Golf Instruction Struggles With Weight Shift Troubles, Here is A Cure!

So you are starting to hit the ball rather well. Yet you have still struggled to get an effective weight shift.

Sound familiar?

Aside from the new Stack and tilt method, a conventional golf swing requires a weight shift in order to get all the parts and pieces working together in a concerted effort to conduct one of the most unforgiving athletic endeavours.

Actually there are two weight shifts in each swing if done correctly. One is the shift from set-up into or onto the right side during the backswing.

And the other is the shift onto the left side on the downswing. To me, that sounds pretty darn simple.

And it probably is.

Just ask anyone who is not disabled, to shift their weight from one side to the other. Almost every single one of them will do it with ease.

Each and every time you take a step, you are shifting your weight. You shift your weight hundreds of times a day. When you are just standing around for any length of time you are constantly shifting your weight. You shift you weight as part of body language indicating that, perhaps, you are bored with what ever you are doing.

Come on .. a weight shift is easy. You do it all the time all day every day.

So what the heck is going on with you and the golf swing, you and thousands of others I might add. What is it about a weight shift in the golf swing that is so hard?

Personally, I think it has to do with ” hit mentality” where hitting the ball is the objective without consideration to other aspects of the technique that could contribute to better results.

Like a weight shift.

Some people do get a weight shift but it’s in the wrong sequence. It’s called a reverse weight shift. It is when the weight moves to the front foot on the moveaway and then to the rear foot on the downswing. An ugly looking thing that gives really nasty results.

They are the ones that almost fall down after impact. Or swing their left foot around off the ground after impact. A gangly move that contributes to incredible high handicaps. And pulled muscles as well. It looks more like an ice skating move than a golf swing.

I will admit, although grudgedly, that some people manage to hit it fairly well with either move. Somehow they get the clubface square at impact and fall away fast enough so that minimum damage is done to the balls flight. Still, that doesn’t make it right for everyone.

I see people who have great looking backswings,who are in the perfect position to transition into a pro like downswing. Only to have it completely ruined by having little to no weight shift or the dreaded reverse weight shift. It kills me to see that.

So what to do? How in the world are you going to go from no weight shift to having a weight shift while having no idea in the world how to go about it and still hit the ball?

I want you to try something. Using a completely open mind. And having no results orientation in your head as it relates to ball flight, distance or direction. I want you to take a 5 iron, get a great set-up and an excellent grip.

Now put the club behind the ball and get ready to hit it. Are you ready, good, hit it just as hard as you possibly can. Hit it out of the driving range. Kill it. Whack it, smash it, murder the thing, pound it, get all of it. Oh wait… I forgot to tell you that you are not allowed a backswing in this drill.

Just put the clubhead behind the ball and with absolutely no backswing hit it as hard as you can.

After you have successfully done this a few times you are then allowed a backswing. This will be an abbreviated backswing however, one where the actual clubhead never gets past your right knee. And then you do the same thing. Hit the snot out of it.

If you don’t get some sort of weight shift doing this, then perhaps bowling is a good sport too.

Have someone watch you to see if you are getting a shift.

Here’s another drill. You won’t need club. Jimmy Ballard had this in one of his books.

Stand facing the side of a golf cart. The seat should be opposite your left shoulder. And you are facing the side of the seat and cart. Now hit the back of the seat with your right hand hard enough to move the cart backwards. Do it easy at first so you don’t hurt yourself. But after you are used to it. Give it a good whack. This is how you should feel when hitting the ball.

You probably got a good weight shift if you truly tried to move the cart. If not, well , sorry.

Remember the weight shift is not a swaying of the hips, it’s a bump laterally and then a turn of the hips. This happens as if it is the same motion. Also, be careful not to sway on the moveaway. This will put too much weight too far over your right foot and make it very hard to get back to the left side.

No swaying.

There is nothing magic about a weight shift. For those of you who have trouble with it, these tips could help. But it does take some work. So go work on it.