If you find yourself hitting your ball
“fat” on a fairway wood shot, you are probably suffering from an
incorrect weight shift.
If you find yourself hitting your ball “fat” on a fairway wood shot, you are probably suffering from an incorrect weight shift. If you have a “reverse weight shift,” you are actually leaning to the left at the top of the backswing. This is exactly the oppsite of what is desired; weight shifting to the inside of the right foot on the backswing. Many players seem to create a reverse weight shift when trying to prevent an incorrect weight transfer to the outside of their right foot. In doing so, they overcompensate, shifting as much as two-thirds of their weight back to their left foot. Once this occurs, the only place for the weight to go on the forward swing is onto the back foot, creating a steep angle of approach and a weak, fat shot that usually goes off to the right.
To prevent a reverse weight shift, kick the left knee in behind the ball (to the right of it) on the backswing. This assures a shift of about two-thirds of your weight to the right foot without transferring it to the outside. Your lower body should then initiate the forward swing with the shoudlers and arms trailing, so that at the finish position about 95 percent of your weight is on the outside of your left foot.
Dave Tuttle is the First Assistant Golf Pro at Coyote Creek Golf Course. For more information about classes call 463-8024.
