Some advice from Bobby Jones

[GlasgowsGreen]

In the past I actively worked at shifting my weight onto my right side on the back swing. I would brace on my right leg however to prevent me from swaying to the right. This was the advice of my first golf pro.

My current Pro however has advised against this. He wants me to have my weight evenly balanced at the top of the backswing (or even still slightly on the left). The reason being that even though I thought I was bracing on my right leg I was actually slightly swaying slightly to the right. This was a killer in terms of consistency.

I now concentrate on keeping my head ‘still’ and my weight even balanced on both sides until I get to the top of my backswing. It made an immediate improvement on my ball striking but I felt that I missed that ‘loaded’ feeling I got from shifting to the right. I then came across a quote from Bobby Jones on this subject;

“It is my definite opinion that there need be no shifting of the weight from the left foot to the right during the backstroke. I have examined numbers of photographs of the very best players and I have been able to find no case in which such a shifting was perceptible; there should occur during the hitting stroke a pronounced shift from right to left”

What’s the general consensus on this?

[iacas]

Short answers or points (three):

1. Feel ain't real. You felt you weren't swaying, but you were. You might feel like your weight stays left, but it may still move a little to the right (just not as much as before).
2. Weight isn't the same as pressure. So please clarify what you're talking about here.
3. In a centered pivot, weight stays within about 5% of 50/50, but pressure shifts quite a bit (70-80%, irons) to the trail side.

This is a good thread for you:

P.S. I can't vote in your poll. If forced to, I'd pick B.

[scopek]

In the past I actively worked at shifting my weight onto my right side on the back swing. I would brace on my right leg however to prevent me from swaying to the right. This was the advice of my first golf pro.

My current Pro however has advised against this. He wants me to have my weight evenly balanced at the top of the backswing (or even still slightly on the left). The reason being that even though I thought I was bracing on my right leg I was actually slightly swaying slightly to the right. This was a killer in terms of consistency.

I now concentrate on keeping my head ‘still’ and my weight even balanced on both sides until I get to the top of my backswing. It made an immediate improvement on my ball striking but I felt that I missed that ‘loaded’ feeling I got from shifting to the right. I then came across a quote from Bobby Jones on this subject;

“It is my definite opinion that there need be no shifting of the weight from the left foot to the right during the backstroke. I have examined numbers of photographs of the very best players and I have been able to find no case in which such a shifting was perceptible; there should occur during the hitting stroke a pronounced shift from right to left”

What’s the general consensus on this?

I had the same problem. I thought I was preventing a shift to the right by keeping my right leg braced, but was actually swaying. It's funny because it really felt like I was centered until it was pointed out on video that I was swaying. It was a "D'OH!" moment for me to see that.

Short answers or points (three):

Feel ain't real. You felt you weren't swaying, but you were. You might feel like your weight stays left, but it may still move a little to the right (just not as much as before).

Weight isn't the same as pressure. So please clarify what you're talking about here.

In a centered pivot, weight stays within about 5% of 50/50, but pressure shifts quite a bit (70-80%, irons) to the trail side.

This is a good thread for you:

P.S. I can't vote in your poll. If forced to, I'd pick B.

Thanks for summarizing this. I'm sure you've posted this or something like this before, but this really simplifies the whole weight vs. pressure concept.

[flopster]

It's funny but the way that quote from Bobby Jones is written makes me hear his voice while I read it, and I also agree with it.

[boogielicious]

I voted 3, because I am not consciously trying to shift it. I know it does a bit because the arms and club going back change your center of gravity and mass towards the back leg.