Balance in The Golf Shot
Today, we’re going to look at one of the keys to a solid golf swing, proper balance. I go to the driving range quite a bit and I see people that swing and both pre-swing and post-swing, many people are way off balance.
First off, there is the pre-shot balance. Some people say you should be slightly on your toes, some say slightly on your heels, some say on the balls. What I like to say, is that before you swing the club, you should be in a natural position, knees slightly bent, hands hanging freely, and you should be able to hold that position for 5 minutes. Try it, setup as you would to hit a ball in your normal pre-shot setup. Hold it for minutes without moving. If after 5 minutes you have some soreness or pain in your back, thighs, or calf, you are compensating too much.
During the shot, your momentum of the backswing should shift your weight to your back foot in such a way that you could stand on your back foot completely without falling down. As you swing through the ball your weight should shift through to your front foot such that if you lift your back foot toe off the ground you can support your weight on the front foot.
As with the setup, I like to say that you should be able to stay in your follow-through position for 5 minutes without experiencing any significant pain or soreness. Now, unlike your setup, your follow-through is a stretched position in that your body is coiled up, so obviously staying in that position for 5 minutes will give some soreness and discomfort, but the key is to not have significant or excessive pain. The follow-through should again feel natural.
The following video is a good explanation of balance and achieving balance in your golf swing. For a look at a PGA tour pro that has excellent balance, take a look at Ernie Els and his balance from setup through his follow-through.
balance in golf shot, golf tips
October 5th, 2007 at 3:55 am
Golf is assuredly a mystifying game. Even the best golfers cannot step onto the first tee with any assurance as to what they are going to do.In playing a
Golf Shot always helps if the player can shut out form mind all worry over the result of the effort, at least while it is in the act of playing the shot.
October 5th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
[...] stretch after a session of hitting balls at the range. In terms of posture, this is in relation to the balance post I wrote earlier in the week. Your posture as you setup to the ball should be one that you can [...]
December 4th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
[...] is a good clip from the familiar Steve Bishop on staying behind the [...]