BALANCE IS FUNDAMENTAL KEEP EQUIPMENT CLOSE BY

Rick Koscher joined our group of Certified Teachers earlier this year and he has taken the H-G philosophy to heart. He sent me the address to his website so I could take a look at his blog, The True Gravity Blog. I found it very interesting and with his permission, I’m going to reprint some of them in the coming issues of the T²T. Here is one from Thursday, July 1, 2010. You can find Rick’s website atwww.thegolfbettercoach.com. On the right side and there is a tab you can access for the True Gravity Blog if you want to follow and/or contribute to it.

“BALANCE – DO YOU HAVE IT?

Balance [balens] Noun

1. An even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady: slipping in the mud but keeping their balance | she lost her balance before falling.
2. Stability of one’s mind or feelings: the way to some kind of peace and personal balance.

Verb [trans.]

1. Keep or put (something) in a steady position so that it does not fall: a mug that she balanced on her knee.

Verb [intrans.]

1. Remain in a steady position without falling: Richard balanced on the ball of one foot.

OK, so based on the above definitions we think we know what it means, but go ahead and apply it to your golf swing and man-o-man it just does not work. Oh, and I like the “stability of one’s mind or feelings” part ‘cause that never gets in the way of a good golf game, now does it?

Probably the best golf book I have ever read is “It’s All About Impact” by Andrew Rice. He points out that at address we generally find a balanced position to stand. Go ahead, just stand up right now in a comfortable stance, the one you might use if you were trying to stand steady on a gently rolling boat deck. Now I am willing to bet that if I drew a line from the outside of your right foot to the outside of your right ear the angle would measure 84 degrees, just as Mr. Rice’s research found studying multiple major champions.

So what is your point, “O Great GolfBetter Coach”? Simple. We, by our own instinctive intuition will use a natural position to keep ourselves in balance. So why do we let all of the other “GOLF TALK” tell us we need to “load left” or “stack and tilt” or “shift to your back foot then back to your forward foot”? Hogan was right. If we would just go about golf intelligently, and I’ll add “naturally” to the statement, we could shoot in the 70’s.

One additional comment to make here, though, and it’s important. If you are swinging a stick that does not reward your natural tendencies, then how do you expect to swing naturally? And that’s just what every golfer is doing unless they have been to a golf instructor who has “BATS”, otherwise known as Balance Achievement Tools.

If they (the instructors) do not (have BATS), then the lesson is all about them. And if they do, then the lesson is all about YOU!

Call or stop by to see me and I’ll introduce you to my “BATS”. My friend, it’s all about you and helping you to GolfBetter.”

~Rick Koscher, Certified Teacher, Illinois