Strong Base
A strong base is third on the list but I believe it is equally as important as the other two. A strong base is critical in providing consistency in the other three fundamentals. A strong base is going to promote you to have light grip pressure because your legs are activated and everything is tight. Also having a strong base is going to help you be more consistent with your tempo. When your base is solid, your tempo follows suit and will be solid and consistent.
Think about how many times you have hit a golf shot and lost your balance. Now think about how many times you can remember losing your balance and hitting a good golf shot. Probably not very many. Having a strong base forces you to be in an athletic position from the start. If you start out in an athletic position, it is much more difficult to get to a position of non-athleticsm by impact. When you are confident that you are not going to lose your balance, it becomes easier to commit to a target. If I know that when I make a golf swing that I am going to have light grip, good tempo and a solid base, it allows my mind to be content with whatever the result may be.
How do I know if my base is strong or not?
Think about how many times you have hit a golf shot and lost your balance. Now think about how many times you can remember losing your balance and hitting a good golf shot. Probably not very many. Having a strong base forces you to be in an athletic position from the start. If you start out in an athletic position, it is much more difficult to get to a position of non-athleticsm by impact. When you are confident that you are not going to lose your balance, it becomes easier to commit to a target. If I know that when I make a golf swing that I am going to have light grip, good tempo and a solid base, it allows my mind to be content with whatever the result may be.
How do I know if my base is strong or not?
If your base is strong, you will feel like you can’t be moved from your spot if somebody were to come over and give you a little push. An example of what your legs should feel like when standing over a golf ball would be:
Stand with your feet, shoulder width apart, and squat down like you were about to try and jump as high as possible. Now I want you to go through the motions of jumping but don’t actually jump. The moment in which your heels would come off the ground to get you to your toes, is where you want to be at address. When you do this and stop right before your heels lift off the ground, you will notice how tight (activated) your quads and hamstrings are. This is how your legs should feel for every golf shot in a round. Yes even putting.
How many times have you went to hit a golf shot and your consistency was all over the place. Sometimes you hit it fat, sometimes you hit it thin and rarely you hit it how it is supposed to be hit. This is partly due to a weak base. When you have a strong base, you provide resistance for the body to rotate around, through, and beyond the strike zone.
Stand with your feet, shoulder width apart, and squat down like you were about to try and jump as high as possible. Now I want you to go through the motions of jumping but don’t actually jump. The moment in which your heels would come off the ground to get you to your toes, is where you want to be at address. When you do this and stop right before your heels lift off the ground, you will notice how tight (activated) your quads and hamstrings are. This is how your legs should feel for every golf shot in a round. Yes even putting.
How many times have you went to hit a golf shot and your consistency was all over the place. Sometimes you hit it fat, sometimes you hit it thin and rarely you hit it how it is supposed to be hit. This is partly due to a weak base. When you have a strong base, you provide resistance for the body to rotate around, through, and beyond the strike zone.