Golf Tip: Balance Essential to Game

It may seem strange, but most everything you do to improve your golf game will improve your life. Better fitness, nutrition, hydration, concentration and breathing keep your stamina going and help calm nerves before big shots. We all know we need to pay more attention to these things but have a hard time carving out enough time to do them all.

Golfers know balance is crucial for a good swing; however, most take balance for granted. All golfers should make a daily habit of working on their balance. To optimize distance you want to be able to swing as fast as you can while maintaining your balance.

The center of gravity in your belly button is two inches below your belly button. When you set up at address you want to feel your weight in between your feet and evenly distributed. At the finish of your swing you want the weight on your front foot. The more you get in tune with your body and how to transfer your weigh, the better your golf swing will be.

Use these tips and drills to improve your balance:

Bicep Curls
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your weight equally distributed on both feet. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand with your palm facing upward. While making a curl, lift your right leg off the floor and bend it back at the knee. Do this exercise for as long as you can hold it—the most important thing is maintaining balance. Start with light weights and build upward.

Weigh Shift
While standing, shift your weight from side to side. Repeat several times. Then, when you shift to the left, lift the right leg and hold for 15 seconds to one minute, depending on ability. Shift sides and do three to five repetitions on each side.

In today’s world, we find ourselves multitasking to accomplish things. Here are a couple of ways to add balance training into your life without having to carve out extra time:

• When you get up and down out of a chair, don’t use your hands
• Stand on one foot when you are waiting for your microwave to finish or when you are making a cup of coffee

You can increase the difficulty of any balance exercise by closing your eyes. 

Wishing you improved balance, enhanced speed and solid shots!