PGA professional GRANT HEPBURN demonstrates some of the key concepts in generating more power in your golf swing.
In this month’s power tip, I’d like to look at the role of the right foot in the backswing (the left foot for left-handers). One of the most common mistakes I see amateurs make is that they allow their weight to shift to the outside of their right foot during the weight transfer that occurs in their backswing.
At the top of backswing, your weight should be on the inside of your right foot – or at worst, your right foot is flat – but you should never let it roll to the outside of your right foot. From there it is very hard to recover and use your right leg to drive through the ball, which is an important source of power in the golf swing.
I explain using good and bad sequences below.
Getting it right
As with all good swing sequences, I start off by setting up correctly with my feet firmly planted and my weight slightly favouring my right side. I want to be sure I stay well-balanced throughout the transfer of weight on to my right side during the backswing.
In this good sequence, note how, in the downswing, I am able to use my right foot and leg as a source of power, as it pushes my weight back to my left side and my right shoulder swings underneath my chin. This helps me generate more clubhead speed through impact, which results in greater power. It also helps me stay balanced through the swing, ensuring I hit the sweet spot of the club.
By looking at the swing down the line, you can see how my weight stays on the inside of my right foot. By doing this, my right shoulder can move down under my chin, my arms can drop down the correct path and my club can swing into the ball on the correct plane.
Getting it wrong
In the bad swing sequence, pay attention to how I have allowed my weight to transfer to the outside of my right foot during my backswing. From here it is very difficult to get my right leg to help me transfer my weight back to the left side in my downswing, and I end up being stuck on my back foot. As I approach impact, my legs are not able to add the power they should. Even into the followthrough, it is very difficult to make use of the full force of my weight, so I will end up losing power.
Looking down the line note how, because my weight is outside my right foot, my right shoulder can’t swing under my chin. I’m stuck so far back on my right side that I will hit the ground before the ball. So, to compensate, my right shoulder moves out and over, causing my arms to be thrown outwards. As a result, my club travels from out to in, delivering a choppy, glancing blow. This produces a power loss and, in most cases, either a nasty slice or a pull-hook.
– Hepburn has been a regular face in Compleat Golfer for more than a decade. His CV includes time coaching on the European and PGA Tours, and an impressive list of top amateurs and pros. He is the CEO of Golf RSA and the South African Golf Development Board. Follow him on Twitter @granthepburn.
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– This article first appeared in the November 2021 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine. Subscribe here!
