The Definition A Chest Sway occurs when your upper center of mass (the torso and head) drifts laterally away from the target during the backswing.

This lateral drift pulls your head completely off the golf ball. To make contact from this position, you must lunge forward aggressively in the downswing. This makes it incredibly difficult to control the bottom of your swing arc (resulting in fat shots) or to square the clubface (resulting in severe blocks and hooks).

The Amateur: The Upper Body Drift

Watch the video below to see what a Chest Sway looks like in a position-by-position 3D breakdown.

The Data Check: Notice the numbers tracking the center of the chest. By the time this amateur reaches the top of the backswing (P4), their chest has swayed -5.7" away from the target.

They have physically moved their upper body almost 6 inches to the right. To make solid contact, their brain now has less than a quarter of a second to figure out how to slide that massive amount of weight exactly 6 inches back to the left. It is a timing maneuver that is bound to fail under pressure.

Stop Guessing. Start Measuring.

Do you have a Chest Sway? A "feeling" of a big shoulder turn is often just an illusion created by your upper body sliding off the ball.

Upload your swing video for a Digital Analysis. We will use 3D motion tracking to measure your exact chest displacement to tell you definitively if you are rotating around a centered axis or drifting out of position. [Button: Start My Swing Analysis]

The Professional: The Centered Turn

For comparison, watch how a Tour Professional turns their upper body to the top of the swing.

The Data Check: At the top of the backswing (P4), this professional’s chest is actually positioned at +0.1". It has barely moved, and if anything, it has centered slightly toward the target.

Look at the Professional Acceptable Range:

• Chest Lateral Movement (Top of Swing): -1.2" to +1.0"

Pros rotate; they do not drift. Their chest turns over a stable center, keeping their head perfectly steady. Because their upper swing center never leaves the golf ball, they don't need a complicated lateral lunge to hit the ground in the right spot.

The Body-Swing Connection

A chest sway is rarely just a "bad habit"—it is heavily tied to physical limitations in your upper body. There are 13 physical limitations that can impact your golf swing.

If your body is unable to move in certain ways, your swing will naturally compensate. The physical limitations that directly force a golfer to sway their chest include:

• Limited thoracic spine (upper back) rotation

• Limited cervical (neck) rotation (if your neck is tight, your head and chest must move together)

• Weak core stability and separation (inability to disassociate the shoulders from the hips)

A simple screening process can identify these limitations and provide a straightforward exercise routine to unlock your swing.

Find out more about mobility in the golf swing: [Insert Link]