough to take a club back to 'top', let alone to 'end', without disrupting alginments.

Show them proper extensor action and they'll see their flexibility limit fairly quickly.

Left shoulder 'under' the chin is a helpful visiual for folks that tend to do this IMO, as is letting the left foot come up on the backswing ala Jack.

Sounds like some kind of preparative move to HACK down at the ball.

Bob and Weave
 

Recently saw my swing on video with the V1 software and I bob and weave so much you could call me Sugar Ray!:p

I'm getting a handle on the weave but still fighting the bob during takeaway. I'm underplane for sure, maybe that's part of it.

CW

Powerless over my compensations
 

My name is ChrisNZ and I am a bobber...

I really struggle with this affliction as video has proven to me. You learn to compensate a bit, but hitting fairway woods off hard ground isn't fun (my home course is dry linksland). Plus it is incredibly ugly and makes you feel like a real hack!

I'm trying to diagnose the cause of this in myself, and feel I may be pinning it down to a loss of tension in my left thigh if that makes sense. If I feel like I maintain some tension in my left thigh throughout the swing (particularly the backswing) it seems to help.

Any thoughts on this?

By the way, I was practicing today in my lunch hour, hitting pretty nice pitches in a little field. A cyclist rode past and just after I'd hit a nice pitch said "Keep your head down" - I don't know if he was jokingly being friendly or was serious, but I wanted to run after him and attack him with my pitching wedge. So that's how dangerous the snares can be.

It would be interesting to know where exactly it is during the back swing that the bobbing occurs. Start-up, back swing, top, end? Personally, I hold the record for swaying and bobbing, and I don't like it when someone else is encroaching on my record, so, it's important to get you fixed as soon as possible. I've asked my wife to watch me swing and to tell me when I start to bob, and so far I have address and finish pretty well under control. :)

7-16 "Actually, the primary function of knee action-as with waist bend-is to maintain a motionless head during the stroke".

Bobs
 

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It looks to me that MOST Bobs(backswing bobs) occur fairly late, as the player nears the TOP.

Now... what I'm interested in is WHERE(in the body) it is originating from, and WHY is it happening?

>Is it from a physical restriction, so the player sub-consciously raises the torso some in order to complete his Turn more easily?

>Is it from a reaction related to the golfer's attempt to elevate his arms?

>Is it a VISUAL thing?

WHERE> Is the BOB originating from the PELVIS area, the CERVICAL spine(neck), THORACIC(mid-back),or LUMBAR(low back), or other?

Lagster,

To help with your research please consider the following.

On good days, I don't bob or sway. On bad days, I do both. Arms, hands, clubshaft, upper torso staying connected during takeaway and backswing = no bob. Arms takeaway = bob, but not always. I've had some very good days using right forearm takeaway and I prefer it. However, my body is much more stable with a connected takeaway.

Another frustrated bobber
 

Having been trying to learn the golfing machine i've realised bobbing is something i've always struggled with.

My head rises towards the top of the backswing and perhaps more worringly doesn't move down again on the downswing. I've tried to stop many times and failed. Having seen it listed on the TMG basic essentials i thought it was worth another shot at trying to cure.

Unfortunately it is easier said than done. I can concentrate on keeping the head level and can do so, but i can still feel the pressure wanting my head to rise. Consequently everytime i don't think about it i go back to bobbing.

For me i think the bobbing is caused by tension in the left shoulder created by the lifting of the arms in the backswing. I've tried experimenting with a shoulder turn takeaway, using the body to propel the arms to the top. I think this has help slightly but not as much as i'd like.