Stability (foot spacing)
Balance first, especially in golf.
In my experience, the first thing you should work on to improve your golf performance is balance. Otherwise, even a perfect swing cannot produce good results shot after shot. In other words, how can you have consistency in golf if you are likely to fall? You can’t.
I tell my students over and over again: Your brain’s priority is not the ball, it’s your balance. You are bipeds, not quadrupeds, and there is an art to standing on two legs, especially in golf. That’s why your brain has developed concrete reflexes to keep you from smashing your face into the ground. To do this, your brain uses three balance sensors: the vestibule (inner ear), vision and proprioception (awareness of your position in space, where the soles of your feet play a big role).
The initial posture for better balance
When you set up to hit a golf ball, you adopt a posture known as athletic, which is a low, bent posture (bent waist and knees). This is the optimal posture for making good contact with the ball. This is the posture I explain in my article on golf fundamentals.
Too often, golfers “force” the swing. Because your brain refuses to lose balance, you lose optimal posture during your swing. As a result, the club blade (club head) reacts by going off course. The result is poor contact with the ball. And another erratic ball that ends up anywhere but where you wanted it to go. In fact, forcing the swing means accelerating too suddenly or going faster than your abilities allow.
Drill: Three taps of the trail foot on finish
To check that your weight is transferring to the lead foot at the end of the swing and that your balance is good, slowly tap the ground three times with the toe of the trail foot at the end of the swing, without losing your balance.
Other suggestions
- Brush your teeth while standing on one leg half the time and the other leg the other half of the time.
- Get one knee up to your waist and hold the position as long as possible, with your eyes closed. Repeat with the other knee.
- Hold the end-of-swing position for several seconds. By doing this, you will have good balance from the beginning to the end of your swing.
