Erik J. Barzeski

The golf swing as a brick wall… the shifts and turns overlap, particularly the forward shift. #PlayBetter

We talk about how to practice to make a change/improvement in your golf swing in Episode 16 (thespinaxis.com/ep16/) of The Spin Axis podcast.

This article from @golfdigest.bsky.social talks to it as well, and is worth a read.

www.golfdigest.com/story/how-to...

I’m normally fairly critical of the things I do when I revisit them. It was tough for even me to be critical of this podcast as I am fairly proud of and happy with what I had to say. Thank you Mike Carroll for having me.

overcast.fm/+AAcAHRAebL

Episode 4 of my podcast The Spin Axis covers the six drills we HATE. Is one of your favorites on the list? Do you agree or disagree with our list? #golf

Subscribe and listen here: thespinaxis.com/ep4/!

I've started a podcast for golf coaches and golfers. It's called "The Spin Axis" and it's hosted by me, Jayson Nickol & Tyson Deskins.

Episode three lists our six favorite drills. You can subscribe on your platform of choice here: thespinaxis.com/ep3/.

Episodes are all ≤ 20 min. Give it a listen!

Enjoyed my time with @loustagner.bsky.social on GEARS and in hearing about it on his Hack it Out podcast (with @markcrossfield.bsky.social and Greg Chalmers). Give it a listen:

overcast.fm/+_-5h-mFt4 or podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l... (or others).

#GetInGEARS #PlayBetter #golf

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

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.

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.

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."

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):

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.

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.

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?

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.

Golfers, you should probably be setting up with the weight toward the front of the arches of your feet (almost toward the balls of your feet). A brief 🧵 on this to explain why.