Keeping right heel down through impact?

[TheCityGame]

Any thoughts on keeping the right heel on the ground through impact? Pros & cons of this?

 

I was reading a site the other day that really advocated this, lifting it up only after impact. I looked at a lot of "swing visions" on youtube, and some pros definitely come up earlier than impact.

 

I'm trying to develop a more simple swing, and I like a swing like Strickers, who does keep his heel down (it might come up an inch, but doesn't really "release" until impact).

 

 

My trouble miss is a pull-hook, and it tends to happen when I shift my weight too far forward. I've played with keeping the heel down at the range. It definitely helps me keep my weight behind the ball, but it's still unnatural. I lost a little power, and lost more than usual to the right, didn't feel like I was releasing through the ball.

 

Contrary to the Stricker swing, here, Tiger's heel is way off the ground at impact.

 

[acquadiice]

i dont think thats a great idea because at the moment of impact your right heel should be coming off the ground because you are transferring your weight to the left of side and kind of putting your body into it (power) that is why at the end of the swing your right foot is off the ground. if you keep the idea of keeping your right foot grounded you are asking for trouble because the club wont clear through your body nicely and you might start hitting off ur back foot and scooping it.

[Huskypride28]

I've heard this before from instructors. Technically you're supposed to roll the foot to the inside as you transfer your weight and lift the heel after contact during the follow through. It keeps you more balanced. I've been working on this as well. My flaw was as I lifted my heel to transfer my weight to the left side, it was also pushing me forward towards the ball causing mishits on the heel of the club face. It's very tough to adjust if you've always lifted your heel. It feels awkard, and you may lose distance at first, but keep practicing, you will see the benefits sooner or later.

[MonteScheinblum]

[quote name='TheCityGame' timestamp='1307016148' post='3279511']
Any thoughts on keeping the right heel on the ground through impact? Pros & cons of this?

I was reading a site the other day that really advocated this, lifting it up only after impact. I looked at a lot of "swing visions" on youtube, and some pros definitely come up earlier than impact.

I'm trying to develop a more simple swing, and I like a swing like Strickers, who does keep his heel down (it might come up an inch, but doesn't really "release" until impact).

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmZygvJJKW4"]http://www.youtube.c...h?v=TmZygvJJKW4[/url]

My trouble miss is a pull-hook, and it tends to happen when I shift my weight too far forward. I've played with keeping the heel down at the range. It definitely helps me keep my weight behind the ball, but it's still unnatural. I lost a little power, and lost more than usual to the right, didn't feel like I was releasing through the ball.

Contrary to the Stricker swing, here, Tiger's heel is way off the ground at impact.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEdWy9gP-Zo"]http://www.youtube.c...h?v=DEdWy9gP-Zo[/url]
[/quote]

If you do it naturally, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

If you do it on purpose it can cause a lack of weight shift and cut off your hip turn.

[poops]

Check out Paul Goydos' swing on utube. That's essentially what he does. Like Monte said, it's probably a natural part of his swing...

[nevets88]

I used to throw my right side out. Rolling or banking the rear foot towards the target helped me get rid of this. I'd prefer rolling or banking it instead of forcing it completey down flat during impact.

[dpb5031]

Keeping the right foot planted will typically promote a draw (or help eliminate a slice) as it slows the hips and gives arms and hands a chance to catch-up.

[golfbum9]

[quote name='Huskypride28' timestamp='1307026207' post='3279862']
I've heard this before from instructors. [b] Technically you're supposed to roll the foot to the inside as you transfer your weight and lift the heel after contact during the follow through.[/b] It keeps you more balanced. I've been working on this as well. My flaw was as I lifted my heel to transfer my weight to the left side, it was also pushing me forward towards the ball causing mishits on the heel of the club face. It's very tough to adjust if you've always lifted your heel. It feels awkard, and you may lose distance at first, but keep practicing, you will see the benefits sooner or later.
[/quote]
This is correct. It's the momentum of the turn which brings you through and starts from/ power comes from the inside ball of the right foot. Feet that are too active also cause many other "faults" to rear their ugly heads...

[JBsNuggets]

My instructor brought this up to me this week. My heel comes up significantly before impact and by the time contact is made it is all the way up. He said that this is basically causing me to lose all the power provided by the right leg. He said ideally he would like for it to stay down until my right shoulder 'pulls' it up naturally post-impact and into the follow through. It doesn't seem like a difficult thing to fix, probably feels wierd at first like any new swing adjustment.

Swing guru thoughts on power loss?

[Saltire]

I've got this issue too and although it doesn't seem like a difficult thing to fix I've really been struggling with it.

Today at the range it occurred to me that I don't have a proper release through impact and this might be the cause of my right heel coming up, body gaining some balance due to a lack of release causing me to get ahead of the ball? Maybe some swing gurus can chip in on this thought.

Anyway, for the last few balls I really focused on releasing the club past my body and amazingly the right heel was staying down a lot longer.

[MonteScheinblum]

[quote name='JBsNuggets' timestamp='1402070910' post='9442973']
My instructor brought this up to me this week. My heel comes up significantly before impact and by the time contact is made it is all the way up. He said that this is basically causing me to lose all the power provided by the right leg. He said ideally he would like for it to stay down until my right shoulder 'pulls' it up naturally post-impact and into the follow through. It doesn't seem like a difficult thing to fix, probably feels wierd at first like any new swing adjustment.

Swing guru thoughts on power loss?
[/quote]

Be careful. It might be coming up as a result of something (e.g. steep transition) and forcing it down may cause issues.

Not necessarily a power loss.

Joe Miller literally has both feet air born at impact and he is among the 2 or 3 longest hitters in the world.

[limcauco]

On top, I suggest weight must still be on base of right toe and heel (inside right foot). This rotates the lower leg bones (there are 2 bones in there) counter clock wise. When your lower body moves in transition, the right foot will behave like you desire whether you shift weight to left foot early late or just right.

[JBsNuggets]

Steep transition is what I'm in the process of fixing (and believe I finally have), he mentioned the heel as what he wanted to work on after the transition fix so I think your right in that is a symptom of the bigger issue.

I've posted in a few forums about the shaft steepening and I've finally figured it out Monte. I literally had embedded this feeling of hitting the ball from the inside so much that I was incapable of coming over the top. In transition would literally reroute my right elbow behind me to 'feel' like I was shallowing out the club and finally realized it was doing the exact opposite. The only feel that finally ridded me of the 'loop' in transition was like I was rerouting the club and coming 4-5 inches over the top. Did it a few times and looked at film and it was actually perfectly on plane (even a little above plane!). Started hitting true fades like I never have before and it was great.

Next step being engraining the feeling of coming OTT as normal...

[limcauco]

This also forces the lower body to move laterally when you move it in transition.

[Paranorml]

Your right heel can come up, what you want to watch for and prevent is if your knee travels out towards the golf ball. You want it more target/left toes oriented.

[Ri_Redneck]

I don't know what my right foot does and don't want to know.

BT

[Reasonability]

It would seem that looking at just the right foot by itself -- while not a bad place to start... should lead to WHY it lifts when it does. I personally have a much better chance given how I setup coil, and transition of trying to be more Striker-like than Tiger-like. But there are golfers who literally spring up on the toes and those who's foot work is quieter.

OP suggested he was looking for a more simple swing. If that is so, I would invest in the setup and a posture that remains very stable going back and through-- whereby the turn is very rotational without head bobbing and hip sway. I would focus on minimizing arm run-off during the backswing... and getting to the top in coil involving enough hip turn -- whereby the sternum is inside the trail knee which sits inside the trail instep. The transition back down and through from that work -- would lead to (most likely) the brand of foot work Striker displays... assuming that's what OP is in search of.

[Atyler]

Monte,

Would body type make a difference on this? If say, you had been called a "sasquatch" by your instructor. tall, long over active legs. Would keeping the heel down more than likely help?

[PuttCurseRepeat]

While watching some DTL videos of myself, I noticed I was losing my spine angle, big time, prior to impact. I am very upright at impact and pretty flat, shoulder to shoulder. I then noticed that my rear heel was raising significantly (and likely shifting most of my weight to the front foot), early in my DS (prior to P5?). It is pretty gross to watch. I'm surprised I even hit the ball with this move. My misses are either slight pull/slice, or straight pulls.

 

Is it likely that us "early risers" are rushing the swing? I have no idea if lifting the heel is causing me to spin out, or pull around to my right (left handed swing), or if it's the effect of something else.

[3eagles18]

Watch videos of Kenny Perry. See if you can access his interview on the Larry Rinker radio show.

[deathbymuffin]

Is it likely that us "early risers" are rushing the swing? I have no idea if lifting the heel is causing me to spin out, or pull around to my right (left handed swing), or if it's the effect of something else.

 

Lifting the heel is an effect of something else. You sound like the type of early extender that is getting too steep in transition. You probably need to get the left hip deeper (since you're a lefty) and work on shallowing in transition. Merely attempting to force the left heel to stay planted isn't likely to fix the issues you're facing. But doing some slow motion "swings" with or without a club while keeping your left foot planted might give you some clues about how your hips really need to be working on the backswing and in transition.

 

Post a video.

[SunkTheBirdie]

I then noticed that my rear heel was raising significantly (and likely shifting most of my weight to the front foot), early in my DS (prior to P5?). It is pretty gross to watch.

 

Is it likely that us "early risers" are rushing the swing? I have no idea if lifting the heel is causing me to spin out, or pull around to my right (left handed swing), or if it's the effect of something else.

 

Rushing it is definitely a cause. Early hip spinners have their rear heel come up.

 

Upload your swing. (Face On and DTL driver swings).

 

If your hips are moving properly you'd never lift your rear heel early as there is other work that needs to be done !

[starsail85]

Symptom of the right hip working out incorrectly

 

1. Too much right hip out before the left hip goes back .

 

2. Right hip doesn't work out on its original plane, elevates and fires out level

[Jim Waldron]

Right heel down along with heel leading the toe was one of Hogan's "secrets" and a big key for most golfers in achieving better Balance, which creates more solid impact. This key move goes along with firing the right glutes, and keeping your Lower Body Postural bracing in the legs. Helps the right hip behave better.

[JPGolf FL]

I then noticed that my rear heel was raising significantly (and likely shifting most of my weight to the front foot), early in my DS (prior to P5?). It is pretty gross to watch.

 

Is it likely that us "early risers" are rushing the swing? I have no idea if lifting the heel is causing me to spin out, or pull around to my right (left handed swing), or if it's the effect of something else.

 

Rushing it is definitely a cause. Early hip spinners have their rear heel come up.

 

Upload your swing. (Face On and DTL driver swings).

 

If your hips are moving properly you'd never lift your rear heel early as there is other work that needs to be done !

That's a large blanket to throw. Do Dustin Johnson's hips not move correctly? His heel is up around p5. There are 100 reasons the heel can lift early and some of them are not even problems.

[Jacob Mac]

I then noticed that my rear heel was raising significantly (and likely shifting most of my weight to the front foot), early in my DS (prior to P5?). It is pretty gross to watch.

 

Is it likely that us "early risers" are rushing the swing? I have no idea if lifting the heel is causing me to spin out, or pull around to my right (left handed swing), or if it's the effect of something else.

 

Rushing it is definitely a cause. Early hip spinners have their rear heel come up.

 

Upload your swing. (Face On and DTL driver swings).

 

If your hips are moving properly you'd never lift your rear heel early as there is other work that needs to be done !

That's a large blanket to throw. Do Dustin Johnson's hips not move correctly? His heel is up around p5. There are 100 reasons the heel can lift early and some of them are not even problems.

 

Don't mind him. He gives unsolicited advice that's often wrong or incomplete. When someone calls him out, he either acknowledges he is a bad golfer and has never taught, and then says judge me on my content not my ability. Or he says he likes being wrong bc it helps him learn. But he never acknowledges that getting things wrong could hurt the people seeking advice. And he doesn't realize that he often says things that are wrong or incomplete but no one corrects him because it is too tiresome.

 

 

[jut111]

I then noticed that my rear heel was raising significantly (and likely shifting most of my weight to the front foot), early in my DS (prior to P5?). It is pretty gross to watch.

 

Is it likely that us "early risers" are rushing the swing? I have no idea if lifting the heel is causing me to spin out, or pull around to my right (left handed swing), or if it's the effect of something else.

 

Rushing it is definitely a cause. Early hip spinners have their rear heel come up.

 

Upload your swing. (Face On and DTL driver swings).

 

If your hips are moving properly you'd never lift your rear heel early as there is other work that needs to be done !

That's a large blanket to throw. Do Dustin Johnson's hips not move correctly? His heel is up around p5. There are 100 reasons the heel can lift early and some of them are not even problems.

 

Don't mind him. He gives unsolicited advice that's often wrong or incomplete. When someone calls him out, he either acknowledges he is a bad golfer and has never taught, and then says judge me on my content not my ability. Or he says he likes being wrong bc it helps him learn. But he never acknowledges that getting things wrong could hurt the people seeking advice. And he doesn't realize that he often says things that are wrong or incomplete but no one corrects him because it is too tiresome.

 

Is it possible to double like a post?

[PostandGhost]

I wonder what would happen if Justin Thomas kept his right heel down through impact.

[SunkTheBirdie]

That's a large blanket to throw. Do Dustin Johnson's hips not move correctly? His heel is up around p5. There are 100 reasons the heel can lift early and some of them are not even problems.

LOL.

Please.

I said upload your swing.

[Lefthook]

Many ways to move the hips in a good way. Personally I like how this guy gets it done:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2L0K8szkfU

 

Right heel starts lifting already in transition - knee kicks straight out as opposed out and forward = early external hip rotation. Very good leg and hip work as far as I'm conserned.