Learn how to use pressure in your feet to become a better ball striker

By: Jon Tattersall, Top 100 Teacher

August 29, 2023

Using pressure in your feet properly can help you become a better ball striker.

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Long hitters apply more force into the ground than short hitters. But it’s how they do it that really counts. It’s not simply a matter of moving your mass (the center of which is at the height of your navel and in the middle of your body front to back). It’s a true act of pressuring.

In the backswing, try to turn your body over to your trail leg, feeling like your belt buckle is moving away from the target. Now, before you reach the top, get your belt buckle moving back toward the target while leaving your upper body (your center of mass) over your trail leg.

jon tattersall swings — Get 80 percent of your total downward pressure over your front foot at impact, but keep 80 percent of your mass behind the ball. Stephen Denton

Where golfers mess up is moving their mass too far toward at the start of the downswing. Instead, shift the pressure forward by moving your lower body and keeping your center of mass back. For most golfers — especially those looking to hit it farther or avoid a slice — the correct lower-body motion should definitely feel side to side.

Learn the difference between pressuring and leaning and you’ll power shots like never before.

Jon Tattersall is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher who operates Tattersall Golf in Atlanta, Ga.