Maintain Spine Angle Drill: How I Stole Lee Trevino’s Swing

I Recently Asked Myself This Question. If I Could Steal The Swing From Anyone Living Or Dead, Whose Swing Would I Nab? After A Bit Of Pondering, I Opted For Lee Trevino’s Swing. So, Lee, If You’re Reading This And You’re Swinging Like Me, I’m Sorry, But I’m Not Giving Your Swing Back. I’m Liking It Far Too Much. It’s Quirky. It’s Reliable. It’s On The Money. No More Fat Shots. No More Thin Shots. And My Playing Partners Are All Commenting On How Well I Maintain My Spine Angle.

I added the Maintain Spine Angle Trevino Drill to the Golf Practice Planner today because I’m a Lee Trevino fan.

I mean, come on. Who isn’t a fan of his?

The man is a legend. He was widely regarded by his fellow pros as the best striker of all time.

As I mentioned before, I wondered what it would be like to steal Lee Trevino’s swing. After doing some YouTube research, I discovered that one of Trevino’s secrets to success was his ability to maintain spine angle throughout the golf swing.

By the end of this drill, you’ll have sprinkled your swing with a bit of Trevino magic, and will maintain your spine angle like a pro! You too will have stolen his swing. 

Why is it so important to maintain your spine angle throughout the swing? There are three really good reasons. Firstly, it will eliminate topped shots. Secondly, it will eliminate thinned shots. And thirdly, your ball-striking will dramatically improve, which isn’t surprising because Trevino was considered the best ball-striker that ever lived.

If you practice this drill you may not become the best ball-striker the world has ever known, but you’ll definitely start enjoying the game more.

So, to recap…

If you raise your spine up in the backswing or downswing, it will put you in a lot of trouble on the downswing, resulting in fat and thin shots.

If you’re fed up with hitting those embarrassing fat and thin shots, this drill is for you.

To get you into the mindset that you have actually stolen Lee’s swing, I highly recommend you read some of his quotes out aloud.

“Pressure is when you play for five dollars a hole with only two in your pocket.”  – Lee Trevino

 

“You can talk to a fade but a hook won’t listen.” – Lee Trevino

 

“You can make a lot of money in this game. Just ask my ex-wives. Both of them are so rich that neither of their husbands work.” – Lee Trevino

 

“I still sweat. My guts are still grinding out there. Sometimes I have enough cotton in my mouth to knit a sweater.” – Lee Trevino

Name
Maintain Spine Angle Trevino Drill

Category
Long Game Practice Drills

Difficulty
2 out of 10

Time
10 minutes

Props
Alignment stick. Golf Practice Planner.

Steps

Step 1: Watch
Watch the video.

Step 2: Maintain Spine Angle
Take your address position holding onto the club with only your right hand. Hold the alignment stick across your back with your left hand. Swing back and through keeping the spine angle constant.

If you feel the alignment rod moving up, you have immediate feedback letting you know that you need to try harder to maintain the angle of your spine. The spine angle should be maintained on the backswing, at impact, and at the finish of the swing.

Be very aware not to allow the right shoulder to “ride high” (pull up away from the ball) at impact or the follow-through. This “riding high” position is probably the most common fault amongst amateurs.

The swing sequence below shows Lee Trevino demonstrating a perfect example of how to maintain your spine angle throughout the entire swing

Step 3: Keep Score
Do 10 swings without hitting a ball (following step 2).

Give yourself one point each time you maintain your spine angle correctly.

Then hit 10 balls, making sure your right shoulder is underneath the chin when you complete the swing (if you do that with your chin it means you didn’t “ride high” with your right shoulder in the through-swing).