When golfers swing in balance, they generally hit the ball more solidly and less crooked. Balance can play a large role in the shape of your swing, which will affect the shape of your shots. Golfers who struggle with balance throughout the swing are frequently making recovery motions to maintain balance, which then negatively effects their ability to deliver the golf club to the ball consistently on the downswing.

A common ball flight pattern for those struggling with balance can often be a slice. For a right handed player, this is a negative swing path (to the left) with a club face open (to the right) of the path. The resulting spin axis is one which bends the ball to right. Many of my students who struggle with this slice pattern have a swing characteristic where their balance moves their center of pressure (CoP) toward their toes during their backswing. This can result in one of two swing flaws. First, to counter-balance their heavy toe pressure, they swing their arms and club very deep behind their bodies on their backswing to try to stay in balance. Secondly, their lack of balance limits their ability to make a big enough turn to get the golf club on a more ideal downswing plane. Both toe-heavy backswing balance characteristics frequently evolve into a steeper downswing plane. One that moves more to the left through impact.

If you struggle with this pattern, try to keep your CoP more centered by exaggerating the feeling of keeping your weight a little more toward your heels. This change in balance and foot pressure can produce a more efficient take away motion where the arms and club can stay in front of your chest, and also help facilitate a bigger back swing turn. This change of pattern can then lead into a different downswing delivery that produces solid ball contact and a preferred ball flight.

Work on your balance throughout your golf swing sequence and you will start to make better and more consistent contact as well as start to improve patterns which lead to unwanted ball flight characteristics.