GOLF IS PLAYED BETWEEN THE FEET
You may have heard that golf is played between the ears – illustrating just how mentally demanding this game is. However, it is also true that golf is played between the feet – a concept that used to be drilled into players of yore. Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Hones, Ben Hogan – all time greats – all learned golf as a ‘rocking motion’ from the left to the right foot. This footwork
THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANTING THE RIGHT FOOT, AND KEEPING IT PLANTED
It sounds so simple – Keep your right foot planted on the backswing – and as long as possible on the downswing. One of the key giveaways of an amateur golf swing is that they are ‘in a hurry’ to hit the ball.This hurry takes various forms (none of which are good).One of the forms that this ‘hurried downswing’ takes is that of spinning your hips open too quickly. In fact, the more athletic you are (tennis, running, baseball etc.), the more prone you will be to this rapid spinning open of hips.Keep the right foot planted through impact; this will curtail the rapid opening of the hips that is the culprit in a lot of incorrect downswings.
KEEP THE CHIN BACK
A lot of people do not pay attention to their chin. In golf, the swing has to finish under your chin (your backswing finishes when your left shoulder is under your chin). So, chin clearance is important (in fact, this was an important aspect of Tiger’s setup routine – to ensure that the chin was UP before starting his backswing).
At the start of the backswing, the chin does swivel back a bit (in Jack Nicklaus’ case, he started with the chin already swiveled backwards). What this slight swivel does is effectively provide a ‘visual cue’ to your body that your weight needs to move to the right. All that is well and good – and most people can execute this part fairly easily. What happens next is what destroys their beautiful swivel.
In a rush to lunge at the ball, the head moves forward – and the chin loses its pristine position. What you need to remember (in fact, my ONLY downswing thought is this) – Keep the chin exactly where it is throughout your downswing.
This will also ensure that your right foot stays planted – for as long as possible. Try it – and let me know if it doesn’t work. In my case, the ONLY way I lose my planted right foot is if I don’t pay attention to what my head/chin is doing on the downswing. If I can keep my chin back, my right foot stays planted. I like to additionally imagine that my chin is ‘nudged’ gently against my right foot – that way, the chin and the right foot are ‘connected’. If one moves, so does the other.Golf Pro – Chin Back Rory – Chin Back
PROS THAT EXCEL AT KEEPING THEIR RIGHT FOOT PLANTED
Jason Dufner (who also utilizes the right foot back concept ), Kenny Perry (picture below), Angel Cabrera are all major winners who excel at keeping their right foot planted. The idea is to keep it planted as long as humanly possible – until the sheer momentum of your turning hips forces it to leave the ground.
EXERCISES AND TRAINING AIDS?
Exercises – I highlighted the importance of the king of all exercises, the squat– for a golfer. However, if squats aren’t your favorite thing, there are some less stressful alternatives. Yoga poses – especially those that involve one foot balancing (eagle, tree, airplane etc.) are very effective in strengthening your foot muscles. Once you are able to stand on one leg for extended periods of time, keeping the right foot planted should come more easily.
Training Aids I cannot believe they discontinued this little gem, but it is ideal for training your foot to stay planted. It used to be called Tour Foot – but I cannot find it easily online anymore. With spikes that dig in – and stay dug in – this training aid will make sure your foot doesn’t slip or slide.
SUMMARY
I speak from experience – once I made the right foot (grounding of) the focus of my golf swing, it simplified my game a lot. I always believe in taking no more than one swing thought to the course , whether playing a casual round or an actual competitive round of golf. The simpler your single swing thought, the more success you will have on the course.
For the longest time, the one swing thought that worked for me was ‘Complete your follow through’ (a lot of amateurs quit swinging the club right after impact….). This served as a simple, yet effective swing thought – that worked across the board (for chips as well as putts as well as all long shots).
Keeping the right foot planted is in this same genre of simple, yet highly effective, swing thoughts.This thought leads to better balance on all your shots, less effort for the same (or greater) distance – and most importantly – ridiculously STRAIGHT shots! In my case, my definitive power hook (what my draw would turn into towards the last few holes, as I got tired), was a result of my right foot ‘eagerly’ leaving the ground. Once I controlled this over impulsive behavior of my right foot, not only did I maintain better balance, I got rid of my draw hook altogether. Try it out on the course or the range...and let me know how it works out. Happy Golfing! And remember to post questions, comments here…