Lifting Left Foot?

[Dave H]

Is it bad to lift your left heel during the back swing? Someone asked me if I always lift my back heel during a round last week and ever since I've been really self conscious about it. Tonight at the range I couldn't hit a good ball until I stopped trying not to lift my heel. I started hitting nice straight balls at my usual distance after that. I don't lift my heel a lot, and my swing feels more natural when I do it. Is this a bad habit I should work to change?

[alomar123]

A bunch of pros lift the left heel, it allows them to coil more

[xTsUnAmI]

Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus lifted their left heel. I do for the reason that it allows me to make a full turn, if it feels natural and you are correctly moving back onto your left side and finishing there shouldn't be a problem.

[daveh]

This is too wierd. I was just thinking about starting a thread about this, and in fact I logged on just to read up on this subject. (Note OP's screen name).

I was just doing some pendulum drills and I was finding that lifting my left heel and planting it seemed to help me shift my weight better and more smoothly. Not sure if I'll start doing it in my swing but it's worth a shot.

[Travtex]

I tend(ed) to lift my heel (right in my case, but let's pretend I'm not backward). I wasn't making very consistent contact... And, now that I'm focusing on not lifting my heel -- Er, I'm not making very consistent contact.

My pro made a pretty good observation about it, though... I was turning my hips quite a bit too far toward the back with my backswing with lift-heel. It's a solid 45* back when I keep my heel down, closer to 60* away from the target line when I lift.

Now, I'm not sure what that MEANS and all, but I'm not pull-hooking as much as I was before.

[Adumb]

It boils down to flexibility. If you're flexible enough to get a good shoulder turn without lifting the heel then do it. I'm not, so I always lift.

[Travtex]

I'm -real- flexible in the hips, so I think heel-lifting, while it did get my arms and shoulders waaaaaay back... I ended up getting my hips too far back, as well.

No coil = No power, right? Whether or not you're able to whip your hips back through quickly?

[brgolf]

Professionals turn their hips an average amount on the backswing and through swing. i don't remember the exact figure but 45 degrees or less is reasonable for the backswing.

Keeping the left foot grounded, a flexed left knee allows for a better coil about the spine angle on the backswing. Lifting the left foot would allow for even more coil. But if the left leg does not provide resistance to the upper body and the hips rotate too much, you aren't building much power at all.

[Dave H]

awesome, thanks guys. I'm going to quit worrying about it for now.

[Dave H]

This is too wierd. I was just thinking about starting a thread about this, and in fact I logged on just to read up on this subject. (Note OP's screen name).

That is weird...nice name by the way

[mhodar13]

I don't lift it. I make a huge shoulder turn but with no lifting of the left heel. My swing is very very similar to Tiger's. Huge shoulder turn and lots of tension in my hips and legs to get that coil effect. When I first started I lifted my left heel and my swing was so much worse than it is now. I went so far back I bent my left elbow 90* on my backswing. Looked like Daly but cheating and no shoulder turn.

[newbiegolfer]

Before I took lessons I lift my left foot, because it felt comfortable. When I took my first lesson that was one of the things I was asked to fix. Felt weird at first, but after I got used to it, don't really notice it anymore.

[ks8829]

I read a drill for hitting drivers is to keep your left heel off the ground during your golf swing while hitting the driver.

another drill for irons is to keep your right heel off the ground.

[goblue107501]

A guy I play with once or twice a year not only lifts his left foot, but it will turn a little so that is toes are pointed more toward the target. Really weird move when I first saw it. He probably isn't any more than a 2 handicap. When I asked him about it, he mentioned that he didn't even realize he was doing it.