June 2011

Balance
I’ve covered Posture, Ball Position (a component of Posture), Grip and Swing Plane. There are two kinds of Leverage – we use our arms, wrists and the golf club as a large lever to strike through the ball, and we use the ground as leverage to turn our body. But first we need Balance before we can use ground Leverage!

We all search for it. Balance in our daily lives. Balance while riding a bike. Politicians are always debating a balanced budget, and most of us could use a little balance in our checkbooks. Balance is a term used in golf quite often as well. It’s a “buzzword” and almost a cliché when it comes to the golf swing. I am sure you have heard numerous times from swing coaches that “You have to stay balanced when swinging your club.”

"What I dream of is an art of balance."  -- Henri Matisse

Physical balance in golf is affected by a number of variables, including head positions, posture, body alignment, grip, knee flex and stance width. Physical balance at setup allows for proper club path and body rotation. 
Good balance is essential to consistent shots – putts, chips, and full swings. Our body makes compensations to make us think we are in balance, so we don’t always know where our weight is truly distributed. While our bodies adjust surprisingly well to find balance, they will also find the easiest way to accomplish this balance. In golf, that could mean standing up instead of turning your body -- which isn’t good!

The kinetic chain of balance starts at the bottom -- your feet -- and progresses up to your torso. And the commonly used phrase in life that you are only as strong as your weakest link applies here! Balance is key to insuring a solid strike of the ball. Develop a plan to work on your balance from the bottom up -- ankles to knees to hips to spine.

Training aids such as the Balance Rod or Roller cause an initial imbalance that will force your body to use your legs for stabilization rather than your spine. Within a few swings, you will have grounded athletic posture and balance.

The Bobby Jones Feet Together Drill – Everything in the golf swing involves a turning motion. The shoulders turn round the spine, the hips respond and turn under the force of the shoulders, even the forearms turn and rotate. This drill encourages the body to turn naturally to improve every aspect of the golf swing including takeaway, swing path, plane and overall balance.

The drill might seem overly simplistic, but golfers have been using the exercise to simplify and improve the swing since the game was invented. Hitting shots with the feet together is one of the best golf drills a golfer can use to improve their technique.
Hitting balls from a normal stance allows a golfer to make mistakes during the swing without falling over. They can move the head, reverse pivot, sway, all manner of faults but still hit the ball. But hitting balls with feet together makes the golfer make a perfect turn.


As upright beings, it is intrinsic in our nature to maintain balance therefore, with feet together our bodies automatically find the most efficient swing to keep us from falling over. Hitting shots with feet together very quickly encourages a golfer to make a perfect turn off a single axis.
Balance Center of Gravity (COG) Motion in a Golf Swing
So what should happen when we separate our feet? Now we have to maintain a Center of Gravity (COG). Fortunately, science has shown us what the best golfers do and that technology is called a Force Plate. Golf shots made while standing on electronic force plates give us a glimpse of what kinds of balance golfers use to create a good or bad golf swing.

The Desired

Creates a slight draw. Good swing path, inside out. This “fishhook” pattern is the form you want to achieve.

The Slice

Swing plane outside in.  Weight from Right toe to Left heel.

The Reverse Pivot

All weight on left foot then reverses back to right. Result is very poor swing.

The Spin Out

Weight on Right heel then quickly to Left heel. Lack of balance causes left heel to “Spin”.

The Slide

Weight transfer in line with ball flight. Sometimes a good hit, sometimes a push.  Compensating move creates a duck hook.

I hope this all helps! See you soon!  Book a Lesson now – email, phone or on-line at www.jimpetersgolf.com!