Understanding balance in golf can be genuinely confusing. It seems like you are always receiving conflicting advice from one golf instructor to the next.
So where should your weight be distributed, from heel to toe, at address in golf, and why?
Most golf instructors and golf books will tell you to set up on the balls of your feet because that is a more "athletic" position.
It is true that this position is athletic in other sports. If you were a baseball shortstop, you would need to be ready to move in any direction at a moment's notice.
The same applies to a basketball player or a linebacker — you do not know which direction you are going to need to move, and you need to be able to react instantly.
In those scenarios, setting up on the balls of your feet is absolutely the correct approach.
The problem with applying that logic to golf is that we are not trying to go anywhere. In fact, we are trying to accomplish the exact opposite.
We are trying to stay centered. If you are trying to remain centered and not move in any direction, you need to be anchored to the ground.
In order to anchor yourself properly, you need to find what true balance actually is, and that is precisely what we are going to address here.
Try It Now: Rock Forward, Rock Back
True balance in golf is very easy for you to find, but you cannot just read about it — you need to feel it. Stand up and try this simple exercise:
Stand up straight in a natural posture with your feet underneath your hips.
Keeping your eyes open initially, rock gently forward onto your toes. Do not bend forward; keep your body nice and straight.
Rock forward onto your toes, then rock back onto your heels.
Repeat this rocking exercise five times with your eyes open. Become aware of the pressures you feel throughout your feet.
You will feel your feet tense up as you shift toward your toes. Then as you move back onto your heels, you will feel your toes lift off the ground to help you maintain your balance.
Pay close attention to these sensations as you rock gently forward and back.
Now Close Your Eyes
After you have completed the drill five times with your eyes open, repeat it with your eyes closed. Simply rock forward and back.
Now you can observe for yourself exactly where you feel balanced. Are you balanced when the weight is:
Out on your toes?
Back on your heels?
Somewhere in between?
The truth is that you will only feel true balance in golf when your weight passes directly through the center of your ankle.
That is how your body is engineered. When you are in neutral joint alignment — or simply good golf posture — you can imagine a straight line passing through the middle of the joints behind your knee. That is where your body's structure is designed to bear weight most effectively.
Your body is engineered to be balanced through the center of your ankles. That is where it is most structurally sound, and that is what you need to keep in mind when you establish your golf setup.
Find Your Balance Point
Close your eyes. Gently rock forward onto your toes, then rock back. Find the point where you naturally settle in, right over the center of your ankles.
You will feel your feet relax. Your toes will not be curling up inside your shoes, and you will not feel them lifting off the ground to fight for balance either.
You will feel centered and completely balanced. That is your true balance point.
Your body is designed to function optimally from this position. As we progress into the follow-through, golf downswing, and other phases of the golf swing, being over the center of your ankle is going to be imperative to protect your back, your knee, and your hip against injury.
It is critically important to take the time to understand where your true balance point is.
Simply close your eyes and perform the drill to find where you are naturally balanced. This is the first step of establishing proper golf posture.
As you settle over the center of your ankles, you are going to feel very balanced and athletic.
You should not feel off balance or like you are falling forward onto your toes.
Getting Grounded Helps Your Swing
If you have struggled with the follow-through in your golf swing, you will probably find that part of the problem is that you are setting up way out on your toes.
You have all this force in the golf swing pulling outward and away from you. Why would you set up already leaning in the direction that allows you to be pulled off balance even more easily?
In fact, you need to be positioned back so you can fight those outward forces. As you rotate through the swing, you will be able to counterbalance that force effectively, but you have to start over your ankles. To see how your own balance and swing mechanics compare to an elite benchmark, try a free AI swing analysis.
Your true balance point in a neutral posture is directly over the center of your ankle.
As you flex your knees and hinge from the hip, it will move slightly forward — just in front of your ankles.
When striving for true balance in golf, there is a range, from the center of your ankle to perhaps an inch and a half in front of that.
That is where you are going to feel balanced, athletic, and prepared to move efficiently.
The more you are positioned out on the toes, the more you are going to struggle with activating the powerful glute muscles on the backswing, and the more difficulty you will have getting back to the lead side, achieving proper ankle alignment, and being able to rotate properly — and, more importantly, safely.
Rock forward, rock back. Simply sway between your heels and toes until you find your balance, and you will start to be in a significantly better position at address. For real-time feedback on how your balance and weight distribution hold up during the swing, try a free AI golf lesson.
Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
Some athletes need to be ready to move in any direction
To find true balance in golf start by doing this simple exercise. Rock forward and back with your eyes open
Repeat the drill with your eyes closed
Neutral joint alignment
Balance point in the ankle
