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It seems like all the swing fundamentals i've read include shifting your weight on the backswing from center to your right leg and then back on the downswing. How set in stone is this as part of a good swing?

It seems to me that by simply coiling around my spine, keeping my weight centered and balanced throughout the swing, I'm less likely to sway or get off balance or try to swing too hard.

Also, with both feet firmly planted to the ground, I can start my lower body rotation with both feet, one pushing against the ground, the other pulling against the ground. With most of my weight on my right side with the weight shift swing, I have a lot less traction to create good torque to twist my hips.

I know one of the obvious answers is going to be "Go with what works." but its been too cold to go to the range since I started thinking about this and indoors practice swinging.

So in general, do you think I am going to be giving up a lot of power or anything by not weight shifting?

You cannot go wrong with focusing on balance, but there will have to be some weight-shift during the swing to sustain it. Weight-shift shouldn't be exaggerated though. Stick with balance for a swing thought!

As Straight Shooter said, balance/swinging within yourself is Key...

You probably do shift your weight...even a little but do not realize/feel it.

of course there is the "stack and tilt swing"....swing around a center point>>basically it reduces stress to the lower back...Mike Weir just switched to this technique because of back issues...

I am very curious to see what the long-term implications for back/hip health for the Stack and Tilt swing is. I think that if you do it correctly, that is probably isn't too bad, but I bet there are an awful lot of people who are doing it incorrectly that are not doing themselves any favors. I had heard rumor that there is a DVD due out sometime in April that should be a little more comprehensive than 2 articles in GD.

To the OP, I don't even like the term weight shift, because like SS said, it can be way overdone. I like the concept of weight transition. I also like the concept of staying centered in the swing. My weight does transition to my back foot some because of the backswing of the shoulders and hip, but I am not consciously doing it. Same thing on the forward swing. With the hip turning around, the weight ends up on the front foot.

I think that the only true part of this that is "set in stone" as you say, is that you really have to have your weight on your front leg at impact. If you hit with your weight on your back leg, you will get into trouble -- flipping, casting, scooping, reverse pivots, over the top moves, etc. There is not a single touring pro who hits with their weight on the back leg. The weight has to be on the front.

Consciously keeping the weight there the entire swing is fine. There is the potential that you will give up a little power, though if you gain in accuracy and consistency, I think that that is a fair trade off. If it seems like what you are doing is working, then I think that it is fine.

You could definitely over exagerate the move and cause some damage to your swing and houses to the right side of the course...LOL

But in this video>> YouTube - Stack and Tilt: Mike Weir with Gary Player

Mike weir is doing the "stack and tilt" because he wanted to stop from moving off the ball to much and stay steady over the ball.

As you said he still gets his weight over to his forward foot in good balance?

I believe his driving distance is still comparable to his old swing: 289.3 in 2007 and 281.2 in 2006 from Official Website Of Mike Weir - career stats

The term weight shift can be misleading. But don't we essentially change our pivot points from back swing to forward swing in a conventional swing. We want the backswing pivot to be ideally centered on the inside of the right foot then we want the pivot on the forward swing to basically move to the inside of the left foot. My thinking is that we want to establish solidly planted, stationary pivot points about which to turn. This would seem to increase the rotational versus lateral forces driving the swing. These pivot points would necessarily have the majority of our weight centered on them to be most effective I would think. It is useful to think of it in other ways but there is a wieght shift. My obsession these days is finding an effective way to move the pivot point from front to back. The backswing pivot is easy to establish for me, but a consistent forward swing pivot is proving difficult.

You must be an engineer... because you know the basic principles of the pivot, but you are lacking the FEEL in the transition (from backswing to downswing)...Find a thought that will create that feel for you!

Hope this helps!

To me its more of timing my right hip to turn through the ball w/the downswing so that my momentum goes into ball contact and on to my finish on the front foot. In a good swing, this happens w/out having to think about it due to swinging around my spine. I consciously transfer little if any weight in the back swing trying to stay center w/weight about equal on both feet. One plane swing type dynamics. Work in progress.

Dvldog,

I totally agree that it must not be thought about, but it can be drilled on the practice tee. Finding that trigger/thought and then it will happen automatically. Of course if you swing the club back correctly, the transition will be a reaction to your body lower body/right hip (your thought) turning.

Couldn't agree more. I have gotten to the point where I hit my irons fairly well. My problem is with the longer clubs. I don't get through them as well as often. Slices and pushes w/driver, 3 wood and longer hybrids. This is killing my game (what there is of it).

Amen. I am desperately trying to find that thought. I also am looking hard as to how do I put myself in good position on the backswing to make it easier.

One thing sticks out for me right now. In nearly all the swings I've looked at lately the left knee turns inward towards the right knee in the backswing. My left knee stays pretty much stationary. How important that?

I'd like to look at this weight shift or transition in this manner: This phenomenon is not so much something someone made up, and now it is "set in stone." It is really a natural behavior of the body in reaction to the action taking place in the upper body at playing speed. By playing speed, I mean taking a full back and forward swing at the speed you normally would execute these movements when actually hitting a golf ball.

Like you, I have practiced my swings indoors. However, at least in my house, I am not able to take a full swing with a club without breaking something. So, I just go through the motions. When just going through the motions, it is possible to keep both feet planted and balanced throughout the entire backswing. However, in a backswing with some reasonable speed, the centrifugal force generated by the weight of the club/driver causes you to plant your right feet (for right-handed swings) to brace yourself. This is not a contrived reaction. It is simple law of physics. At the end of the backswing, your right feet will naturally push-off as you begin your forward swing. This reaction is also simple law of physics. For your information, this simple law of physics says: For every action, there must be a reaction.

You do not need to be a scientist to understand the above concept. Just take an iron club and swing it like your about to hit a baseball. You should feel your weight shifting. The fact that you need to keep your head still doesn't change the law of physics. Slow-motion swings are good for form only. You need to take full speed swings to get all the variables in.

Many teachers have told me this about the knee's moving towards each other.
However what they don't understand is that I had reconstructive knee surgery back in 1974 when i was 21 years old. Of course these were the days when this was major and I was in the Hospital for 10 days before I could even come home. Now they come home the same day.
While my knee works well up and down I can't move it sideways.
So how can I compensate for it? I have tried my feet instead but it requires too much timing to pull it off.

Bob, Hogan recommends setting up with your knee already pointed in. In his words, "During the golf swing, the knees work 'toward each other.' Since they do, let's start that way to begin with, each knee pointed in. In my opinion, this is a very valuable short cut, for then you have to move the knees only a very small amount as you swing, and you can concentrate you attention on other movements."

He suggests the back knee pointed in just little more than the front one. The pointed in knees help brace the lower body, and really do help prevent swaying.

I'll try it but just standing and trying it now while reading it feels real awkward maybe that is why it will work. But I hate to admit it but it hurts my knee. I think what the Doctor back then was make so I could go up and down to resume the catcher position in baseball
but i could never cut around bases anymore. It was horrible what they had to do back then to fix knees. Over thirty years later and I swear it still feels like they sewed someone else's leg on.