Full Instruction Video:
Subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss out on new content, instructions, and tips.
Want the Full Video Training Guide?
Disclaimer: The instructions in this video are intended as a general guideline. The use of FinalPutt products is at your own risk. FinalPutt is not liable for any injury, damage, or other consequences resulting from improper, unsafe, or unintended use of the product.
👉 Get The Program Here
How to Use the Distance Plates Pro to Add Distance With Ground Force: A Complete Guide
The Distance Plates Pro are golf pressure and force plates that you place under your feet during practice. They train you to use the ground to generate speed, shift your weight correctly, and build the kind of effortless power that tour pros rely on for every swing. If you are losing distance, swinging with your arms, struggling with balance, or failing to transfer your weight through the ball, your feet are the problem. The Distance Plates Pro fix it by making you feel exactly what is happening underneath you on every swing.
Here is what most amateur golfers do not understand: distance does not come from your arms. It does not come from swinging harder. It comes from the ground. Tour pros push into the ground and the ground pushes back. That reaction force travels up through the legs, into the hips, through the torso, and into the club. This is called ground force reaction and it is the single biggest source of speed in the professional golf swing. Most amateurs never use it because they cannot feel what their feet are doing during the swing.
The Distance Plates Pro change that. They sit under your feet and give you heightened feedback on your pressure, your weight distribution, and your weight shift throughout the entire swing. With just a few minutes of practice a day, you will learn to use the ground to generate real distance without swinging harder or changing your swing mechanics. This guide will walk you through everything, how the product works, how to set it up, how to train with it, what mistakes to avoid, and how to get the most out of every session.
What Are the Distance Plates Pro and How Do They Add Distance?
The Distance Plates Pro are a pair of small, firm plates that you place on the ground and stand on during your practice swings. They sit under the balls of your feet and create heightened sensory feedback so you can feel your pressure, balance, and weight shift with much greater awareness than standing on flat ground.
Why Ground Force Matters for Distance Every yard of distance starts from the ground. When you push down into the ground with your feet, the ground pushes back with equal force. That upward force travels through your body and accelerates the club. This is called ground force reaction and it is the primary speed source for every tour player in the world. Studies have shown that the fastest swingers on tour generate the most ground force. It is not arm speed. It is not flexibility. It is how effectively you use the ground.
Most amateur golfers are completely disconnected from their feet during the swing. They stand flat, shift their weight poorly or not at all, and generate all their speed from their arms and hands. The result is weak, inconsistent distance that gets shorter every year.
How the Distance Plates Pro Train Ground Force When you stand on the plates, your feet become more sensitive to pressure changes. You can feel where your weight is at address. You can feel the shift to your trail foot on the backswing. You can feel the push into the ground at the start of the downswing. You can feel the transfer to your lead foot through impact.
This heightened awareness teaches your body to use the ground naturally. You do not have to think about ground force mechanics. You just have to feel the plates and your body figures out the rest. The feedback does the teaching.
How to Set Up the Distance Plates Pro
Getting the setup right ensures you get accurate feedback and a stable, comfortable practice session.
Step 1, Place the Plates on the Ground Position the two plates on the ground where you will stand. They should sit under the balls of your feet, not under your heels. The balls of your feet are where ground force is generated, so that is where the feedback needs to be.
Step 2, Stand on the Plates and Check Your Stance Step onto the plates and take your normal golf stance. Your feet should feel stable and balanced. If the plates feel unstable or you feel like you are going to roll off, adjust their position slightly until they sit comfortably under the widest part of your foot.
Step 3, Feel Your Weight Distribution at Address Before you swing, stand still on the plates and feel where your weight is. Is it 50/50 between left and right foot? Is it more on your heels or on your toes? The plates make these subtle differences much more obvious. For most shots, you want roughly even weight distribution at address with pressure centered on the balls of your feet.
Step 4, Take Slow Practice Swings Before hitting balls, take a few slow swings and focus on what you feel under your feet. Feel the weight shift to your trail foot on the backswing. Feel the push into the ground at the start of the downswing. Feel the transfer to your lead foot through impact. These sensations are what you are training.
Quick Setup Checklist:
- Both plates on the ground, spaced at your normal stance width
- Plates positioned under the balls of your feet, not the heels
- Stance feels stable and balanced
- Weight distribution checked at address before swinging
- Slow practice swings taken to feel the pressure and weight shift
How to Train With the Distance Plates Pro for Maximum Results
Phase 1: Beginner, Feeling the Ground for the First Time (Week 1-2)
The goal in the first phase is simple: learn to feel what your feet are doing during the swing. Most golfers have never paid attention to their feet. The Distance Plates Pro make it impossible to ignore them.
Start with half swings using a wedge or short iron. Stand on the plates and take slow, controlled swings. Focus entirely on what you feel under your feet. Do not worry about ball flight or distance yet. Just feel.
On the backswing, feel the weight shift toward your trail foot. On the downswing, feel the push into the plate under your lead foot. Through impact, feel the pressure transfer fully to your lead side. These three sensations are the foundation of using ground force.
Hit 20-30 balls per session. Keep the swings slow and controlled. Quality of awareness matters more than quantity of swings. Every rep where you clearly feel the weight shift and ground pressure is building the pattern your body needs.
Then step off the plates and hit 10 balls from flat ground. Can you still feel your weight shift? Can you still sense the push into the ground? The goal is for the awareness you built on the plates to transfer to regular standing. This on/off cycle is how the skill becomes permanent.
Phase 2: Intermediate, Adding Speed and Clubs (Week 3-4)
Now you start increasing swing speed and training ground force with longer clubs.
Move to three-quarter and full swings with mid-irons. As the swing gets faster, the weight shift becomes more dynamic. The plates will show you whether you are still using the ground correctly at higher speed. Many golfers shift weight correctly at slow speed but lose it when they swing hard. The plates catch this immediately.
Focus on the push at the start of the downswing. This is the key moment for ground force. At the top of the backswing, you should feel pressure on your trail foot plate. At the start of the downswing, you should feel a strong push into the lead foot plate. That push is what initiates the kinematic sequence from the ground up. If you do not feel it, you are starting the downswing with your arms instead of your feet.
Start paying attention to your distance. With proper ground force, you should notice that your shots travel further with the same effort. The ball should feel like it jumps off the face because the energy is coming from the ground through your body, not just from your arms.
Increase to 40-50 balls per session. Alternate between plates-on and plates-off every 10 balls. The on/off cycle builds the ability to use ground force from any surface, not just from the plates.
Add driver practice. The driver is where ground force creates the most visible distance gains. Stand on the plates and hit drivers. Feel the push. Feel the transfer. The distance will follow.
Phase 3: Advanced, Making Ground Force Automatic (Week 5+)
By now, your body should be learning to use the ground naturally. The awareness is building.
Use the Distance Plates Pro as a warm-up tool. Stand on them for the first 15-20 swings of every practice session to activate your ground force awareness before stepping off and hitting from flat ground. Think of them as a reset button that reconnects your feet to your swing.
Train with every club. Ground force applies to every shot from wedge to driver. The push into the ground should feel slightly different with each club length, but the principle is the same. Train on the plates with at least 3-4 different clubs per session.
Use them when distance drops. Every golfer has stretches where distance falls off without explanation. The Distance Plates Pro are the fastest diagnostic tool for this. Step on them and take a few swings. If you cannot feel the weight shift and ground push clearly, your feet have gone quiet and your arms have taken over. The plates reactivate the ground force immediately.
Test yourself. Hit 20 balls from flat ground without the plates. Film your swing from face-on. Is your weight transferring to your lead foot through impact? Are your hips clearing? If your lower body looks active and your distance is holding, the ground force awareness is locked in. If your swing looks arm-dominant, get back on the plates and reinforce.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using the Distance Plates Pro
Mistake 1: Placing the plates under your heels Ground force is generated from the balls of your feet, not your heels. If the plates are under your heels, the feedback is in the wrong place and the training is less effective. Always position the plates under the widest part of your foot.
Mistake 2: Swinging too hard too soon Start with slow, controlled swings so you can feel the weight shift clearly. If you swing at full speed from the start, the sensations happen too fast to register and the learning is slower. Build speed gradually.
Mistake 3: Ignoring the push at the start of the downswing The most important moment for ground force is the transition from backswing to downswing. That push into the lead foot plate is what starts the kinematic sequence. If you are not feeling it, focus your attention there. Everything else follows from that push.
Mistake 4: Only using them for driver Ground force applies to every club. Wedge shots, iron shots, and driver all benefit from proper weight shift and ground pressure. Train on the plates with multiple clubs every session.
Mistake 5: Never stepping off them The Distance Plates Pro are a training tool, not a playing surface. You need to train without them to transfer the awareness to flat ground. Alternate on and off during every session. The goal is to use ground force from any surface, not just from the plates.
Mistake 6: Focusing on arms instead of feet The Distance Plates Pro exist to shift your attention from your arms to your feet. If you are standing on the plates but still thinking about your arm swing, you are missing the point. Focus on the ground. Feel the pressure. Let your arms follow the energy that comes from below.
What Golf Swing Faults Do the Distance Plates Pro Fix?
Loss of Distance
The most common reason golfers lose distance is that they generate speed with their arms instead of the ground. The Distance Plates Pro train you to push into the ground and use ground force reaction to create speed. Most golfers gain noticeable distance within the first few sessions simply because they start using a power source they were ignoring.
Arm-Dominant Swing
When your feet are passive, your arms do all the work. This creates a weak, inconsistent swing that lacks power and tires you out over 18 holes. The Distance Plates Pro activate your lower body by making your feet the center of attention. Once your feet lead, your arms follow and the swing becomes efficient.
Poor Weight Transfer
Many golfers stay stuck on their back foot through impact or reverse pivot (shift weight forward on the backswing and backward on the downswing). The Distance Plates Pro show you exactly where your weight is on every swing. You feel the correct shift immediately and you feel the incorrect shift just as clearly.
Balance Issues
If you lose your balance during or after the swing, your weight distribution is off. The Distance Plates Pro give you a heightened sense of where your balance is at every point in the swing. Over time, your body learns to maintain stability throughout the motion.
Inconsistent Contact
Fat shots and thin shots often come from poor weight transfer. When your weight stays back, the low point of the swing moves behind the ball. The Distance Plates Pro train you to shift your weight forward through impact, moving your low point ahead of the ball for crisp, ball-first contact.
Poor Sequencing
The correct golf swing sequence starts from the ground up. Feet push into the ground. Hips rotate. Torso follows. Arms and club come last. When the sequence is wrong, power is lost at every link. The Distance Plates Pro train the first link in the chain, the feet, which sets the correct sequence in motion automatically.
Where to Use the Distance Plates Pro
At the Driving Range The best place to train. Place the plates on the mat or grass, stand on them, and hit balls. Alternate between plates-on and plates-off for the fastest skill transfer.
In Your Backyard You do not need to hit balls. Stand on the plates and take practice swings. Focus on the weight shift and the push. This is perfect for daily practice without needing a range session.
At Home Stand on the plates in your living room without a club. Practice shifting your weight from trail foot to lead foot. Feel the push. This simple exercise builds ground force awareness faster than you might expect and takes less than 5 minutes.
Before a Round Use the plates during your warm-up to activate your ground force before the first tee. A few swings on the plates reconnect your feet to your swing and set the foundation for using the ground all day.
During Fitness Training The Distance Plates Pro can also be used during golf-specific exercises. Squats, rotational movements, and balance drills on the plates build the lower body strength and awareness that translates directly to your swing.
Tips for Getting the Best Results From Your Distance Plates Pro
- Focus on your feet, not your arms. The entire point is to shift your attention to the ground. If you are thinking about arm positions while standing on the plates, redirect your focus to what you feel under your feet.
- Feel the push at the start of the downswing. This is the most important moment. The push into the lead foot plate initiates everything. Make it the center of your attention during every swing.
- Alternate on and off every 10 balls. Build the ability to use ground force from flat ground, not just from the plates.
- Use them with every club. Ground force applies to wedges, irons, and driver equally. Train across your entire bag.
- Use them at home without a club. Simple weight shift exercises on the plates build awareness faster than you think. Five minutes a day is enough.
- Use them as a diagnostic tool when distance drops. If your distance falls off, step on the plates and find out whether your feet have gone quiet. They usually have.
- Clean and store properly. Wipe the plates with a damp cloth after use. Store them flat in your golf bag or at home where they will not get crushed.
Key Features of the Distance Plates Pro
Train Ground Force Reaction The plates teach you to push into the ground and use the ground's reaction force to generate speed. This is the same power source tour pros use on every swing.
Heightened Sensory Feedback Standing on the plates makes your feet more sensitive to pressure changes, weight distribution, and weight shift. You feel things you never noticed on flat ground.
Add Distance Without Swinging Harder Ground force creates speed from below. When your feet lead and your arms follow, distance increases naturally without extra effort or swing changes.
Fix Weight Transfer Instantly The plates show you where your weight is on every swing. Poor weight transfer becomes obvious immediately and corrects itself through feel.
Works for Every Club From wedge to driver, ground force applies to every shot. The plates train the skill that benefits your entire bag.
Portable and Lightweight Small enough to carry in your golf bag. Place them on any surface and start training. No setup required beyond placing them on the ground.
Works for Every Golfer Juniors, seniors, beginners, advanced players. Any golfer who wants more distance without swinging harder will benefit from learning to use the ground.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Distance Plates Pro
How long until I see results? Most golfers feel the difference in their weight shift and ground awareness within the first session. Measurable distance gains typically appear within 1-2 weeks of regular use as your body learns to use the ground naturally.
Do I need to change my swing to use them? No. The Distance Plates Pro work within your existing swing. They do not require any mechanical changes. They simply heighten your awareness of the ground so your body learns to use it more effectively.
Can I use them on a range mat? Yes. The plates work on grass, range mats, and any flat surface. Place them on the mat, step on, and swing normally.
Do they work for left-handed golfers? Yes. The plates are identical and work for both right-handed and left-handed golfers.
What clubs should I use them with? All of them. Ground force applies to every club in the bag. Start with wedges and short irons, then build up to mid-irons, long irons, and driver.
How are these different from the Strike Pad? The Strike Pad trains low point control and weight transfer by showing where the club contacts the ground. The Distance Plates Pro train ground force and weight shift by giving you heightened feedback from underneath your feet. They address different aspects of the swing and complement each other.
Can beginners use them? Absolutely. Beginners benefit the most because they are building swing habits from scratch. Learning to use the ground from day one means they develop efficient power generation instead of relying on arm speed.
Can I use them at home without hitting balls? Yes. Standing on the plates and practicing weight shifts without a club or a ball is one of the most effective ways to build ground force awareness. It takes less than 5 minutes and can be done in your living room.
How do I clean them? Wipe with a damp cloth after use. Store flat in your golf bag or at home.
Final Thoughts
The Distance Plates Pro are the simplest way to unlock the most overlooked power source in golf: the ground. Every tour pro on the planet uses ground force to generate speed. Most amateur golfers do not. The reason is simple. You cannot use what you cannot feel. And most golfers cannot feel what their feet are doing during the swing.
The Distance Plates Pro change that. They sit under your feet and make every pressure change, every weight shift, and every push into the ground obvious. Once you can feel it, your body learns to use it. Distance increases. Balance improves. Contact gets crisper. And none of it requires swinging harder.
If you are tired of losing distance every season, if you are tired of swinging harder and going nowhere, if you are tired of watching your playing partners outdrive you with less effort, the answer is under your feet. It always has been.
With regular use, you will build the ground force awareness that turns your lower body into the engine of your swing. More distance. Better balance. Effortless power. All from the ground up.
Ready to find your distance? Add the Distance Plates Pro to your bag and feel the difference from your very first swing.