Golf Club

The typical golfer knows way too much about what is NOT important about the golf swing and very little about what is!


Is your golf swing providing you with results you need to compete? Are you wasting strokes by slicing, topping or hooking the golf ball? Do you suffer many penalty shots during a round of golf? Only you can answer those questions.

Just how important are the feet, legs and hips? Well, some argue that they are the heart and soul of the golf swing. In fact, it was Byron Nelson who brought us the idea of "flexing the shaft with the lower body." Jack Nicklaus also has repeatedly said that the swing begins from the ground up. Then why, despite advice from two of the best golfers who ever played, does the average golfer try to "muscle" the ball with his or her upper body? Call it human nature or call it ego, we typically try to throw balls faster, lift things higher and push things farther by using our upper body. We haven't trained our minds to use the lower body, which is where real strength comes from. Your legs are much stronger and more powerful than your arms and, if used properly, can produce the distance you never knew you had, accuracy like you've never seen and a much more consistent ballflight. The importance of proper footwork and use of the legs is critical to a repeatable, powerful and consistent golf swing. Your lower body serves as the engine of the golf swing by pushing against the ground and creating the necessary torque, tension and momentum to make the club go faster. And more speed always equals more distance.

Whether it's Ernie Els, whose feet appear to move very little during his entire swing, or Jack Nicklaus, who nearly lifts his entire left foot off the ground during his backswing, there's a key similarity to both players: Both use the lower body as a tremendous source of power and consistency.

The Backswing

Takeaway As you take the club back, your torso begins to turn. Because your feet are planted on the ground, your legs can resist this rotation, thus creating what's called torque between your lower and upper body. Lifting the left heel is a natural movement and should never be forced. It'll happen all by itself, depending on your level of flexibility.

Mid-Backswing

As your body continues to turn, 75 percent of your body weight is transferred to the back foot, thus "charging" the right leg with the desired muscle tension. Remember, torque is a good thing and results in a stronger release through the golf ball.

At The Top

At the top of a proper backswing, the shoulders have turned somewhere around 90 degrees while the hips have turned only 45 degrees. The greater the difference in these two angles, the more torque the body develops between the upper and lower half of the body. This, in turn, means more power transferred to the ball. Your lower body is loaded with energy, torque and tension- just waiting to release. This is where real power comes from, and it starts from the ground up.

The Downswing

1. During the transition from backswing to downswing, weight is transferred from the back foot to the front foot, and the hips move slightly toward the target.

2. About midway through the downswing, there's a slight downward movement of the knees. This places weight and pressure into the ground. At this point, the golfer is using the ground as a lever on which to push up. The greater the push into the ground, the greater the clubhead speed.

3. The hips shouldn't begin turning until the club is waist high in the downswing. Once they do turn, weight transfers over to the front foot. The hips open up at impact, and as this occurs, weight moves over the outside of the left heel. At this position, your lower body has begun releasing energy toward the target and the upper body is about to release. As you can see, it's the lower body that enables the upper body to do the work!

4. At impact, the hands, arms and upper torso catch up to the lower body, releasing all the stored torque and power that was "wound up" during the backswing. Due to the leverage created by your lower body and the ground, your upper body is now moving so fast that it outpaces the lower body and out-rotates the hips by 45 degrees at the finish position. Presto! The golf swing is complete!