Why Flaring Your Feet at Address Makes Golf Easier

[Ks golf]

This post kind of proved that how there are very few fundamental truths in golf.

Flaring the left foot I can understand, but I play much better with my right foot square, it kind of locks me down into an athletic position. 

But then again, for some people, flaring out the right foot might help them.

 

Different strokes for different folks. 

Edited March 30, 2017 by Ks golf

[CMartis]

I'm about to head out to the course now. I'll definitely give this a shot. Seeing one of my main issues is not rotating my hips. Wish me luck! 

[lastings]

This site is a treasure trove of information.   every topic has something in there that can help improve my swing.  

[mvmac]

More like golden duck than golden bear 

[Mark Robertson]

Great video as always. I noticed something in my swing after watching this.... I lead knee (left knee) turns in rather than forward which I assume would contribute to issues. Well I'm going to work on this at the range. 

[jsgolfer]

So I've been struggling a little bit over the last couple of weeks with the game (HC is trending up, haven't been this high in a while).  Just wasn't striking the ball very well.  I was still scoring OK, but having to rely a lot on the short game from missing fairways and greens, but all scores were 78-82 range.  Went out yesterday on the course trying to figure out what i was doing.  Got behind our ladies Nine and Dine group, very slow, but allowed me to play around a little bit.  Finally after a few holes of hitting it poorly, I was standing on our fourth tee and it dawned on me after a couple of shots.  I looked at my stance and my feet were almost pointing in and then I remembered the foot flare from a TST thread and bingo, with the feet flared I started hitting the ball better immediately.   

Next 5 holes I flared the feet and what a remarkable difference.  Number 6 our 195 yard par 3, I hit 4 balls and all were on the green, not sure I've hit that green 4 times in a row ever.  Continued playing several balls on the rest of the holes and it was really quite remarkable how well I hit the ball.  Played the second 9 with a buddy of mine and shot 36 with a lip out birdie from 8 feet and a three-putt.  Thank you @mvmacand @iacas for all of the great tips!  

 

[iacas]

1 minute ago, jsgolfer said:

Thank you @mvmacand @iacas for all of the great tips!

Thank you. To others, give this a try. Yes, it will feel awkward at first… but the benefits, the things you get "for free," are worth a little temporary "weird" feeling.

[mvmac]

6 hours ago, jsgolfer said:

Thank you @mvmacand @iacas for all of the great tips!  

Happy it helped, just passing along good information 👍

[colin007]

I've said this many times, I'll say it again, this website is unrivaled in its accuracy of research based instruction. There is glut of info based on time honored tradition, everything is put thru the ringer of analysis.

Thanks guys.

Edited May 5, 2018 by colin007
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[308 Ragin Cajun]

The other day I was hitting balls, hitting a lot of weak pushes and "pop  flies to right field". i felt like i couldn't get out of my own way.. I was lining up with my feet square to the target linne.  Si i flared out both feet, and even pulled my left foot, back an inch or so. all of  sudden I was able to get my left hip out of the way and turn through the ball, and starting making solid contact, and hitting the ball more or less straight with some power.  The stance just felt more comfortable.

[mvmac]

 

[Groucho Valentine]

The Rock still has the best hair in golf. 

[jimnm]

During my very first golf lesson, my instructor had me flare out my feet. The point of doing so was to help me on my turn which it absolutely did. But as the OP stated it has other benefits as well. This is definitely a good tip and has certainly helped my swing. A lot of the tips (possibly all of the tips) I have received in golf lessons are consistent with what @mvmacand @iacas post. I'm glad I found this site. It's an excellent resource. 

[Vinsk]

2 minutes ago, jimnm said:

A lot of the tips (possibly all of the tips) I have received in golf lessons are consistent with what @mvmacand @iacas post. I

You are exceptionally lucky then. Their instruction is backed with video analysis, pictures and tons of research . It’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed here for a good while. I’d say the majority of information I’ve received from lessons has turned out to be bogus. Anyway, glad you’re here and hope you continue to enjoy it  as much as I do.

[jimnm]

1 hour ago, Vinsk said:

You are exceptionally lucky then. Their instruction is backed with video analysis, pictures and tons of research . It’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed here for a good while. I’d say the majority of information I’ve received from lessons has turned out to be bogus. Anyway, glad you’re here and hope you continue to enjoy it  as much as I do.

Lucky indeed! Thanks, and glad to be here. Cheers!

[Taylorj222]

I definitely flare my feet. My front to 1 o'clock and my trail foot to 2 o'clock. For me it has completely eliminated coming over the top. I generally hit baby draws and my miss is a pull left so it also eliminates the right side of the course. I've found that my bad shots are always 1 of 2 things either I start with my hands too low or the I set up with the ball too far forward in my stance. I'm able to generate great power my drives and irons. Slightly over 300 with my driver 210ish with my 5 iron. Im 48yo 6ft and height weight proportional. I do have a slight duck walk naturally (1 o'clock). So I'm definitely a flared foot guy

[WillieT]

This is a great read and has helped me understand my situation.  In 2016 I was in a motorcycle accident that degloved my left foot to where I had to have a tranmetatarsal amputation of all the toes. I retained the artch and part of the ball of my foot, however it has made life interesting.  In getting back into this game I have been wrestling with proper stance. I have found that by flaring my feet outward as noted in this thread, particularly my left foot, that my swing is smoother and more in control.  It feels natural and therefore I feel confident. I now know why it "felt better, smoother" the first time I tried it and why I will keep working along this line to improve my swing. 

[Taylorj222]

I have to say one more thing about this that I feel hasn't been addressed with this and that's stance width. My experimentation has led me find out that for me a wider stance with flared feet causes me not be able to shift my weight forward causing push slices and other terrible things. A narrow stance (feet under my hips not my shoulders) with my feet flared gives me great results but it gives the impression of a wider stance. I hadn't noticed anyone touch on this and I feel it's a critical piece to this puzzle