In golf balance is very important in your ability to play the game well and because of this is one of first problems people notice they have when playing. The problem here is that we have the idea that our balance is good until we do something that requires good balance and then we realize our balance isn’t as good as we thought. For me balance was something I have struggled with due to medical issues growing up, but I tried a few things that I hope will not only improve your overall balance, but your balance during the golf swing.
Improve your foot grip
My first few years of playing golf were comical at best as I tried to swing at the speed of a helicopter to get the most out of each shot. It’s a common mistake that many people make to add distance to their shots and it creates a bad habit when it comes to balance, but what I started to notice was it had a lot to do with my feet. For this reason I focused hard on finding a way to improve my foot grip and in order to do this I started concentrating on putting pressure on my feet. This may seem like impossible, but think of it this way, your foot has muscles and they do react if you want them to and your toes will grip just as they will move when you want them to. I am not saying for you to tense your calves to do this but focus instead on putting your body weight on your feet so that when weight shift occurs your feet have a better grip and stability on the ground.
If you stated golf at a young age like me the first thing you wanted to do was swing as hard as you could and why not? Growing up we have an idea that if we swing faster than we will hit it farther because we are moving faster, but the fact is in golf this is just not the case. When I started I would swing really fast and my drive would never go two hundred yards, but after I slowed it down and stopped trying to be a helicopter blade I improved it by sixty odd yards. So, why does this work exactly? Well as much as I thought I was the next Tiger Woods at a young age I wasn’t and even at that speed he had more control in his swing. The weight of your body is what carries the golf ball and the inertia that is created through a weight transfer in the golf swing and not the speed you swing, all that swinging faster than your capable of does is increase your chances of hitting it fat as I did many times, my body covered with mud as evidence. Just play within yourself and you will be fine, remember it doesn’t matter what club it takes you to get there if you are putting for birdie every time.
Shorten your swing
Before you think this will decrease your distance I am here to tell you that this really works. It’s not the amount of backswing you have, but the amount of force and speed at impact. For someone like me with balance issues it’s hard to maintain any kind of balance in a game that is not natural to the human body, but what I learned through experimenting was that if I shortened my backswing I had an increase in balance. While this may not be the case for everyone, for me the transfer of weight to my right was what always made me lose my balance and so shortening the backswing here I was able to maintain my balance at impact. It’s important to not get down on yourself if you lose your balance after impact as I still do from time to time, what is important is getting proper contact before you lose your balance. I know how hard it can be as I still struggle, but remember it’s a game and you’re supposed to have fun don’t expect your body to be able to swing naturally. Golf like many sports isn’t natural to use and so it’s okay when you mess up, don’t ever give up no matter what port you play, just play within yourself and you can do great things.
