25 Cents to a Better Swing Plane

The most common issue I have found among amateur golfers is poor balance. Poor balance will always alter a golfer's swing plane, causing many errant shots.

A quick way to determine if you are swinging in balance is to place a quarter on the toe of your left shoe (for right-handed golfers). Try your best to keep the coin on your shoe. After swinging, take a look to see if the quarter is still there, or where it has fallen.

If the coin has fallen to the inside part of your foot, it's an indication that you have rolled your front foot on your backswing. That means too much weight moved back during the swing, which makes it very difficult to move the weight forward again.

If the coin falls directly in front of your toe, then you have lifted your front foot too far off the ground during the backswing - again indicating too much weight on the back foot.

If the coin has fallen to the outside, then you have rolled too far to the outside of your foot or have fallen back to your heel on the finish.

Be sure to finish with all of your weight solidly over the arch of your front foot and with your stomach facing toward the target. This will lead to the the coin staying on your shoe - and I promise that your swing plane will be greatly improved.

About Steve Bishop
Steve Bishop is a Blaisdell Performance Systems core instructor, PGA apprentice, and has been helping people with their golf swings for more than 10 years. He teaches at Pavilion Lakes Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.