There are many things to think about which need to be right to produce a great golf swing. However, not all of them are covered in much detail and today we are going to look at an aspect which is often overlooked, weight distribution.
For a standard swing, the weight will be evenly distributed between your two feet when addressing the golf ball. This does not necessarily mean the ball is in the centre of your stance. It could be at the front or back of your stance but the weight distribution remains even between both feet.
You should feel comfortable and balanced when playing shots using a standard swing and there should be no leaning towards the front or back.
However, there may be times when you want to distribute more of your weight towards your front foot at address. To do this you must not lean your body towards your front foot but instead slide your hips forward and this will feel as though there is more weight on the front foot than the back foot.
By keeping the ball in the centre of your stance, transferring more of your weight onto your front foot will increase the lean of the club shaft towards the target. This promotes a downward strike on the golf ball and should prevent you from hitting the ball fat.
Many players distribute their weight towards the front foot when playing delicate shots around the green or chip shots from a little further out. Players feel doing this adds more control when playing delicate shots and you can try it when practicing if you are having trouble controlling chip shots and other shots around the green.
In addition to promoting a downward strike on the ball, transferring more weight to the front foot will decrease the loft of the club. You may want to do this if you need to hit the ball lower, under some trees or because of a strong wind for example. If you are uncomfortable with playing the ball further back in your stance, putting the weight on your front foot is an alternative you can try and measure the results.
If you struggle with inconsistent ball striking with your irons on the fairway, try using this technique. It will help you to hit the ball first and while it may not be the technically correct way to fix a fault, it will make your ball striking more consistent.
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