You've probably been told to shift your body weight to your front leg on the downswing. That's all good in theory, but many amateurs exaggerate this lower-body shift to the point where they're forced to hang back with the upper body to make contact with the ball.
A better way to go about this is to imagine you're moving like a baseball pitcher.
Instead of thinking Get to the left side, think Get off the right side. A pitcher's trail foot is firmly planted against the rubber strip on the mound throughout the throwing motion. It's used as leverage to get the trailing side of the body to move aggressively toward home plate and help generate more speed for the pitch.
You should mimic this throwing action as you swing into the ball. Start down by pushing off with your right leg. Feel the muscles on the right side of your pelvis fire and help rotate the body toward the target as your weight shifts to the left. This will help you hit solid shots and maximize power.
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A perfect example of a golfer who pushed off with the right leg is Gary Player. He used to swing through impact and continue moving his body in that direction by walking toward the target. Try it: Push off with your right foot, hit the ball, and walk on. No better way to make sure your weight gets through.
Sean Foley is a Golf Digest Teaching Professional.