Standing up in the Golf Swing – Why it Happens, What Causes it, and How to Cure it

If you’ve ever hit a thin shot and someone told you to “keep your head down,” they were only seeing the symptom, not the cause.

Most golfers stand up because they lose their posture, not because their head happens to lift.

Standing up changes your strike, your club path, and your consistency, but it’s also one of the easiest faults to fix once you understand why it happens.

Below, we’ll break down the real causes and give you simple steps and drills (including HackMotion feedback) to stay in posture and stop standing up for good.

Standing Up in the Golf Swing (Key Takeaways)

Many golfers stand up in their swing, but few know why or how to stop it. Here are the key takeaways to understand if you want to stop standing up in your golf swing today.

• Standing causes multiple problems in various aspects of your game.
• You risk injury when you stand during a swing due to the high speeds involved.
• Standing is caused by either a physical, technical, or mental error.
• Use 4 simple steps to eliminate standing up and take your game to the next level.
• Utilize specific drills to address the issue and avoid it once and for all.

What Happens When You Stand Up?

When you stand up in the golf swing, you lose the posture you established at address.

That small change affects everything that happens next, including your low point, your ability to rotate, and the direction the club is traveling at impact.

The result is inconsistent contact and ball flight, even if the rest of your swing feels solid.

Ball Flight Problems

Standing up slightly often causes pulls or slices as the club crosses your target line at impact. If you stand up abruptly, you could hit your shots thin or top them or even miss the ball altogether.

Consistency Problems

Standing up at any point throughout the swing makes it much more difficult for your body to return the club to the ball.

If you stand up during your backswing, your body will have to make last-second adjustments on the downswing, which will never produce a consistent shot.

Varying Attack Angles and Club Paths

Since golfers who stand up never stand up the same amount every time, your club will always be traveling on a different plane and attack angle.

This affects your ball striking and your overall confidence when choosing a club.

Injury Risk

Standing up is not a natural move; it’s a reaction to something wrong in your swing or setup.

Forcing your body to adjust for this movement during a swing increases your chances of injury to your muscles, knees, and especially your back.

Affects the Overall Game

For golfers who are actively trying to improve and lower their handicap, there may not be a telltale sign that you’re standing up.

But if you notice your scores creeping up, your greens in regulation going down, your fairways in regulation going down, and you’re having trouble controlling trajectory – especially low, stinger-style shots – there is a good chance you are subtly standing up in your swing.

How to Know If You Stand Up in Your Swing

Most golfers don’t realize they’re standing up until they see it on video or get feedback from HackMotion.

Here are the clearest signs you’re losing posture during the swing:

• Your head rises on video; even a small lift signals posture loss.
• Thin, topped, or inconsistent strikes show your low point is moving upward.
• You struggle to hit low, flighted shots, especially stingers or knockdowns.
• Your hands move farther from your body at impact, a classic reaction to standing up.
• HackMotion shows abrupt changes in wrist extension or flexion instead of a stable pattern through impact.
• You feel “stuck” or cramped as the club approaches the ball, causing a last-second bailout into a higher posture.

Why Do I Stand Up in My Golf Swing?

Standing up in the golf swing usually comes from a breakdown somewhere in your setup, movement, or body mechanics.

When one part of the motion gets out of position, your body reacts by lifting out of posture. Below are the specific physical, technical, and mental reasons this happens.

Physical Causes

• Weak glutes or core make it hard to maintain posture, leading to early extension.
• Limited hip or ankle mobility restricts rotation, forcing the body to stand up to compensate.
• Tight hamstrings or lower back issues prevent you from holding a stable spine angle.
• Poor balance or limited pelvic control makes the body adjust by straightening during the swing.

Technical Causes

• Poor setup posture or standing too upright promotes loss of spine angle.
• “Over the top” moves force the body to lift to create space.
• Early hand release (casting) shifts weight incorrectly and pulls the upper body upward.
• Poor sequencing, starting the downswing with the upper body, encourages early extension.

Mental Causes

• Fear of hitting the ground or making poor contact causes golfers to “help” the ball into the air.
• Pressure, tension, or overthinking mechanics disrupts rotation and leads to an early lift.
• Lack of confidence creates hesitation, and the body reacts by changing posture mid-swing.
• Distraction or uncertainty about the shot can cause posture loss as a protective response.

Symptom	On-Course Effect
Raised posture	Thin/top shots
Loss of spine angle	Inconsistent ball striking
Hands far from the body	Pushes, hooks, or blocks

Steps to Fix Standing Up in the Golf Swing

Follow these steps to maintain your spine angle, keep your head still, and avoid standing up in your golf swing.

1. Set Up Phone/Camera Behind the Target Line

Doing this will let you see firsthand when you stand up. Use a point of reference on the horizon and mark it to the top of your head. As soon as your head deviates from that spot, you’ll know when you stand up.

2. Adjust Posture and Setup Position

You may need to adjust your setup by standing a bit taller or moving further from the ball. This will depend on when and why you stand up, which can be determined by video evidence and from the table above.

3. Take Slow-Motion Swing and Pause at Impact

Once you’ve diagnosed the issue, take practice swings to implement the adjustments.

It’s important to focus on the point of impact, since that is the fastest area of the swing and the most crucial in determining the shot’s success.

4. Use Training Aids

You can use an apparatus or have a friend hold their club above your head. A camera works well (see step 1), or you can use HackMotion. The sensors and app work together to monitor your movements and will alert you when your posture is not in sync.

You can track shots, and the app will even make personalized drill suggestions based on your results.

Drills to Avoid Standing Up in the Golf Swing

You can’t just tell yourself, “Don’t stand up.” Unfortunately, golf and your body don’t work like that.

The key to change is to use these specific drills that focus your mind and body on other aspects of your swing, indirectly forcing you to stay in the shot and preventing you from standing.

Wrench Drill

Standing up will affect your point of impact. So, use this drill to train your body to recognize the perfect impact position and how to get there.

If you give your body and mind a clear picture of where you want to be, then your subconscious will be a great help in delivering your club exactly where it should be.

• Video Timestamp: 0:29 – 1:58

Alignment Stick for the Lead Wrist Drill

Maintaining a neutral lead wrist will help prevent standing because it will eliminate “flipping” through impact.

Use this drill with HackMotion to monitor your wrist movement so your body stays in the shot and doesn’t stand up at any point.

• Video Timestamp: 4:19 – 6:30

Drive Follow-Through Drill

For those who stand up in their golf swing, the driver is usually the toughest club to hit.

As the longest club in the bag, it has a small margin for error, so if you can successfully implement this drill and hit drives with consistency, you can do so with any club in the bag.

• Video Timestamp: 6:58 – 10:34

Final Thoughts

Standing up in the swing is a common issue, but fixing it is a major step toward more consistent ball striking.

When you stay in posture, your contact improves, your path stabilizes, and even your half-swings and pitch shots become more reliable.

Use the steps and drills above to retrain your movement, and rely on HackMotion for feedback as you practice. Seeing your wrist and posture patterns in real time helps the change actually stick.