Jump to content
IGNORED

back foot at address with driver


Note: This thread is 5811 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

0  

2 members have voted

  1. 1. back foot at address

    • back foot slightly closed to target, 11 o' clock
      2
    • back foot perpendicular to targert , 12 o' clock
      33
    • back foot slightly open away from target; 1 o' clock or a little less
      35
    • back foot open away from target; more than 1' o clock
      4


Recommended Posts

i've been set up with my back foot perpendicular with my target line but i noticed i've been hitting slightly better with my back foot slightly open to the right. front foot pointing roughly 11 o'clock while my back foot is at about 12:30.
just want to see where everyone else is at but also reply with what you've heard is correct.

i remember reading in tiger wood's how i play golf, he also has his back foot slightly open to the right as well.

In my bag:
Driver: R9 TP Rombax Stiff
3 Wood: R9 TP 85g Stiff
3 hybrid: X
4-SW: X-20 Uniflex

SteelLW: Forged Chrome

Putter: White Hot XG #1

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Wow, 11 votes and no responses.

I like to set up with my right (back) foot slightly away from the target. Gets a decent ammount of turn, while still keeping my lower body stable.

Of course, I'm a rubbish driver of the ball, so maybe this is the wrong thing to be doing, for me.

Whats in the bag:

Driver: Nike Ignite 460cc 10.5* Fujikura Ignite reg flex
Fairway woods: Howson tour master power series 3,5 woods
Irons: MacGregor M675 3-PW DG S300 Wedges: Mizuno MP-R Black Nickel 54.10, 60.05Putter: Pinfire Golf P4Ball: Titleist NXT TourHome Course:http://www.golfarmagh.co.uk/...
Link to comment
Share on other sites


i've been set up with my back foot perpendicular with my target line but i noticed i've been hitting slightly better with my back foot slightly open to the right. front foot pointing roughly 11 o'clock while my back foot is at about 12:30.

Both the back foot square as well as the back foot flared slightly open are acceptable positions. In the 1980's the ModelGolf company (formerly known as Compusport) came to the conclusion that most players had the back foot square and advocated that position. Most modern players seem to have the back foot flared slightly. Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, and Nick Price are all golfers who played with square back feet early in their careers, but each of them changed to a slightly flared position.

If you have a problem with too much lower body movement during the backswing, weight moves outside your back foot, you're looking to reduce your hip turn, or you seek a more aggressive leg action on the downswing then the square back foot may suit you. If you have an overactive lower body movement on the downswing, lack flexibility, seek more hip turn on the backswing, or are having problems staying in balance then the flared back foot may work best for you. Here are some pictures you can look at to gage tour pros foot flare: http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/254...ballposdg0.jpg http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/4...atsetupsj7.jpg

In my bag:

Driver: Burner TP 8.5*
Fairway metals/woods: Burner TP 13* Tour Spoon, and Burner TP 17.5*
Irons: RAC MB TP Wedges: RAC TPPutter: Spider Ball: (varies ) (Most of the time): TP Red or HX Tour/56---------------------------------------------------

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I've always been taught square back foot, mainly to put a limit on hip turn....but that is just me.

In my bag:

Driver: SQ 9.5, Graphite Stiff Shaft
3 Wood: Diablo 13 degree, Stiff Shaft
2 Hybrid: SQ 18 degree, Steel Stiff ShaftIrons: MP-30, 3-PWSW: 56* Vokey Copper spin-milledFW 52* VokeyFlat Stick Zing 2Ball: Pro V1x

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I go with a square back foot because I think it makes my right leg more solid and creates more torque in the back swing. I have never had a problem with not enough turn, maybe to much at times.

Driver - R7 425 9.5*
3 Wood - 980 15*
Hybrid - Rescue Mid 19* & 16*
Irons - 735.CM 4-9
Wedges - 248.06, SM54.14, & SM60.08White Hot Tour #5 Ball - ProV1 XHome Course: The Island

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I go with a square back foot because I think it makes my right leg more solid and creates more torque in the back swing. I have never had a problem with not enough turn, maybe to much at times.

That sounds about right for me, too.

I generally am open just a tad with the rear foot even though I prefer the torque of a square stance. Old football injury on my knee makes that uncomfortable....open helps the pain...but not the shot....I tend to overswing when open and have to remind myself to keep it more compact.
909D Comp 9.5* (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-6)
Burner Superfast 3 & 5 woods (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-4.8)
G15 Hybrid 23* (AWT shaft)
G5 5 iron-PW-46*, UW-50*, SW-54 & LW-58 (AWT shaft)
Studio Select Newport 2 Mid SlantGrips: PING cords & Golf Pride New Decade Multi-Coumpound Bag: C-130...
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I've always been taught square back foot, mainly to put a limit on hip turn....but that is just me.

After reading Hogan's book

The Five Fundamentals of Golf , I def. started keeping my back foot at 12 oclock. I try to keep my front foot at a 1/4 turn like he explains in his book. Its helped me quite a bit. I used to have both feet open, due to comfort, but we know comfort doesn't necessarily help the golfswing!
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I've always had my back foot turned slightly open, around about in the 1 o'clock position as it has always felt more comfortable. I have messed with having it square a few times but it has made no difference to me.

One thing that I do that is not particularly usual is that I have me right knee kicked in slightly towards the target Hogan style, I picked it up very early on while I was learning and reading Hogans Modern Fundamentals book and have kept with it ever since. At setup my right knee is in a normal address position, but just before commencing my takeaway it kicks in a few inches towards the target, it's kind of like my version of a forward press, it's the key that gets me moving. Ever noticed how Nicklaus rotates his chin slightly before commencing his takeaway?

In recent years I have read many times that having the right knee "braced" was one of Hogans "keys", it certainly does seem to limit the possibility of any lateral movement. Whether it is right or not, it's about 20 years too late for me to change it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I've always had my back foot turned slightly open, around about in the 1 o'clock position as it has always felt more comfortable. I have messed with having it square a few times but it has made no difference to me.

Hey chingali, what course do you play?

Driver Titleist 905R 9.5* (Stiff Prolaunch Blue 65g)
Hybrid: PT 585.H 17 * (Stiff titleist 75g shaft)
Irons: 695.cb 3-9 ( Dynamic Gold S300)
Wedges: 735.CM 47* PW, Vokey 200 series 50.08 Oil Can Vokey Spin Milled 54.10 Tour chrome, Vokey Spin Milled 58.08 Oil canPutter: Wilson Staff Kirk Kurrie #1[CO.....
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Hey chingali, what course do you play?

I'm a member at Callala Bay Country Club, it's a 9 holer (plans are underway to begin building another 9) played from different tees to make up 18 and it is outrageously difficult for a shortish course. It's your typical little coastal country track, little upturned pudding bowl greens and VERY tight fairways with the added bonus of kikuyu fairways with no run, lots of wind and about 4 billion gum trees and coastal scrub. We have a few long par 4's (over 400m) where you need to drive the ball 250m+ in to 20m landing areas to leave a mid iron in, and a couple of mid to long iron par 3's to tiny well bunkered greens so it is no pushover. Silly thing is, my handicap goes down when I get out and play supposedly more difficult Group 1 tracks than when I stay at home!

I get out there most weekends and play in the comp and I also manage to get in a few additional rounds a few times a week plus most mornings I sneak away early in the mornings to hit some balls. I'd love to have a better course available to play every day of the week but the area is so beautiful and I am so happy living here that there is no chance of me ever moving. The course is about 5 minutes drive from home or about 10 minutes walk if I bash my way along a few bush tracks. I also manage to get away down the coast once a month at least to play at Mollymook and I also get out to local courses such as Worrigee, Nowra, and up around Wollongong as often as I can, usually once every month or two. I also get up to Sydney quite regularly and play at places like New South Wales, St Michaels, The Lakes etc, it's handy knowing a lot of people from my younger days when I could play bit otherwise you'd never get a game at those places. Where abouts on the Central Coast do you play? I used to play up there quite a bit about 20 years ago, I've played pretty much everywhere decent up there quite a few times.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • 2 weeks later...
on shots where a i want to hit a duck hook, i set up like a duck with both front and back feet pointing out at 45 degree angle

They will beat their swords into golf clubs and their spears into putters. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Old Tom Morris 2:4

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I play at Tuggerah, Wyong and Gosford, but I am a member at everglades.
Everglades is much the same as what you described : Short, tight and small greens.
I haven't played much sydney golf, and the ones I have played I haven't enjoyed as much as Hunter regions and Country Courses.
Driver Titleist 905R 9.5* (Stiff Prolaunch Blue 65g)
Hybrid: PT 585.H 17 * (Stiff titleist 75g shaft)
Irons: 695.cb 3-9 ( Dynamic Gold S300)
Wedges: 735.CM 47* PW, Vokey 200 series 50.08 Oil Can Vokey Spin Milled 54.10 Tour chrome, Vokey Spin Milled 58.08 Oil canPutter: Wilson Staff Kirk Kurrie #1[CO.....
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I used to be a 90 deg guy but now I'm more of a 12:30 player. Maybe it's just that I'm getting stiff in my old age.

Nice post AvidGolfer. Makes sense.

Driver: Cobra 460SZ 9.0, med.
3 Wood: Taylor stiff
3-hybrid: Nike 18 deg stiff
4-hybrid:
Taylor RBZ 22 deg regular
Irons:5-9, Mizuno MP30, steel
Wedges: PW, 52, 56, 60 Mizuno MP30
Putter: Odyssey 2-ball

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I go with a square back foot because I think it makes my right leg more solid and creates more torque in the back swing. I have never had a problem with not enough turn, maybe to much at times.

I'm with you. I don't want any hip turn on the backswing. I want shoulder turn and a solid base.

Best, Mike Elzey

In my bag:
Driver: Cleveland Launcher 10.5 stiff
Woods: Ping ISI 3 and 5 - metal stiffIrons: Ping ISI 4-GW - metal stiffSand Wedges: 1987 Staff, 1987 R-90Putter: two ball - black bladeBall: NXT Tour"I think what I said is right but maybe not.""If you know so much, why are you...

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I've had my back foot ever so slightly open ever since I took up the game. It never occurred to me to try anything else --- I know, enlightening post. My front foot is another matter, as I have always tinkered with it.

Driver: Cobra S2 9.5 Fubuki 73 Stiff | Wood: Titleist 909H 17 Aldila Voodoo Stiff | Irons: Titleist ZB 3-5, ZM 6-PW DG S300 | Wedges: Titleist Vokey SMTC 50.08, 54.11, 60.04 DG S200 | Putter: Scotty Cameron Fastback 1.5 33" | Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Link to comment
Share on other sites


One correct stance... left foot turned out a quarter of a turn, and right foot straight forwards at 12' o clock.

Turning the right foot to the right kills tension between the hips and your upper body, which you need for power.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


One correct stance... left foot turned out a quarter of a turn, and right foot straight forwards at 12' o clock.

Its

not true that the right foot needs to be square to produce power. Nick Price wrote in his book the Swing that he was worried about that before he switched to a flared foot, but he found flaring his foot did not negatively effect his distance. Look at the long drive champion Jason Zuback in the swing sequence photo linked below. His back (right) foot is flared out at address. http://golfzilla.ca/assets/0/24/77ca...94fc363e1e.jpg Look at Fred Couples (in the top 10 in Driving Distance this year) in the picture below (wearing white visor and white shirt). He also has his back foot flared. http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/254...ballposdg0.jpg Look at Charles Howell III (considered along with Sergio Garcia to be one of the best pound for pound drivers of the golf ball on the PGA Tour), and Adam Scott (also in the top 10 in Driving Distance this year) in the picture below both of whom have their right foot flared. http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/4...atsetupsj7.jpg Need any additional proof?

In my bag:

Driver: Burner TP 8.5*
Fairway metals/woods: Burner TP 13* Tour Spoon, and Burner TP 17.5*
Irons: RAC MB TP Wedges: RAC TPPutter: Spider Ball: (varies ) (Most of the time): TP Red or HX Tour/56---------------------------------------------------

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Maybe you're right... I still think a flared right foot brings more problems than what it does to help the swing... which makes me wonder...

what is the purpose of letting the foot angle out from 12 o clock? how does it help the swing at all?
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Note: This thread is 5811 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.
  • Posts

    • New 3W is pretty good  I hit a good drive actually but straight into a headwind so it left me far enough back from the trees to attempt something stupid. So naturally, with a new 3W in the bag, I wanted to see what it could do. Hit a high draw directly over the trees and couldn't see where it ended up from the fairway, but I knew I hit it well. I doubt that's the optimal play for scoring well in the long run but it felt good to do.
    • I'm sure you've read this, but I just have to post it, here, again, for everyone who hasn't. It changed my thinking forever and irrevocably on this exact topic:  "We don't say "the golfers are more talented" today. We say "there are more talented golfers today." "More" meaning they are far more numerous, not more talented. Talent is random. Only a small percentage of people win the talent lottery --- for world class golf, way less than 1%. And there's no telling whether the most talented player of any period, including this one, was more talented than Jack, or Jones, or Vardon. It's absolutely unknowable. What IS knowable, though, is that the base population is larger, so whatever percentage of people are born with golf talent, there are a lot more of them today than there were 50 years ago. What is knowable is that training and coaching is vastly improved. Hogan had to, in his words, "dig his swing out of the dirt" by hitting millions of golf balls. Today, they have radar and laser and the Minolta super duper high speed swing cam, and they know exactly how every little swing tweak affects their spin rate and launch angle and apex height -- stuff nobody had any clue about in Jack's day. So 50 years ago, if you had 100 guys born with golf talent take up golf, maybe 30 of them would find their optimal swing. Today, it's probably over 90. What is knowable is that the huge purses, and the fact that Tiger was the world's richest and most famous athlete, and not just the world #1 golfer, is making golf the first choice of more young athletes, rather than just the guys who couldn't make the "real" sports teams in school. So if you had 100 guys born with multi-sport talent 50 years ago, most of them played golf for fun, if at all. Today, a lot more of them concentrate on golf as their main sport. And what is knowable is that travel is much faster and cheaper now, so almost every world class player shows up for almost every major and WGC, and for many of the regular PGA events. 50 years ago, the second or third best player in, say, Australia, often didn't even play in the British Open, let alone a PGA event. So all the PGA events, and three of the four majors, had only a handful of international players, and the fourth major had only a handful of Americans. None of that is speculation. It is a verifiable fact that there are over twice as many people in the world today than there were 50 years ago. It's a verifiable fact that the purses today are hundreds of times as high as they were 50 years ago --- Tony Lema got about $4200 for winning the 1964 Open; today, it's about $3.5 million. It's a verifiable fact that virtually all the world top 100 play every major they are eligible for, instead of only a handful playing any events that require overseas travel. It's not knowable exactly how all of that combines, but a good indication is the number of entries in the US Open. To enter the US Open requires both top 1% talent for the game, and a serious commitment to it. There were about 2400 entrants per year 50 years ago. This century, it's consistently over 9000, well over three times as many. It's true that, mostly because of the time and expense, the number of duffers recreational players has declined, but they never had any influence on field strength, anyway. High school kids on the golf team still play all they want, for free. What do you have to counter that? Nothing but your belief that there were half a dozen golf phenoms all at the same time in the 60's, and none today, now that Tiger's past his prime. You're entitled to that opinion, but what facts do you have to back it up? Only the number of majors they won. But how many majors would Phil have won if the fields were like they were 50 years ago? Mickelson finished second in the US Open to Goosen in 2004, to Ogilvy in 2006, and to Rose last year. 50 years ago, odds are that none of those guys would have even tried to qualify for the US Open, since it required shutting down their schedule for a minimum of three weeks to travel to the US for sectional qualifying, with no guarantee that they would make it into the actual tournament. Michael Campbell, who beat Tiger with some amazing putting down the stretch in 2005, said that he would not have entered that year if the USGA hadn't established overseas qualifying sites, so he didn't have to travel to enter. How would Phil look next to Arnie with those three US Opens? Eight majors, and a career Grand Slam. And how would Tiger look if Michael Campbell, Trevor Immelman, Angel Cabrera, and YE Yang had stayed home, like most international players did in the Jack era? I'll make it even simpler for you, since you follow women's golf. How much better would the US women look today, if there were no Asians on tour? Or even just no Koreans? Well, it looks like you're going to crow about the lack of current talent every time a guy backs into a win for the foreseeable future, but come on. The Valero was a 40-point tournament, which makes it one of the weakest regular PGA events, barely above the John Deere Classic. And the tournament committee knows that most top players don't like to play right before a major, so they try to attract the few who do by making it as close to major conditions as possible, to help them fine tune their games. A weak field facing a tough setup is not a recipe for low scores, but you still insist on taking one bad week and comparing it to the majors of your hazy memory, even though you seem to have forgotten epic collapses by the likes of Arnie, who managed to lose a seven shot lead over the last 9 holes of the 1966 US Open. And who knows how often something like that happened in a low-rent event? I don't know if Tiger was more talented than Jack, or even Trevino. All I know is that there are many solid reasons to believe that in order to win a tournament, he had to beat around three times as many talented golfers, even in most of the regular tour events he's won, as Jack did in a major --- especially the Open, where Jack only had to beat as few as 8 other Americans, at a time when probably 60-70 of the world top 100 were Americans.  I don't say it's true by definition, as you claimed, but I say it's the way to bet, based on facts and logic."  
    • Shot 50/41 today. I didn't hit the ball particularly well but not as poorly as the score would indicate. I just happened to hit it in some really punishing places that wound up taking one or two strokes just to hit back into play. The undergrowth and the fescue are really growing in at the course. Lipped out and burned a few edges on putts, too. I always say when I miss putts by that small a margin that they're eventually going to drop as long as I don't deviate from the process and that's exactly what started happening on the back 9. I ended up making a couple of mid-length putts. Five over on the back included a triple bogey on 17.
    • Birdied the par 5 #14 at Quail Brook GC. Hit a high draw 3W just short of the green on my second shot, chipped just right of the back right flag to about 12' and made the putt. It's starting to look like I'm going to get at least 20 rounds at Quail Brook for it to qualify as my home course but I've been adding the birdies there to my away composite for so long that I don't feel like separating it all now. So the away composite will simply be an aggregate of all my birdie holes for the year.
    • Wordle 1,065 5/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...