Heading South for the Winter? Don’t Leave Your Swing in the Balance

Elena King provides tips for keeping your swing in tune during the winter

Elena King

Winter can turn the most avid player into a fair-weather golfer. Fewer rounds can lead to greater rust on your game, tempering the excitement of a golf vacation with a healthy dose of self-doubt: What if I can’t hit it? Did my swing leave me? Should I try one of the many swing thoughts I’ve heard?

Before you go giving yourself a golf lesson, get some balance in your life. Seriously. Balance is a crucial element of the golf swing; if you swing out of balance, it will affect your weight transfer and throw off your timing.

If you are back on your heels, you will tend to swing under plane. If you are up on your toes, you will tend to swing over the plane

If you don’t transfer your weight properly, you throw off your timing

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To improve your balance, start with a small chip and work up from there. Finishing in balance is more important than how big or hard you can swing.   

Pre-swing: Feel your weight balanced left-to-right and heel-to-toe. 

In-swing: Be present with your balance. Really feel it. This will help eliminate any chatter or self-correcting behavior. 

Finish: Get in the habit of holding your finish in balance with your weight on your target-side foot with your chest facing the target. Hold it for a count of three. Stick the finish! 

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TRY THESE DRILLS: 

1. Swing with your feet together

2. On one leg only, and alternate legs

3. Eyes closed 

LPGA Class A Professional Elena King is the founder of Experience Golf andthe winner of top instructor awards from Golf Digest, Colorado AvidGolfer and the LPGA Central Section. Teaching at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and Meridian Golf Club in Englewood, she integrates physical and mental components with current technologies and techniques to help her students excel. 303-503-0330; experiencegolf.biz

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Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.