Golf Weight Shift
by Louis
Here's a comment I recently received from a subscriber. Thanks for the golf weight shift drill you mentioned in this months news letter. I believe my fault lies in tipping over the ball, especially when playing competitions and the pressure is on. It's like a baseball hangover where I was a contact not a power hitter. This drill makes sense to me, thanks! Thanks for your submission John. For the benefit of our readers here is the drill you are referring to. Many golfers do not have a good understanding of their golf weight shift and how it should actually feel. Here is great exercise that will improve your weight shift during the swing, and it is not a very easy one but with a little practice you will be doing a perfect weight shift. Practice lifting your left foot off the ground on the back swing dragging the left knee towards your right knee and then planting the left foot back down (on the same spot it was at address) on the down swing. It may seem strange to do at first, but after a few repetitions you will get the hang of it. You can go one step further and hit some shots using the drill. Tee the ball up to make it a little easier for you. The reason for this exercise is to build a feeling of proper weight shift between the feet during the swing. When you hit balls without lifting the left foot still try to feel the weight shift. This time it will feel a lot less pronounced than the exercise, and you will be more centered over the ball while shifting the weight through the hip pivot. What all golfers need to understand is, when we get older we tend to stop using the legs and pivoting the hips. I am talking over the age of 50 here. This promotes a swing with the arms only leading to loss of distance and direction.(and deep divots). Make sure you pivot and not slide the hips from side to side. On your actual swing it is fine to lift the left foot slightly to get a proper pivot (if you are an older golfer) as long as it comes down again on the same spot it started at address. One more thing, be sure not to let the spine lift with the foot, try to keep it at the same angle you created at address. When done correctly you will have the sensation of your upper body winding up behind the ball. This places your upper body in a better position to swing the club head back to the ball on an inside path generating much more power into your shot. Have any comments on this article? lets hear them. |
