Tuition
Logical Golf
by Robert BakerLesson 12 - How fancy footwork enables you to 'fire’ the right side For Jack Nicklaus it was a rolling of the ankles. Johnny Miller was even more pronounced with the feet and knees. John Daly provides a fantastic example of a player who uses educated footwork to help generate and then contain the power in his swing.
Nick Faldo demonstrates wonderfully sensitive footwork that pretty well governs the enviable rhythm of his swing. The fact is, all of these great players use the lower body to mobilise the 'core' in terms of generating centrifugal force and momentum.
Ernie Els is another - and he really does make it all look so effortless. The movement of the knees plays a vital role in the coiling of the body and unleashing of power during the swing.
Many contemporary theories encourage players to build up 'resistance' in the right knee, but we prefer to tell golfers not to resist too much - rather think of it as making your knees work for you, not against you.
For all but the most athletic and supple of golfers, too much resistance can actually inhibit your backswing move.
Better to keep leg action relaxed and fluid - that way you can begin to swing it like Ernie, with rhythm and balance all the way to the finish.
At address, the knees should be slightly 'pinched' - this enables the hips to coil fully on the backswing
From the start, weight shifts across and is absorbed into the right knee and thigh
As you wind up, left knee moves behind the ball, while the right knee straightens marginally, it should never move laterally to the right
Rolling of the ankles gets the knees working back towards the target
Right knee drives through impact as entire right side 'fires' towards the target
