TEE TIME TIPS WITH RICHARD SCARROTT: PART FOUR - WEIGHT TRANSFER (From Swindon Advertiser)

TEE TIME TIPS WITH RICHARD SCARROTT: PART FOUR - WEIGHT TRANSFER

1:57pm Thursday 15th November 2012 in Sport

WEIGHT transfer is the part of a golf swing that determines how the ball is struck.

Golfers who finish with their weight on the back foot will more than likely strike the ball inconsistently.

Having your weight behind the ball at impact can cause a heavy strike and see you hit the turf before the ball. This predominantly affects the distance the ball travels.

Other common shots caused by this are thinning or topping the ball.

Once the weight stays on the back foot there is limited space in the swing generally, causing the golfer to try to lift up and out of the shot, resulting in the club face hitting halfway up or on the top of the golf ball.

Good weight transfer in the golf swing will result in a pure strike of the ball.

To achieve good weight transfer you need to feel a lateral drive into the left side from the top of the swing.

At the point of impact your body should cover the ball and then develop a rotation over the left foot into a full finish position.

You need to feel like you are compressing the ball as you strike it and this promotes a more penetrating ball flight.

A good train of thought during the swing is to think about turning onto the right knee and finishing over the left knee.

A good checkpoint to see if you have transfered your weight properly is to look at your divot.

If your divot is in front of where the ball was lying you need to make sure your stomach is pointing at the target.

The famous Gary Player used to walk after his shots.

Next time you go to the driving range maybe try and hit a shot and take a step forwards after you have struck the ball like Player.

This will not only help your weight transfer but you will also find it makes you commit to the shot a lot more.