The Three Centers of the Golf Swing
Most of the people we see on the lesson tee in Vail spend time skiing in the winter. If you do, the concept of three centers in the golf swing will make a lot of sense to you. When you ski, your weight moves slightly side to side to initiate turns. If you stayed completely centered at all times, you would never turn your skis. In golf, your balance works much the same way. Your center is dynamic and allows you to coil, shift your weight and gain more power as it moves slightly from side to side.
When you address the ball, you stand balanced in a ready position. Your center will generally be right over the center of your body. As you swing the club back, your center makes a small shift back also as your turn your shoulders. Good golfers will generally move their center to the inside of the right hip (right-handed players), much the same as skiers keep their weight on their inner edges. As you near the top of your back swing, your center should shift to the inside of your left hip as you transition to the down swing. When you impact the ball, your center is over the inside of your left hip and stays there as you turn into your finish position.
Many people I see on a daily basis work hard to keep their head still or to stay behind the ball as they swing through. Both of these thoughts will hamper their movement both back and through the shot. Your head will move slightly as your center shifts. You will also move over the ball when you hit it instead of staying behind it. The idea of staying behind it comes from avoiding a sway, but if you make a great turn through, your body will move naturally through the shot. Next time you go out to hit golf balls, make some natural, relaxed swings without a ball and feel your center shift back and through. This will help your golf swing be as natural as possible.
For a better understanding of the three centers of a golf swing, we suggest a lesson with one of our PGA Professionals at the Vail Golf Club. Additionally, lessons are available with use of the golf club’s golf swing analysis program. Set up outside, the swing analysis program utilizes multiple cameras, plus sound and light to capture a golfer’s swing in real-time and slow motion, and then records it digitally.
For details, click here or book a lesson by calling 479-2260.
Follow Us!