I love the line in Top Gun when Mav answers the incredulous ‘Charlie’ how, if he was above the MiG, could he see it? With forearms crossed in an X, he answered, “Because… we were inverted.” No one believed him. We heard, “Bull-+=t!” from Iceman. Apparently, Mav and Goose were not supposed to be able to pull off an Inverted, negative 4-g dive with a MiG-22. Not withstanding Hollywood effects, an inverted position must have been a daring move, at the least.

Inverted means upside-down, inside-out, or backward – no matter which way you spin it. It is a position that makes repeatability a very dicey proposition, whether in a jet or in a golf swing. It’s bad for your long-term health. But, it’s easier to understand the peril involved in taking a jet for a joy ride than your golf swing. But, let me explain the relative danger in the latter.

I coined the term, “Inversion” to describe the position of the torso in the damaging backswing. I used it in my 2010 manuscript for what would become The Open Stance and Three Short Game Lessons. And, judging by the absence of its use anywhere else, I am left to believe I am the only teacher thinking about the golf swing in original terms. However, I may be an idiot for worrying so much about so little. Nonetheless, if you have an inversion in your golf swing, your spine tilts toward the target at the top.

Creating power is difficult from an inverted position. Your brain employs the correct muscles to support your spine. However, those muscles are the wrong muscles to create power in your golf swing. Thus, you are putting your body in ‘recovery’ mode instead of ‘hammer’ mode as your downswing begins.

There are a number of sufficient indicators that help isolate this problem. A hip slide away from the target is a common culprit. A straightened trailing leg is also common. But, usually, we find it most common in golfers who want to stay connected and keep their head still, but do not, or cannot, turn their hips into their backswing.

A flattened swing plane created by an Open Stance disallows an inversion. Setting up open and maintaining an inversion would doubly-steepen impact, which is an unmistakable error. The need to shallow impact with an Open Stance dictates a flattening process. A neutral or positively-wound torso position at the top is the only way to flatten your swing with an understandable amount of arm run and connection.

Best Wishes for Your Best Golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy