HOW DO I PROPERLY SHIFT MY WEIGHT DURING MY GOLF SWING?

Amateurs have a really hard time transferring their weight forward from the top of their golf swing. Their weight shifts back during the takeaway and backswing, but then they have a hard time getting their weight moving back forward to their front foot in the downswing. This failure to shift your weight forward to the front or lead foot often leads to the golf club coming over the top which creates pulls or big slices. Chris Mayson, Professional Golf Instructor at La Costa Resort and Spa, shares how to practice like Happy Gilmore, to master a proper weight shift in your golf swing.

A Proper Weight Shift in Your Golf Swing

Better players and professional golfers smoothly transfer their weight backwards and then forward from the ground up. Their weight transfers forward into their front or lead foot allowing room for the club to work inside.

The Step or Happy Gilmore Drill

Most golfers have at some point either seen or heard of the golf movie and fictional character named Happy Gilmore, played by Adam Sandler.  Happy Gilmore was a hockey player turned golfer in the movie. His golf swing was unconventional to say the very least.  He would swing the golf club in the same way that you would swing a hockey stick.  In his case, this also included a very large step forward for what became a golf slap shot. Ironically, this exaggerated step forward using a hockey swing actually demonstrates some of the fundamental ideas of a proper golf weight shift.   The goal of the Happy Gilmore Drill is to help you learn to properly shift your weight from back to forward during your downswing.  So as you work back, left foot is going to go back, you're going to plant the left foot to start with, and then the club's going to come through.  Try stepping into your shot. This will improve your sequencing, it will get the weight transferring into your front foot, and the club will come last.