One of the popular buzzwords in modern golf instruction is “ground reaction forces,” which refers to how your feet interact with the ground when you swing. And if you want to swing with maximum efficiency, it’s important that you learn how to properly apply these forces in your own swing.
If you watch the best players in the world take a swing, you’ll notice that they shift the pressure in their feet as they go through the motion. This not only helps them generate more power, but also improves their sequencing. This pressure shift is crucial to learn if you want to become an elite ball striker.
GOLF Top 100 Teacher James Leitz likes to teach this pressure shift by having his students hold a kettle bell out in front of them in their golf posture. He then uses a metronome set to around 150 bpm and has them sway the kettle bell back and forth on each click. As you do this, the momentum of the kettle bell should shift the pressure back and forth between your feet.
PAYNTR Jason Day Eighty Seven SC (Men’s)
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“You want to feel your feet dance with the kettle bell,” Leitz says. “We have to create a fast cadence, and this is a great way to do it.”
As you continue swinging the kettle bell back and forth, you can start to lift your heels off the ground slightly to really get a feel for how your weight and pressure are shifting between your feet.
Once you’ve gotten that feel down, swap out the kettle bell for one of your irons (a mid or short iron will do). Continue that “dance” with your feet and then eventually, graduate to a full follow through.
“It really unlocks a golfer’s athleticism,” Leitz says. “It’s a great drill to teach you that the swing starts before the club moves.”
If you can incorporate the feel of dancing with the kettle bell into your full swing, you’ll be able to better use the ground and hit more crisp shots than ever before.
