Drew's Tip of the Month: "A Balancing Act"
One of the most important aspects to good golf is to remain in balance while you swing. Good golfers look effortlessly balanced when they swing to their finish, including two-time Masters Champion Scotty Scheffler whose left heel remains intact with the ground from start down to finish, the right foot, however, is free to move around.
Balance isn’t talked about as much as other parts of the swing because it is something that is learned and can’t really be taught. When a parent is teaching a child to ride a bike, despite their best efforts, only the child can discover their balance from within.
Balance is so important because your sub-conscious brain and central nervous system are preprogrammed for self-preservation (top priority) and to keep you from hurting yourself. It is instinctual and takes priority over all conscious thought. The task at hand then is to make sure that your balance is never in danger. If your balance is in question, the muscles that you would use to “right the ship” are also used in the golf swing or not used in this case.
To keep you in your golf posture and balanced which includes having your torso tilted toward the ball (remember the ball is on the ground), please understand that your head, which is positioned between your feet, and your hips counterbalance each other, like a seesaw. As you address the ball, your head moves forward of your toes and your hips should move behind your heels. Once your swing is in motion, your ten-pound arms and hands move around your body and your golf club which wants to fly away from you in the follow through creates over 100 pounds of pullfrom your center; both will force you to adjust your balance. Better ball-strikers will increase the amount of depth the hips move behind their heels, while the average golfer the hips move forward causing the golfer to stand up to remain in balance. Now you know why you can’t keep your head down. Jack Nicklaus in his prime stood 5’2” tall at impact, Arnold Palmer 4’10”, and Lee Trevino 4’6”, all three considerably shorter than their actual height. So, to remain in balance, as famous Australian Golf Coach Gerry Hogan suggests, “to stay in balance, keep your hips behind your heels and your nose outside your toes”.
For more instructional content, check out LinksatMassGolf.org under the private instruction and helpful links tabs. Keep Swinging…in balance!
Golf Quote of the Month:
“Go find some stimulating, fulfilling, challenging human endeavor that, unlike golf, does not require a commitment of time and effort to realize maximum enjoyment. And call me when you find it.” -Jim Flick, noted teaching professional and swing coach to Jack Nicklaus
