Tiger Woods: A matter of balance

Start from the ground, and work your way up

Hold it: Test your balance by holding your finish with the driver for a few seconds. Your belt buckle should face the target, and your cap bill should be over your right shoulder.

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By Tiger Woods
with Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Photo By J.D. Cuban July 2008

One of the least discussed but most important elements of the full swing is balance. Not only is a balanced swing nice to look at, it's critical to good ball striking.

Good balance starts from the ground up. Your weight should be evenly distributed on the balls of your feet at address, your knees slightly flexed and upper body bent from the hips. That solid, athletic posture is the key to an "in-balance'' swing. At times I've had slightly too much weight on my heels, which put me out of balance and produced errant tee shots. The correction for me was to stand a little straighter. Better posture made it appear that I was standing a little closer to the ball.

Over-swinging is the opposite of balance. It can throw off your timing, compromise your posture, and make it almost certain that the ball won't end up where you planned. If your driving is erratic, chances are your balance is off, too. Try swinging at no more than 80 percent.

Nothing fancy: My club stays quiet at the top, and there is no rush down to the ball. /Photo By Charles Laberge

KEEP IT SMOOTH

Your wedge swing should be simple and rhythmic

The best wedge players in the world make it look easy. That's because they don't complicate what is basically a longer version of the pitch shot.

A lot of the same principles apply, including a nice, rhythmic tempo that appears effortless and a spine angle that is maintained from setup to the through-swing. You also want a shallow divot produced by an on-plane swing. As a matter of fact, I try to make the same-size divot with every iron. I also try not to have an overly long backswing or finish, so I'm in better control.

Most high-handicappers are poor wedge players because their tempo is too fast or they either straighten up or dip at impact. The likely result is a chunk or thin shot. Accuracy, distance control and proper spin are all casualties.

Maintain your spine angle through impact and try to match your arm speed with your lower-body speed for a rhythmic swing. You'll make more consistent contact and improve your tempo.