Lateral motion can be a killer in the golf swing and it's important to stop this as quickly as you can spot it. As always, fixing any part of your golf swing starts from first knowing what is wrong with it. Lateral motion occurs in the backswing when the body moves too far to the right. Golfers who don't turn well in their golf swings tend to suffer from moving too far laterally. Lateral motion can also be referred to as a sway. A golfer who sways in their golf swing will fail to generate power and consistency.

To fix this problem, a golfer should make sure to keep their right knee flexed in the backswing as this will help the hips to turn properly. The weight should shift to the inside part of the right foot as the golfer completes their backswing. The golf backswing motion is simply a swing, a turn, and a shift of the weight. Just shifting the weight to the side without turning will not help a golfer hit good golf shots.

If you feel like you are rolling on the outside part of your right foot at the top of your backswing, you are probably moving too far laterally. Again, keeping the right knee bent the same amount as it was in the setup will keep your weight shift in check. You want the weight to shift on the way back but only so much where it moves to the inside part of the back foot. Not shifting the weight enough or shifting forward while you are making your backswing can be equally as bad.

It is possible to spot a lateral move by one of two ways. Notice if you are off balance on your backswing. You can make practice backswings and simply pause at top of the swing and check where your weight is on your right foot. If you're rolling on the outside part of the back foot, you are probably feeling off balance and have moved out of the correct position.

The second way to check if you have shifted your weight correctly is by monitoring your shoulder turn. Golfers who move too far laterally often times do not make a proper and complete shoulder turn. The shoulder turn is an essential element of a good golf swing and doing this correctly tends to help other parts of the golf swing as well. You want to feel like your left shoulder turns all the way and gets under your chin in the backswing. If you have turned the shoulders completely, your back will also be pointed towards the target.

Maintaining your angles from your setup position will help to move things into the right positions in the swing. When golfers stand up and come out of their posture and their angles, they can move their bodies the wrong way and make it harder to hit good golf shots consistently. Make it a point to keep your right knee flexed and let your shoulders and hips turn into the right positions. Don't just try to move your body to the right in your backswing. You want to make a turn and a shift as you are following your golf club on the way back. Once you have turned correctly in the backswing, making a good downswing will come more naturally. A lateral move is generally a problem that occurs in the backswing which can then lead to more problems in the downswing.

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