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Stack and tilters may disagree, but your weight must gradually move on to your right (back) foot as you draw the club back and take it to the top. As the clubhead reaches the end of the backswing, you should ideally have the feeling you are pushing down into the ground through the inside of that back foot.
It may seem excessively technical, but exactly which part of the foot you push down on is very important. Let it slide all the way to the right edge (Images 1 & 3), and it would be a fluke were you to hit the ball solidly. A few things happen when you allow your weight to move back that far; 1) It tends to indicate a big lateral shift off the ball, meaning your head moves further behind the ball than it should which prevents a consistently solid strike, 2) Your shoulder turn is limited, meaning you can’t store up as much power in your backswing as you could, and 3) You can’t push off your right foot powerfully, meaning a further loss of power as you move into the downswing.
Power loss and inconsistent strikes are not what you want, obviously. In fact, by shifting off the ball so far, your downswing is likely to bottom out a couple of inches behind the ball. In damp conditions, such as those we experience all winter and much of the spring here in Bellingham, that means you are likely to lay a big, fat, wet divot on top of the ball.
Weight anchored on the instep of the right foot (Images 2 & 4) indicates a good coil and a powerful turn, rather than a sloppy, powerless slide off the ball. Your head remains steady which promotes better, ‘ball-first’ contact, and you can push off the inside of that back foot into your downswing ensuring your weight moves on to your left side as you move through the hitting area.
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