The body uses the eyes and ears to gather information for proper balance, but it also uses the nervous system. You have little nerve endings and receptors called proprioceptors in your hands and feet and in the joints throughout your body which act as your own internal GPS system. This system tells our brains the exact position and orientation of our body parts every millisecond of our lives. This is our “feel balance” which allows us to control balance, timing, rhythm and feel throughout our golf swing.
The terrain of a golf course varies greatly. One minute you’re hitting from the grassy fairway and the next you’re putting on a fast and firm green. You might even have to hit from the rough or from a sand trap. Further challenges to a golfer’s balance can be from past injuries, such as ankle sprains or knee sprains, which can damage proprioceptors, thus limiting the ability to balance.
Here are a couple quick and simple ways to develop your balance and have a better golf game:
First, just try standing on one leg. Stay tall in your spine while balancing and see how long you last. Time it with a watch. Every week, try to go longer until you can do a minute on each leg.
Next, try it with the eyes closed. This is much more challenging, so don’t get discouraged if you have trouble doing this at first. It’s important to try to maintain good posture during this exercise. If you start to hop around or swing the arms out like an airplane, stop and start over to avoid injury. You can also try these exercises in more of a golf stance rather than straight up and down.
Have fun with these exercises. Do them while watching TV or as a nice stretch break from your desk at work. Give it time and you’ll see your balance get better and better, which can greatly improve your golf game.
Joe Lembo is a Titleist certified golf fitness instructor and personal trainer. He can be reached at j5lembo@yahoo.com.