Try The Tip Tuesday Vol 6: Runner’s Foot Drill

Hello! I am back! I know I was MIA for a minute; don’t you hate when real life gets in the way of golf? It has been a hectic few weeks, and honestly things are still pretty crazy, but I am recommitting to making sure that I make time for myself, take breaks, and don’t slack off on my golf practice.

This week I had a virtual lesson with my coach, Daisy, from Biomek golf. One of the biggest changes I need to make is in my setup. I have been setting up with my head tilted toward my lead shoulder, which is throwing off my rotation into my backswing. My fiancé actually pointed out a similar observation at the range this weekend, and seeing the lines drawn onto my video lesson helped me more clearly visualize how to shift my position for a better swing. It felt weird trying to shift, and in my video from tonight I can see that I’m not QUITE there yet, but I am definitely getting better. Like my previous swing changes, I am sure this one will take some getting used to.

The other area of focus this week is my trail foot. I am able to get some pretty good distance out of my clubs, but Daisy feels that I can get even more distance by making some changes in where I load my swing and leverage my body weight. The drill I am working on this week is the runner’s foot drill. This drill targets your trail foot movement and forces you to not lift that heel until the appropriate time in your downswing. So let’s break it down.

The Drill: Runner’s Foot

Target Area: Weight distribution and load through your downswing

Where To Do It: This is a great drill for the range or with your practice net

What You Need: Club of choice for swinging, second club (I used my 52 degree, I’ve seen others used sand wedges) to place under your heel)

How To Do It: Get into your stance with the face of the second club positioned under your trail heel. Take your backswing as normal (you can also do this drill with half shots which is what Daisy recommended) and focus on not shifting your weight forward and lifting your heel until you are nearly making contact with the ball. This should allow your body and hands to move together through the swing (as opposed to my hips getting ahead of my hands as they currently do).

Takeaway: I really like this drill, and I am excited for what these changes will mean for my swing. The small changes that don’t seem like they would be a big deal have actually been the biggest game changers for me. I also love that I can do this drill almost anywhere. This is a movement that I could even practice without a ball.

I am off to get in a few more swings before dark.

Until next time,

Fore!

Katherine

This post originally appeared on The Birds and the Tees