Today we are going to examine a problem we encounter constantly at the Rotary Swing Golf Academy.
The first thing we do when a golfer comes in for a lesson is evaluate the foundation of the golf swing, which is of course the golf setup.
This may seem like a mundane, well-covered topic, but it remains one of the most prevalent problems we see, so we are going to take a thorough look at the swing faults that develop as a direct result of poor setup.
MYTH: Weight Should Be on the Balls of the Feet
Today we are going to focus on a persistent golf myth that virtually every golfer has heard. Have you ever picked up a golf book or visited an instructor and not been told that your weight should be on the balls of your feet? They all say it.
They have you put the club down and ask, "Did you ever play baseball when you were a kid? What position did you play? Second base? Perfect. Show me what you would do when you were getting ready for a ground ball, or when the pitcher was getting ready to throw."
They have you get down and crouch with the weight forward on the balls of your feet because that position makes you ready to move in any direction.
This is what golfers have been told for decades. Most golf instructors learn this information and pass it directly to their students every day, without ever stopping to consider a simple question that would completely change their perspective on what many consider a fundamental of the golf swing.
The question is simply this: in the golf swing, at what point do we actually want to be ready to move in any direction? Our goal is not to be in constant motion. Our goal is to remain centered and rotate around a stable, anchored base. We are building a solid foundation around which to rotate efficiently.
It really is that simple.
Forget everything you have heard about the balls of the feet. You can have excellent swing mechanics and good movement patterns, but if your weight distribution is incorrect at setup, the entire sequence of the golf swing is compromised from the start.
We will walk through the golf setup to demonstrate the specific problems caused by setting up on the balls of the feet, then show you how to correct the issue with drills you can practice at home.
Setup: You're in Control
Of course the setup is the foundation of the golf swing, but just as importantly, it is the one variable that you can absolutely execute 100 percent correctly every single time. With a small amount of focused practice, you can achieve the correct setup position every time, and it will dramatically increase your consistency and success.
Most golfers are set up on the balls of their feet when they first come to see us. The setup may look perfectly acceptable at first — you cannot always tell by visual inspection that the weight is shifted forward onto the balls of the feet.
However, as they begin to take the club back, even if they make a fundamentally sound move away from the golf ball, the lower body starts to fight for stability. Their heels may even lift slightly off the ground as they struggle to maintain their balance during the backswing.
What Happens to the Golf Swing?
At this point in the golf swing, you have already created two very detrimental problems:
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You have lost your connection to the ground, which is meant to be the stable base from which you generate power on the downswing.
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There is no way you can correctly perform the weight shift from this compromised position. You have likely already seen the Weight Shift and Transition lessons, so you understand how critical the weight shift is. You simply cannot execute it effectively when you are leaning forward.
As you can see in the photo above, in the effort to maintain balance, your head drifts closer to the ball. From that leaning position, you really only have two possible outcomes.
You lose your spine angle. This is one of the most common complaints we hear from golfers. If you continue down from this forward-leaning position, your body instinctively senses that you are in trouble and begins to back up out of your spine angle.
You end up standing almost straight up at impact, because you have no other choice. You leaned in toward the golf ball in an attempt to keep your balance, so now your body must create space for the arms and hands. Your body instinctively knows it is in trouble, so it moves away from the ball in a desperate effort to create room.
When we hear golfers saying, "I try and try, but I simply cannot maintain my spine angle," the vast majority of the time it is simply a result of where their weight was positioned at setup. To see exactly how your posture and spine angle compare to elite standards, try a free AI swing analysis.
You hit a shank. The other possibility is that your body senses the same problem, but instead of backing away from the ball, you attempt to maintain your spine angle while rotating through impact.
You end up presenting the hosel of the club to the golf ball first, and every golfer knows what the result of that is. You are going to hit a shank.
Many students come in saying, "I just cannot figure out where the shank is coming from." Frequently, that shank is coming directly from being on the balls of the feet at address.
Do It Right - Here's How!
These are the two major problems: losing the spine angle and shanking the ball. Let us examine how to correct both of these issues.
Again, with a small amount of deliberate practice, you can execute the golf setup correctly every single time. There are other lessons on the site that cover setup, balance, and posture in the golf swing in much greater detail, but here is a quick review of the essentials.
Take your stance, making sure your feet are no more than two inches outside of neutral joint alignment — that is, two inches wider than your hip joints.
From that position, hold your arms in front of your chest with your hands together and drop your hips straight back. Do not add any knee flex just yet — keep your knees straight and hinge from the hips.
As you bend from the hips, your backside will shift behind you and you will automatically feel your weight settle over the center of your ankle joints.
If you could draw a vertical line, after you hinge from your hips, the backs of your knees should align directly over the center of your ankle joints. Your weight is correctly balanced in this position.
This setup position provides a rock-solid foundation around which you can rotate, eliminating the constant struggle to maintain balance throughout the golf swing.
Finally, go ahead and relax your knees slightly. Do not go overboard and activate the thighs, or you will start balancing on your knee joints and end up shifting your weight forward onto the balls of your feet again.
Hinge from the hips, relax the knees slightly, and allow the arms to hang naturally under the shoulders.
If you are doing this correctly, you will actually be able to wiggle your toes because the weight is centered over the ankle joint, not on the balls of your feet. If someone were to push you from behind, you could resist them easily because you feel solid, stable, and grounded.
You are not "ready to move in any direction" — you are anchored with a solid, stable foundation underneath you. For real-time feedback on how your setup and balance hold up during your swing, try a free AI golf lesson that evaluates your form.
Are You Really Over Your Ankles?
Many golfers believe they are set up over their ankles when they actually are not. Perform this simple exercise to verify your position.
Get into your golf posture, then close your eyes. Gently sway your body forward and back. The movement will be small, but as you sway forward you will feel all your weight shifting out onto your toes. You will feel your thighs begin to engage and your knees start bearing the load.
As you sway back, you will feel the weight settle over the center of your ankle joints. You will feel your glutes and your core engage. This is where you want to be.
Although it seems like a very simple, mundane issue, you can see that taking it for granted and failing to establish a correct golf setup can be detrimental to your entire swing.
Think of the city of Venice. It is filled with beauty, artwork, and magnificent architecture, but it was not built on a very good foundation. The same principle applies to your golf swing. Make sure you start by building a proper, stable foundation.
Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
Weight on the balls of the feet - great for baseball, not for golf
You want to be anchored, not on the move
Off balance due to poor weight distribution
Shank caused by poor setup
The back of the knee is over the center of the ankles
