Is balance the most important fundamental in golf? Good arguments exist on both sides of the question. Many Tour players would say yes. So would many golf teachers.
Nevertheless, balance is seldom mentioned in golf lessons, in the clubhouse, or in golf newsletters. Go figure.
Staying balanced is critical if you want to have a swing that helps you break 80 and shrink your golf handicap. More than any other quality, golfers with great swings, like Ben Hogan or Tiger Woods, are always “in balance”. In fact, it’s the most identifiable characteristics of elite golfers.
To achieve a swing that’s always in balance, you must first understand the types of balance that exist and how they influence your swing. Let’s look at the types of balance that exist and how they impact your swing. There are three different kinds of balance that are important to lower your score: physical, mental, and emotional
Physical Balance
Most weekend golfers are familiar with physical balance. They know what it feels like to be in balance physically when they swing and what it feels like to be out of balance physically when they swing. If you feel yourself falling over when swinging, you know you’re out of balance. Grace of form and ease of movement characterize the well-balanced swing.
The well-balanced golfer can push herself to the limits of her swing because she’s aware of the edge she can’t exceed without losing balance. She can feel herself exploring the range of movement permissible within the swing, given her physique and flexibility. In other words, the physically well-balanced golfer stays within herself when swinging, even when going deep.
Mental Balance
When we talk about mental balance in our golf instruction sessions, we’re discussing a golfer’s logical conception of his swing. Golfers that are in balance mentally know what they’re trying to do with their swings. They also know what their swings feel like when they’re hitting the ball and they try to achieve that feeling every time they hit. This knowledge breeds confidence and direction.
Golfers that have a logical conception of their swing can ward off mistakes. They may revert to bad habits occasionally, but those are easily corrected. But by and large, these golfers have something to do on each shot. They also have routines and procedures to follow. More importantly, they know when they’ve hit a bad shot and they know why.
Emotional Balance
Mental balance breeds emotional balance. Golfers in balance emotionally have a calm, confident demeanor when swinging. They don’t feel rushed, anxious, or disorganized. They’re not thinking about the two-footer they missed for par on the previous hole or throwing a tantrum about the bad score they’re racking up that day. Golfers in balance emotionally are secure in that they know what they’re doing.
Being emotionally in balance enables golfers to stay in the moment, to concentrate exclusively on the up coming shot. Over time, golfers in balance emotionally learn to play the game one shot at a time. That’s takes the pressure off any one shot. Golfers in balance emotionally can play the game freely and accept its ups and downs.
Not only that, but no one likes to play in a group with a dour, angry hothead threatening to throw his putter or quit after every misstep. By controlling your emotions and staying in balance, you’ll notice that you get more calls from others wanting to play with you, and potentially open doors to great new opportunities that you might not have otherwise.
Whether it’s the most critical fundamental in golf or not, balance is absolutely crucial to surviving the very real rigors on the course. That’s why all of our lessons, tips, and ideas put a strong emphasis in achieving balance in all three phases of the game.
Golfers that achieve balance physically, mentally and emotionally increase their chances of breaking 80 and achieving a low golf handicap. More important, they increase their enjoyment of the game—and that’s what it’s all about.
