You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out … but that can lead to a world of mistakes. Rather, listen to what PGA professional GRANT HEPBURN has to say about foot placement.
This tip is about the importance of the position of your feet in the set-up. Getting your foot position right allows you to rotate properly and complete a full swing – maximising power and consistency of strike.
When referring to foot position, it is important to consider the width of your stance, which affects your balance, as well as the angle of your feet. For me, the ideal foot position is with feet shoulder-width apart and my left foot slightly turned out. My right foot is also slightly turned out, but not quite as much.
When my front foot is slightly turned towards the target, it is easier to rotate my hips through impact – and that extra rotation and speed increases my total distance.
Getting it right
In the correct set-up, the fact that my right foot is turned out allows me to make a full backswing, where my right hip can turn around the corner, which then allows me to turn my shoulders fully and swing my arms to the top.
In the downswing, I can clear my hips out of the way, helped by my correct left foot position, which is slightly splayed outward from address and through the swing.
Note how my legs can drive through the ball as my hips clear and my arms swing through impact.
Getting it wrong: Right foot too turned in
Here I have set up with my right foot too turned in. This blocks the turning of my right hip and, as a result, you will see that my shoulders and midsection cannot make a full turn.
This restricts my backswing and I will lose power as my arms cannot swing into the correct position from which to start the downswing.
The downswing will be a weak and steep pass at the ball.
Getting it wrong: Left foot too turned in
In this sequence, my left foot is too turned in at address. This means that, through the hitting area, I cannot clear my left hip out of the way. As a result, my legs are blocked – note how my right knee has not been able to move towards my left leg – which causes a loss of power.
Also, when my hips do not clear, my arms and hands end up swinging through the shot almost on their own, which again loses power. This also causes the clubhead to flip closed and that often leads to shots that fly off to the left of target.
The drill
This drill will help you to get the feel of the correct set-up and movement of your feet.
Start by putting a club across your back, kept in place by the crooks of your elbows. Take care to place your feet in a slightly turned out position, as I have done.
Make a turn to the right where your hips turn fully and your weight moves to the right side.
Then make a shift and a turn to the left where your left hip clears out of the way and your weight transfers all the way through onto that left leg.
– This article first appeared in the October 2024 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
