Understanding Shaft Lean at Address
Shaft lean at address and further, impact, is one of those powerful pro-level moves that many amateur golfers admire, but few understand how to recreate. A common misconception is that you can preset this position at address by simply pressing your hands forward. While this might look and feel correct, this approach can actually do more harm than good, especially with longer clubs like hybrids or woods.
Why You Shouldn’t Force Shaft Lean at Setup
Trying to artificially force forward shaft lean at address often results in poor contact, weak shots, or chunks. This is especially problematic when the hands creep forward just before the swing. While this might be manageable with a short iron, it leads to disaster with longer clubs.
True shaft lean is not about manipulating the hands—it’s about moving your body correctly through from setup to impact. You can see the comparison of a correct and incorrect shaft lean below.
Where Forward Shaft Lean Really Comes From
Forward shaft lean is created by your body’s movement—specifically your weight shift and how your core and pelvis move through the ball at the start of the swing. When weight doesn’t transition properly toward the target, the club tends to “spin out,” reducing shaft lean and resulting in mis-hits.
Visualizing the relationship between the club handle and your belly button helps demonstrate how proper weight shift naturally creates forward shaft lean—without using your hands.
The Forward Shaft Lean Drill For Better Weight Shift
Use this drill to train a better transition and naturally produce forward shaft lean in the golf swing:
- Step 1: Narrow your stance more than usual (exaggerate slightly).
- Step 2: Make a few practice swings to feel how much easier it is to shift weight from back to front.
- Step 3: Hit 10 half shots with a short or mid-iron (like an 8-iron) using this narrow stance. Focus on loading into your back foot on the backswing. Then shift all your weight into your front foot on the downswing.
- Step 4: At the finish, check your balance. You should feel tall and stacked over your lead leg. Your trail foot should feel light enough to lift off the ground.
These short, controlled swings will help you feel the weight transfer and develop real shaft lean at impact.
Build Forward Shaft Lean Naturally
You can’t fake proper shaft lean by presetting your hands—it has to come from correct body motion. Mastering your weight shift is the key to consistent contact, solid compression, and powerful impact. Work this drill into your practice routine, and you’ll start seeing the results show up in your full swing.
