Erik J. Barzeski
banner
erik.barzeski.com
Erik J. Barzeski
@erik.barzeski.com
Golfer, geek. Golf Evolution, Lowest Score Wins, Analyzr, The Sand Trap.
You will probably have more success doing what the majority do, and doing what's simpler and easier. Set up with the weight in the front half of your feet, front of the arches. It's where we do athletic things, and it gives you room to move.

Thanks for reading. PlayBetter #golf
January 31, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Are there exceptions? Yes. Here's one, but notice where his weight moved throughout his swing - toward the balls of his feet.

Tour players who are exceptions are just that: exceptions. They've grooved these moves over decades and spend hours a day continuing to do so.
January 31, 2025 at 1:06 AM
More later bit: stand with your heels ~3" from a wall. Bend forward without sticking your butt out and let your arms hang down. Feel the weight shift forward in your feet. Crack your knees forward. Your butt will barely touch the wall and the weight will be forward in your feet.
January 31, 2025 at 1:06 AM
While the overall center of pressure (COP) will remain relatively stable front-to-back, it tilts toward the heel of the trail foot and toward the toes of the front foot.
And in the downswing and follow-through, COP gets into the lead heel. Again, we want "room to move."
January 31, 2025 at 1:06 AM
This gives us a little room to move "toward the heel" of our trail foot during the backswing, as our arms, the club, and the whole trail side of our body gain depth around and "behind" us (away from the golf ball):
January 31, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Imagine the pelvis is the oval (this isn't a true top-down view as the pelvis is drawn too far forward here). At setup, the pelvis is relatively square, and the weight is over the front of the arches of the feet.
January 31, 2025 at 1:06 AM
The truth hidden in those statements is that we do *athletic* things from the front of our feet. The golf swing is an athletic movement, and we can generate speed from the front of our feet (ankles flex and extend), and weight toward the heels gives us less "room" to move.
January 31, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Many golfers will just "squat" down from a standing position, maintaining the same balance point near the front of their ankles.

Here's why that's often bad.

Have you heard the phrases "let's stay on our toes" or "we've got them on their heels?
January 31, 2025 at 1:06 AM
When we stand, our weight naturally settles over our ankles. It's an efficient way to stand: the bones in our legs are "stacked" on top of each other and supporting our weight without much muscle action needed to remain standing.
January 31, 2025 at 1:06 AM