Some drills need gadgets, alignment sticks and a lot of explaining. This one needs nothing at all. Bring your feet together, make a swing, and your body will tell you very quickly whether you’re balanced.
It’s a favourite of some very well-known coaches, and it touches almost everything we measure at DE-SHANK: tempo, head movement, hip sway and posture.
Who rates it, and why
Pete Cowen: “swing in balance”
Pete Cowen, the long-time coach of Henrik Stenson, is one of the biggest advocates. In a GOLF.com piece by Luke Kerr-Dineen, Cowen is quoted from Today’s Golfer: “I always say, don’t swing to stay in balance, swing in balance.” He suggests that good players can hold their follow-through for 20 seconds.
Cowen goes further, arguing that most players would turn around a more consistent centre with their feet together, so the bottom of the arc becomes more consistent too. In an older Golf International piece, quoted in the same article, he describes the drill as a way to “harmonise the swinging of the arms with the rotation of your body”, and notes that it encourages your knee and chin levels to stay constant.
Tina Mickelson: centred, full turn, even tempo
PGA professional Tina Mickelson explains the drill on PGA.com. She points out that many players sway back and forth, and that with your feet together you simply can’t. She adds that the drill shows you what it feels like to stay centred, to make a full turn while staying balanced, and that your tempo tends to become more even.
All credit for the drill and these explanations goes to Cowen and Mickelson.
Why it works
With a narrow base, any lateral movement threatens your balance. Your body quickly learns to rotate around a centre rather than sliding off it. That has knock-on effects:
- Less hip sway. There’s no room to slide.
- A steadier head. If your head drifts, you’ll wobble.
- Better posture. Standing up or dipping throws you off balance.
- A smoother tempo. Swing too hard and you’ll fall over, so you naturally find a more controlled rhythm.
How to practise it
Cowen’s suggestion, quoted by GOLF.com, is to hit a few sets of 10 balls with a 7-iron, ideally off a tee to start, then go back to your normal stance and see the difference. Here’s how we’d structure it:
Step 1: Rehearsal swings
Make five slow, half-speed swings with your feet touching or nearly touching. Hold each finish for a count of three.
Step 2: Half shots off a tee
Hit ten balls with a mid-iron off a low tee, using a half swing. Focus on striking the ball, not hitting it far.
Step 3: Three-quarter shots
Build to three-quarter swings. If you lose your balance, drop back to half swings.
Step 4: Normal stance
Return to your usual stance and hit ten balls trying to keep the same balanced, centred feeling. Hold your finish.
Step 5: Repeat
Alternate a set of five feet-together shots with five normal shots. The contrast is where the learning happens.
How DE-SHANK helps
The feet-together drill is perfect for before-and-after comparisons. Record five swings with your normal stance, then five with your feet together, then five more normal swings. Compare your hip sway, head movement and tempo scores across the three sets.
If the drill is working, you’ll often see your hip sway and head movement scores improve in the final set. DE-SHANK runs on your phone, scores each swing from 30 to 100, and keeps your history so you can see whether the improvement sticks. Read more about how it works.
DE-SHANK gives estimates from one camera view. It’s designed for practice feedback, to help you spot habits and track trends.
Common mistakes
- Swinging too hard. This is a control drill. Cowen notes that you’ll only lose around 10 per cent of your distance, but at first it may feel like more. That’s fine.
- Starting with a driver. Begin with a short or mid-iron.
- Skipping the transfer. The point is to take the feeling back to your normal stance, so always finish with normal swings.
Our take
The feet-together drill is simple, free and backed by respected coaches. If you only add one drill to your warm-up this autumn, make it this one. For more drills, see our Coaching Tips.
Try DE-SHANK free
Measure the difference a balanced swing makes. Try the free DE-SHANK beta. It’s free during the beta.
