There is a critical difference between shifting pressure into your lead foot and swaying your entire body laterally past your front heel. When you sway or lean excessively into your lead leg, your swing center shifts ahead of the ball, steepening your plane and robbing you of rotational speed.
Coach Matt Tindale places the pathpal just outside the front foot heel with a 90-degree vertical rod and foam noodle to train a centered pivot that posts up and rotates rather than swaying laterally.
See the full step-by-step station on the Anti-Sway Drill page, or watch Matt demonstrate the setup below.
The drill
Matt Tindale (Owner, Director of Instruction at DBL CRS Sim Lounge; 2025: Assistant coach with the University of Guelph Gryphons golf team, 18: Years teaching experience across major Canadian Clubs (North Halton, Westmount, Credit Valley, Guelph Lakes), Co-Founder: DBL CRS Sim Lounge) uses the pathpal training system to give golfers immediate physical and visual feedback on every repetition.
This drill uses the pathpal with an alignment rod and a pool noodle to train your body to stay centered during the swing, preventing you from swaying too far to the front.
Setup
- Take the pathpal and insert an alignment rod with a pool noodle into it at a 90-degree angle
- Place the pathpal on the ground just outside your front foot heel
How to run the drill
- Practice swinging without letting your left leg touch the pool noodle
- Repeat the motion several times, focusing on a feeling of "standing up around" the ball
- Once you feel comfortable with the motion, proceed to hit a ball while maintaining the correct posture
Place the 90-degree vertical barrier just outside your lead heel and feel yourself 'standing up and rotating around' your lead post without letting your lead leg crash through the noodle.
Watch the drill
View the full guided drill on pathpal →
Why it works
When a golfer sways past their lead foot on the downswing, the outer wall of the lead leg collapses outward. Instead of acting as a firm rotational post that brakes lateral motion and accelerates the clubhead, the lead leg gives way and leaks energy.
Build a firm lead-side post that rotates in place rather than swaying past your front heel.
By setting the pathpal on the ground just outside the front foot heel with a 90-degree vertical rod and pool noodle, Matt Tindale creates a tactile outer wall. You immediately feel if your lead leg sways into the noodle, allowing you to train a centered, powerful turn.
Who this is for
- ✓Golfers who sway or lean excessively past their front foot during the swing
- ✓Players whose lead knee and hip drift laterally outside their lead ankle at impact
- ✓Anyone who loses balance toward the target or struggles with steep, pulled iron shots
- ✓Golfers who want a simple one-stick boundary for indoor or outdoor practice
Try it
Insert an alignment rod with a foam noodle (or The Arrow padded stick) into the 90-degree slot of your pathpal and set it on the ground just outside your front foot heel.
- Insert an alignment rod with a foam noodle into the 90-degree vertical slot on the pathpal
- Place the pathpal on the ground just outside your lead foot heel at address
- Make 10 practice swings without letting your lead leg touch the noodle, feeling your body post up and rotate
- Hit 15 mid-iron shots maintaining that centered, balanced finish inside the vertical barrier
This drill uses the pathpal magnetic 14-angle training station and alignment sticks. Shop pathpal, pair it with The Arrow padded alignment sticks, or explore the Complete Training System with Free U.S. Shipping.
Related drills
If this drill matches what you are working on, these three guided drills build on the exact same movement pattern:
Lead Knee Extension
Taught by Cody Carter. Engage Your Lead Leg for Powerful Vertical Push. View drill →
Vertical push and speed drill
Taught by Cody Carter. Straighten Your Lead Leg for Power. View drill →
Shank Prevention
Taught by Mike Barge. Prevent Shanks by Swinging Closer to Your Body. View drill →
About Matt Tindale
Frequently asked questions
Where do I place the pathpal for Matt Tindale's Anti-Sway Drill?
Insert an alignment rod with a pool noodle into the 90-degree vertical slot and place the pathpal on the ground just outside your front (lead) foot heel.
What is the difference between a proper weight shift and a lateral sway?
A proper weight shift loads pressure into the inside and center of your lead foot so your hip can rotate backward; a lateral sway pushes your knee and hip outside your lead heel, stalling rotation.
What swing feel does Matt Tindale recommend with this setup?
Focus on the sensation of 'standing up around' the ball on your lead post as you rotate through impact rather than sliding past the barrier.
Can swaying toward the target hurt my swing plane?
Yes. When your upper and lower body sway ahead of the ball, the club is forced onto a steeper, outside-in plane that causes pulls, slices, and thin or heavy contact.
Does this drill work for both right-handed and left-handed golfers?
Yes. Right-handed golfers place the unit just outside their left heel, and left-handed golfers place it just outside their right heel.
Ready to stop guessing and build a repeatable swing?
pathpal sets up drills like Anti-Sway Drill in seconds: one integrated training system that fits in any golf bag and delivers real feedback on every swing.
Shop pathpal
