Feeling your body lunge forward towards the target in your downswing can be one of the most frustrating feelings in golf. It seems like the right move - shifting your weight for power - but the results are weak, inconsistent shots like thin rockets or heavy chunks. The fix isn't about trying harder, it’s about understanding the real source of power comes from rotation, not sliding. This article will show you exactly why you’re moving forward and give you practical, easy-to-follow drills to stop the lunge and start creating effortless power through a proper turn.
That forward movement you’re struggling with is what coaches often call a “slide,” “sway,” or “lunge.” It’s a lateral motion where your hips and upper body shift horizontally towards the target as you start your downswing. Picture your body moving down a train track toward the target. In contrast, a powerful and consistent swing is rotational, your body should turn around a fixed point, much like a spinning top or a revolving door.
When you slide forward, a chain reaction of bad things happens:
So why do golfers start lunging forward in the first place? It almost always comes from a basic misunderstanding of how power is generated and what a "weight shift" actually means. Many golfers hear they need to “get their weight to their front side” and they interpret this as a physical lunge forward. They actively try to push off their back foot and slide their hips toward the target, believing this will create a more powerful impact.
However, true golf speed is a rotational force. The ground is where it begins. You use the ground to create resistance and leverage so you can turn your body powerfully. The weight"shift" is a natural result of powerful rotation, not the cause of it. As you start the downswing, you recenter your pressure into your lead foot, which allows your body to spin or unwind around that stable lead leg. A slide is a linear push, a golf swing is a rotational pull.
Another common culprit is a fear of hitting the ball fat. A player who has hit a few shots behind the ball might subconsciously start sliding their body forward, thinking it will move the low point of their swing ahead of the ball. While the intention might seem logical, it actually creates the very inconsistency it’s trying to avoid by throwing off the entire sequence and geometry of the swing.
Before you can train proper rotation, you need a setup that makes rotation possible. Your stance is your platform for power. If it’s unstable, your body will naturally make компенсаatory moves - like sliding - to try and stay balanced. The principles are simple and echo what good players have done for decades.
A great feeling to have at setup is to feel "grounded." Imagine you are screwing your feet into the turf. Make small clockwise motions with your right foot and counter-clockwise motions with your left. This simple action engages your leg muscles and makes your lower body feel like a solid anchor that's ready to support a powerful turn.
Knowing what you should do is one thing, feeling it is another. Drills are your best friends for retraining motor patterns. Instead of thinking your way through the fix, these drills will force your body to move correctly. Spend some time on the range with these three drills, and you'll begin to build the feeling of proper rotation.
This drill gives you instant feedback on whether you are sliding or rotating.
This is a an old favorite for a reason. It is perhaps the best drill ever created for feeling how your hips should work in a golf swing.
This drill takes away your ability to push off the back foot, forcing your body to learn how to rotate around a stable lead leg.
After working on these drills, you need a way to bring that new feeling to the course without getting tangled up in complex swing mechanics. On the course, you don’t want a dozen different instructions in your head. Instead, lean on a simple swing thought or "feel" that brings back the sensation from the drills.
Try one of these during your practice swings and then over the ball:
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Stopping the forward lunge boils down to one central idea: replacing your lateral slide with a powerful rotation around a stable base. Working on the setup, foundational feelings, and specific drills detailed here will retrain your body to generate speed correctly, leading to purer strikes, more distance, and the consistency you’ve been looking for.
Building a better swing is much easier when you have reliable feedback and a clear path forward. That's why we created Caddie AI - to serve as your personal golf coach, right in your pocket. As you work on eliminating your forward slide, our app can help you check your setup or provide instant advice on the course if you feel that old move creeping back in. With features like the ability to analyze a photo of a tricky lie, we exist to provide that expert second opinion, helping you make smarter decisions and swing with a new level of confidence on every shot.
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