swing related

[bdbl]

Re: swing related

At the risk of unravelling your discoveries, may I be the first to gently advise that the lifting of the left heel is not necessarily a swing killer. Ask Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and Sam Snead.

Just thought I'd pop that in as a sidenote, and before anyone else chimed in with the same thing in a not-so gentle manner!

Stupid game.

Your gently

Neil

Or (still in a gentle spirit) Tommy Armour and Leslie King

More seriously though, good luck with your learning process and if keeping your heel down works for you then all well and good -0 and vice versa for those who lift. There is no one right way!

[golfshooter]

Re: swing related

Neil,
Thank you for your interest in my plight. I completely agree with Hogans quote and I am sure that I will prove that to be correct, in fact I'd say I have already proved that to be so in several cases. When I was first coached I had that habit removed from my swing,so when it occasionally returns it is now not in my natural swing having for the most part removed that piece from my technique memory. Now if it insidiously returns I find my timing out, I feel uncoordinated and weight shift out of time with the rest of my swing. The pros you mention have their left foot lifting as part of their normal swing for whatever reason known only by them and their coaches and it works for them.There may still be some other thing affecting my swing but for now I feel I am on the right track as I am timing the ball better than I have in the last month.Thanks again ,any advice is always appreciated
Regards, Peter

[BrianW]

Re: swing related

Lifting the left heel on the backswing can assist in making a bigger shoulder turn, especially for those that are loosing some flexibility as they get older. It is of course important to plant the heel back down firmly at the start of the downswing transition.

Like all things golf some things work for some and not others. The attached video shows another golfer that lifted his left heel and managed to do quite well with it

[golfshooter]

Re: swing related

Hi Brian,
I think I started lifting my heel because of reduced flexibility due to an old back operation, it just felt right.I am also 50 so not quite as flexible.I am sorry too others for answering in a very defensive manner ,I know you are just trying to help. I am a bit between a rock and a hard place in being stuck for an answer (the problem has returned) and my coach insisting I keep that foot still. I have another lesson on Monday and intend to really get him to listen to my plight and once and for all sort this out, after all he does not work cheap. I had another horror game today(one of those that seem to never end) and my confidence is shot.Once again sorry if I offended anyone.I really do value your help.
Regards Peter

[golfshooter]

Re: swing related

Hi guys,
I am back again with a new chapter to this saga. Firmly planting my left foot I thought had cured my problem and to some extent it did. Unfortunately only partially. Sure I started to hit more balls but distance and accuracy suffered.As Brian and Neil had stated it may be just the beginning. I have put a huge amount of practice in and found you guys were right.Due to an old back injury and subsequent surgery I need to lift my left heel to get enough rotation and with that came accuracy and distance where as leaving it planted left me having to put to much effort in and losing that benefit. Weight transference and coming in steep were probably the problems all along and with that cured I should be ok.I am going need to take a bit of ammunition along to my next lesson on Monday as he is difficult to sway with technical matters.So if you have anymore examples of pros' who use this method don't hesitate to give me both barrels I am going to need it!
Regards,Peter

[bdbl]

Re: swing related

No more names GS but some advice.

Contact your pro and let him know that you want coaching that incorporates your heel lift.

If he can't or won't teach a swing on that basis dump him.

[Neil18]

Re: swing related

Hi guys,
I am back again with a new chapter to this saga. Firmly planting my left foot I thought had cured my problem and to some extent it did. Unfortunately only partially. Sure I started to hit more balls but distance and accuracy suffered.As Brian and Neil had stated it may be just the beginning. I have put a huge amount of practice in and found you guys were right.Due to an old back injury and subsequent surgery I need to lift my left heel to get enough rotation and with that came accuracy and distance where as leaving it planted left me having to put to much effort in and losing that benefit. Weight transference and coming in steep were probably the problems all along and with that cured I should be ok.I am going need to take a bit of ammunition along to my next lesson on Monday as he is difficult to sway with technical matters.So if you have anymore examples of pros' who use this method don't hesitate to give me both barrels I am going to need it!
Regards,Peter

Fear not, GS. You are in very good company (i.e. pretty much every golfer that ever played!). We need not chastise you for your efforts.

As many have said, one days cure is the next days fault. It's a long, frustrating and rewarding process when one is modifying ones swing. Quite often you come full circle too!

A lot of pro's teach one way without taking into consideration peoples limitations/idiosyncrasies etc etc.

I'm with Robin. Get a new coach.

[rotator]

Re: swing related

Hi Peter,

I am with Robin, Neil and Brian. Your instructor does not seem to recognize your particular needs.

As for the weight transference, I would say that it has a significant role, as you have found, in the golf swing. A common instruction is you should make your rotational swing on a posted front leg. In North American football, a comparison would be that a quarterback should preferably throw the ball off the front leg, for accuracy and distance, although they can and do otherwise under duress.

I could imagine making a golf swing without a backward and forward weight shift. On the backswing, the turning of the torso and swinging of the arms will naturally want to shift your weight on the back leg. If you restrict this weight shift, it would be like a reverse pivot. You can't start the swinging of the arms and body motions forward, because you never shifted back properly, in which case the tendency would be to throw the arms steeply at the ball.

In your case, you do not have to make a major thrusting of the hips. Think of it as shifting the weight from the instep of your right foot to the outside of the left foot.

The Tom Watson videos I sent you by PM is excellent for many facets. He used to have a violent hip thrust, but as he says in the video, he's stopped that, and that shows in the second video where he is taking practice swings. The comments by viewers are interesting and informative also.

A swing that would be ideal for you is Jeff Sluman. In this video, you will see that he does not make a huge shoulder turn, the club is not to horizontal, and his weight shift is almost imperceptible. He finishes tall. All in all his swing is easy on the body. He's a surprisingly long hitter at age 50+ and with the slight physique. The key is his arms are connected to the body throughout.

Regards,

Ted