Lift the Back Heel At Impact For Power

By | on August 30, 2018 | 28 Comments | Array


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Paul Wilson is the creator of Swing Machine Golf and founder of Ignition Golf. Paul's golf swing technique is based on the Iron Byron swing machine. YouTube Channels: Paul Wilson Golf and Ignition Golf Tips. Please Join me on Google+

28 Responses to “Lift the Back Heel At Impact For Power”

  1. August 27, 2012

    PaulLucas

    My body is turning and my belt buckle is pointing in the right direction my left foot (I’m a lefty) is coming up ok on the turn. My concern is my left knee is coming around to touch the other, but is forward of the right with definitely space in between. My starting position is both feet level, if I drop my left foot back a bit then the gap is not so obvious. Just wondering if I’m doing something wrong?

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    September 18, 2013

    KennthBova

    Paul, that was a great tip. Lifting the back heel up seems to force the hips to turn.

  3. September 18, 2013

    RaymondCHASTEL

    Paul ,I note you are rolling on the outside of your left foot at the end of your through swing ,more of course for the driver than for the iron .
    Is that OK ?
    It’s easier to have the right (rear) leg touching the front (left )leg,and therefore rotating on it when the stance gets more narrow ,but it may be at the expense of stability .BOBBY JONES used to have a narrow stance to facilitate his rotation:do you advise to go his way ?
    To explain better my question ,I find I have a tendency to stay flat footed on the back(right ) foot when I take my stance with the inside of my feet = the distance between the outside of my shoulders .(Isn’t that what you advocate in your lesson on stance taking ?)

    • September 20, 2013

      Paul Wilson

      Raymond,

      Yes, you can roll onto the outside edge of the forward foot. The only way you can keep it down and do the proper weight shift is to have your feet outside shoulder width. Yes, I know Hogan kept his forward foot down into the follow through. It took George Knudson 3 years to learn how to keep the left foot flat. For what? There is no reason it should be down. Keeping it down hampers the weight shift an the touching of the legs position.

      I want you to touch your legs perfectly when you in your follow through. However wide your stance must be to accomplish this is the correct width of your stance.

  4. September 18, 2013

    GaryBrace

    Hi Paul,
    I was wondering if you could do a segment on how to take a divot.

    Thanks,
    Gary B

  5. September 18, 2013

    DAVESHAFFER

    I’m glad you put this one up because it is very helpful. I’m starting to get a pretty good hip turn but then I was wondering if it might be coming later than it should. Now I can be very conscious of the back foot.

    How many years did it take for you to get to the point where you could consciously do slow, medium and fast hip turns? I’m amazed! I’m just happy if I can get a turn!!!

    Thanks again Paul. Always great material.

    Dave

    • September 20, 2013

      Paul Wilson

      Dave,

      I’m not sure how long it took to dial it in to different speeds but I was always trying to master stuff like this on the range. I wasn’t out there just whacking at golf balls. I wanted total control of my swing. Most people just keep hitting balls and watching them which never allows them to develop a great swing and the control.

      Just keep understanding it and trying to perfect your movement. If you can do it slow and fast that I a good start. Once you get this you gain more and more control.

  6. September 21, 2013

    DAVESHAFFER

    Thanks Paul. I’ll try to accomplish that – slow and fast speeds. I’ve spent a lot of time this week trying to work on getting that heel lifted up. I thought I was getting there but then my videos didn’t seem to confirm that so I’ll try again this week. I think I’m close.

    On the range I’m just doing very slow swings, concentrating on the legs touching. I do quite a few swings in the house since we’re still having the 90* temps here in the Tampa area.

    Have a great weekend!

    Dave

    • September 22, 2013

      Paul Wilson

      Dave,

      This is a great way to practice. I think you will get it if you stick to this for a while. One step at a time.

  7. October 3, 2013

    barrybower

    Hi Paul question about touching the knees, looks in your videos that knees are very level (right knee not behind left knee) my present finish has my right knee touching but slightly behind left knee, will narrowing my stance causing knees to be more flush at finish help create more consistancy.

  8. October 8, 2013

    DAVESHAFFER

    Hi Paul –

    If you get some free time would you clarify a couple of things for me?

    First, I’m getting a good hip turn, it feels good, but when I look at the video I’m basically flatfooted at the point of contact. The knees turn and touch but flatfooted at impact. What does this mean about my hips? Are they turning too late and not doing me any good?

    Second, if when the clubhead is at the top of the swing, I try to turn the hips first, it doesn’t feel as comfortable. It doesn’t feel smooth and shots are a bit more inconsistent. I’m just not sure what I’m doing when I start the motion, but it seems as though
    when I try to do this, the first thing that is happening is that the left knee is going back. My guess is that my arms want to take over and don’t like the hips starting??

    My question: Is the latter the thing I should keep working on even though it doesn’t feel quite right?

    Thanks Paul.

    Dave

    • October 8, 2013

      Paul Wilson

      Dave,

      You are not alone. The great majority of golfers over about a 6 handicap are flat footed at impact on the back foot. This means you are not starting your downswing with your legs and hips. If you were they would have moved 45 degrees by the time your lead arm is parallel to the ground in the downswing. Then then keep turning another 45 degrees by the time you hit impact. So you have 90 degrees hip rotation in 1/4 of a second.

      You need to watch this:

      Understanding the Initial Move Down: https://ignitiongolf.com/initial-move-down/

      Then you can do these drills:

      DRILL: Swing Off Ground: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-swing-off-ground
      DRILL: Listen to Club Swinging: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-listen-to-club
      Drill: Swing Off Ground Variation: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-variation-favorite-drill/
      Drill: My Favorite Drill

      • Paul,

        Dave’s comment above hits home with me. I’ve been with you for a year-plus and have made great consistency strides. My handicap is still in the 13-14 range but my scores are more consistent and I am mixing in some really good shots into my rounds. I am confident I can get to single digits if I stay with it.

        The next swing dragon I need to slay is getting my left heel up at impact. Prior to you, I was stone flat-footed. Now I roll to the inside of the heel and am getting about 20 degrees hip turn at impact. I have to think this is a real problem for most golfers. I was glad to read that unless one is below a 6 handicap, they are likely not getting the heel up.

        I will work on your drills but have a question. It would seem like using your “push off of the right foot” swing trigger would better drive the heel up than some of the other triggers – e.g., straighten the left leg. Do you feel like using the right foot push as a swing trigger would be helpful in my quest to getting that back heel up? Eventually I get to touch the legs but obviously it is much later in the swing than you.

        I really need to get to the heel up if I’m going to get to the next level. My latest breakthrough is a feeling that my hips are passing through clearly before my hands and arms come through. It is a good feeling but still not enough to get that heel up.

        Again, would using your downswing trigger likely help me in this regard?

        Many thanks for all you do for us!

        Mike

        • Avatar photo

          April 30, 2019

          Paul Wilson

          Mike,

          Yes, this is what most golfers do. They really don’t use the hips at all so I can never see the cheek at impact from down the line. You can work on it with these 2 drills:

          Up In The Air Drills – Speed: https://ignitiongolf.com/air-drills-speed/
          Up In The Air Drills – Separation: https://ignitiongolf.com/air-drills-separation/

          Not sure if my trigger will be good for you too. I got it instantly when doing this so I would give it a try. I am really pushing in a circle from this instep.

          The rotation should be lifting the heel to make sure you are turning.

          Try this trigger and video your swing then try to the others.

  9. October 9, 2013

    DAVESHAFFER

    Thanks Paul. This is very helpful and I’ve been working on this yesterday and in play today.

    I thought that since my legs touched and I got the hip turn that I was doing fine. In some ways it is very subtle and one can think they are doing the swing properly but in actuality they aren’t. In order to do it properly, and I did well with it today, I have to focus on that move. Hopefully it will become smoother.

    I haven’t had time to look at all the links but will do so this evening.

    Thank you very much for taking the time to explain this to me.

    Dave

  10. February 27, 2015

    terrybadger

    Hi Paul,
    The knees actually come together AFTER you hit the ball, right? i was working on touching the knees yesterday and all of the balls went way right. After really studying your swing, i can see my mistake. i am sure you said it, but it must not have registered in my swing thoughts.
    ter

  11. November 4, 2015

    HermanKoh

    Hi Paul,

    I have the opposite problem. My heel is coming off too much. Does it mean that i am turning my hips too soon and too much? What is the drawback for having this problem? Does it mean that i need more lateral on the downswing?

    Thanks.
    Herman

    • November 4, 2015

      Paul Wilson

      Herman,

      This just means you are overdoing the leg action. Hit 20 balls while flat footed on the back foot. This will slow it down. Then allow it to come up. You can fix this in minutes.

  12. September 17, 2018

    EricBarnett

    Slightly different topic, however I notice in your favorite practice drill, that your eyes are focused on point of release ahead of the ‘ball’ as you come through impact, is this correct? I tend to look up too soon and trying to figure out a drill to keep my eyes focused on the right point as I come through the swing
    Thanks,
    Eric

  13. Paul,

    This seems like a good Pro vs. Am subject. Pros have their back heel up off the ground, Amateurs do not. I love freeze framing pros swings on TV golf and the back heel is universally way up at impact and hips rotated 45-degrees-plus. I’m working on a couple other things but once I get them mastered I need to get working on the back heel. In videos, I roll mine forward but don’t get the heel up like I should. If I could do it, there are 50 more yards to be easily had.

    Thanks
    Mike

  14. August 16, 2019

    TomC

    Hey Paul, I’ve got a swing thought for you to help with this concept… “Check for bubblegum on the bottom of your shoe”, after hitting the shot. The idea is that you will get the trail foot up on the toe as you teach and it keeps your head behind the ball, kind of a two for one tip! I thought it was kind of clever and wanted to share it.
    All the best,
    Tom

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      August 22, 2019

      Paul Wilson

      Tom,

      Good one. Not getting off this foot can be a big problem for people. Any mental image that works is a good one. Thanks.

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