Instruction trends come and go. In the 90s, a big one swept onto the scene. The idea that golfers should keep their trail knee—or right knee for right-handed golfers—bent on the backswing. In the ...

Head position in the golf swing varies by shot and affects contact quality. 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus once claimed head position is "the most important thing" to hit better golf shots.

Most golf instructors focus on improving a player's backswing because a lot of flaws in the downswing occur as a result of starting from a bad position at the top, says David Leadbetter, one of Golf ...