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As a general rule I start from the ground up when analyzing someone swing. This isn’t set in stone and sometimes I’ll talk about other things. But most of the time I’m looking at what golfers are doing with their feet first.
Having your feet pointing straight out in front of you greatly inhibits your lower body functionality during the swing.
First off, it’s very difficult to turn your hips during the backswing with your right foot pointing straight out in front of you. Try it now and see for yourself.. Stand up and perform a mock golf swing with your right foot pointing straight out in front of you. It’s difficult right? Not to mention, more likely to cause an injury in the pelvis area. I personally feel a sharp pain in my right hip with my right leg in this position.
Second, if your left foot is pointing straight out in front of you, it’s very difficult to allow the left knee to move laterally at the start of the downswing. Chances are you won’t be able to achieve a squatting or sitting position during the start down.
So, let’s start talking about how to do it properly..
I like to see both the left and right foot turned outwards a little. This means the toes are turned out. The distance between both toes should be greater than the distance between both heels.
Why is this important?
Right foot
Well, during the backswing it’s important that the right leg (trail leg) straightens a little. We want it to straighten a little because we need the tailbone moving to the left. You should never be trying to bump your hips laterally to the right – away from the target during the backswing. Don’t forget the hips have to move laterally towards the target during the downswing. So moving them laterally away from the target only moves your lower body center further away from where we actually need it at impact. Therefore, bad advice!
This doesn’t mean there’s no pressure in the right leg. But try and apply the pressure under the right foot, as the right leg straightens a little. Rather than trying to load weight into the right thigh – as per the status-quo teaching for the last few decades.
We want the right hip to be moving back behind you also, towards the target. By turning your right foot out a little, you can then push down under your right foot going back and actually turn your tailbone and right hip towards the target.
Left foot
Turning your left foot out allows you to sit into your left leg during the downswing.
But let’s not forget the backswing. As the tailbone and right hip move closer to the target, we want to feel a gradual “counterbalancing” action into the front leg. This goes hand in hand with the necessary side tilting and extending needed in the spine going back to stay centered.
As mentioned the old status-quo teaching advised loading pressure into the right thigh. Modern teaching techniques recommend loading pressure into the left thigh. Once you feel this during the backswing, then gradually start sitting/squatting into the left leg even more coming down. Your hips should be moving laterally as well as rotationally and if you have turned your left foot out to begin with, you’ll be able to sit into your left leg because your left knee will be able to move laterally as well. Allow your left knee to lead your left hip coming down.
Check out this short video on some of the best in the business, and how they position their feet to allow their lower body to function properly.
I have been told often the the “right foot should be square to the target line.” Advocated by Hogan an many other instructors is the thinking that it creates more torque. I myself, do not have a big shoulder turn on my backswing and if my right foot is straight I feel even more limited limited and its easy to come over the top. My right foot naturally wants to point out and my left is straighter.
One thing I have found is that you have to not shift your weight too much to the rear foot as its easy to not get off the right side and you may hit it fat. Keeping the weight more centered or left as you advocate I believe will make it work, correct?
Hey Mike,
I believe Ben Hogan was correct in saying that the left foot is turned out more than the right. But also turning the right foot out definitely helps with the straightening of the right leg, and the right hip and tailbone moving back behind yourself (toward the target).
Rather than think of a straight right foot, and an open left foot (flared out) I like to think of the lower body being slightly open and the upper body being slightly closed in the set-up. I think this is what Ben Hogan was talking about, and looking down at your toes in the setup it certainly looks like the right foot is perpendicular to the target line. But it’s beneficial to turn it out slightly for better right leg functionality.
Don’t forget instead of loading into the right leg, we want to feel the pressure under the right foot. This is essential so that the hands can swing inwards to come down and hit OUT at the ball.
Great comment Mike.
Agree we need to put the pressure down into the foot. Dont tbink its neccesary to open the foot. Getting into the tbiigh should be enough. Please note i know Mac o grady he worked at my range in Palm Spungs. He does open his foot, but his right hip does not work to the left as he swiings back, infact most players have a smLl l rotation of their right knee to get better into thier right side. Just sayong…..