In this instruction piece, PGA professional GRANT HEPBURN the key moves that will get your knees working correctly.
The role of the knees in the golf swing tends to be overlooked when players are looking for ways to maximise distance and control. Yet the knees play an important role in adding power, energy and stability into the golf swing.
Getting it right
At address, I keep my legs slightly bent at the knees. In the backswing, my left knee moves across towards my right knee and the weight of my left leg rolls across towards the inside of my left foot.
When my left knee works like this, it helps me to transfer my weight to my right side and maximise my upper body rotation by freeing up my hips. When my hips turn, it helps my shoulders to make a full turn, which helps me to coil up and store power at the top of the backswing.
At the top of the backswing, you can see that I have a fully coiled body, with my left knee having moved across and behind the ball. As I transition to my downswing, my knees again play an active role in unleashing all that stored-up power.
To do this, I move both of my knees towards the target, which helps me to aggressively transfer my weight with my legs and unwind my hips and shoulders. It also encourages my arms to drop correctly into a position that allows me to deliver the club into the ball on a perfect path.
At impact, note how my left knee straightens up and absorbs the force of the impact, while giving my right side something to hit into and around. With my hips successfully cleared, my arms swing at maximum speed through to a full finish, where my weight is fully balanced on my left side.
Getting it wrong: The backswing
In this sequence I demonstrate a common mistake that is made when the golfer doesn’t allow the left knee to move towards the right on the backswing. As you can see, this restricts my backswing and doesn’t allow for a full turn. This will result in a weak backswing that will lead to poor consistency and no power.
Getting it wrong: The downswing
In this sequence I have made a good backswing, with my left knee in the correct position, but during my downswing my left knee remains inward as my legs drive towards the target. This results in a slide and means that the hips remain closed as the body slides past the ball.
When the left knee does this and the hips remain too closed, the club will drop too much from the inside and the player will become ‘trapped’ through impact, losing any chance of controlling the shot. The impact area will become cramped and lead to problems in controlling the club through the ball.
Getting it wrong: The dead right leg
In this common downswing mistake, my left knee moves towards the target but my right knee stays planted in the same position it was at the top of the backswing. This is because I have not pushed my weight from my right side to my left side. Without my right leg driving to the target, my left knee pulls away and causes me to ‘spin out’, throwing my arms away from my body and causing a steep, choppy ‘outside to inside’ swing path.
The drill
Here’s a great drill to get the feeling for the correct movement of your knees during the swing.
Start by placing a club behind your back, along your belt line. Now make a turn to the right, encouraging your left knee to move across. Make a downswing where you transfer your weight to your left side and ensure that both your knees move right, towards the target, as I have demonstrated.
– This article first appeared in the December 2023 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
