Front heel at the top of the swing...

[SuaSponteMn]

I've been working on some changes with my pro this winter, one of the issues I had last season was not getting to my left side at the top (I'm left-handed), and then having overly quick hips that got me stuck inside coming back down.

One of the drills he gave me to get over to the left was to setup next to my couch and try to get my hip over to it on the way back, and then to try to keep it there as I come down as an exaggeration. This has helped a ton, I've gotten much closer to on plane and much steeper which was another goal because I was WAY too flat which caused me to bottom out before the ball at times.

So...

After conducting this couch drill about 47 thousand times , I noticed that my right heel is now lifting at the top of my backswing, not much, about half an inch at the most. My head is staying on the ball, it's not dipping, and my club is exactly where I want it at the top (so maybe this is a dumb question), but is it fundamentally unsound to have that heel lift?

[sonicblue]

It's an issue of flexibility. You're hitting your limits in your torso/hips, so your heel is pulling off. I would say, your swing is complete at the point right before your heel lifts, don't "artificially" lengthen your swing by letting that heel come up. If that's as far as you can go, so be it. If you want to go farther, work on some stretching exercises and accomplish it with the heel planted.

[SuaSponteMn]

It's an issue of flexibility. You're hitting your limits in your torso/hips, so your heel is pulling off. I would say, your swing is complete at the point right before your heel lifts, don't "artificially" lengthen your swing by letting that heel come up. If that's as far as you can go, so be it. If you want to go farther, work on some stretching exercises and accomplish it with the heel planted.

Interesting response, seems like there's more than one camp on this topic. I asked this question elsewhere too, here's a response I got from a well-respected teaching professional in Texas:

IF you restrict the hips your asking for a LOT of problems and that's what happens when a player trys to "keep the left heel on the ground" (righty)........BOTH the hip and shoulder need to "wind up" and as long as you keep most of the flex in your "rearward" knee you can wind the hips up as much as you like.........when MOST do this the 'targetward" heel WILL be PULLED off of the ground to varying amounts........it's PULLED off of the ground by the PIVOTING torso/CORE........and that's a great thing as the REPLANTING of the heel is a GREAT way to "key" the TRANSITION from backswing pivot to downswing pivot.......sort of an "ignition" for the downswing.......... The "chain" works like this..........in a righty the right hip/shoulder turn/wind "backwards".........as the hips are turning/winding around 2 legs and the shoulders are winding around 1 spine the shoulders will wind up more than the hips so that at the top they are wound somewhere around twice the amount of the hips........as the right side turns/winds "backwards" the left hip is PULLED around and the left hip PULLS the left knee....it's PULLED "around and toward the golf ball" (it "breaks inward" toward the ball)........it FEELS like your stretching a rubber band up your LEFT side (righty)........that your entire left side is "stretched"..............then you simply "let the stretch go"........... ;)

[jowlar]

Harvey Penick taught that the heel comes off the ground and Jack Nicklaus' heel came up. Ben Hogan's heel came up sometimes and other times it stayed flat. I think that if the heel comes up naturally it would be ok but I wouldnt encourage consciously lifting your heel.

[kehanra99]

There’s a little truth in both statements, but the pro from Texas shouldn’t be pushing one way only. It’s taught both ways because technically either one is correct. Lifting the heel does little to nothing for your swing plane, but it does change your timing. It’s a move that like he said is caused by turning past your flexibility level, creating more coil than your body naturally allows. It’s used mostly to generate more swing power.

Most people that use the heel lift already have a sound swing with their heel on the ground. A great example is Vijay Singh. He’ll swing whichever way the situation dictates. Several other professionals have switched either exclusively or by situation between both swings, including Tiger. If you’re working on swing plane and ball contact, it’s easier to turn until right before the point your heel lifts because there’s less to coordinate with your timing. If you have a solid swing, turning far enough to lift the heel can add some yards to lower trajectory clubs, like the 3i through Driver.

Some people learn the heel lift from the start and end up getting coordinated in their swing well enough to use it exclusively. In my personal swing, I’m more accurate keeping my heel on the ground with a good weight shift, and will rarely lift my heel.