Golf Tip

Golf Tip: Five Tips for Proper Foot Positioning

Mark Twain described golf as “a good walk spoiled”. This perfectly encapsulates the feeling of losing a tee shot and having to take a drop. To avoid extra strokes off of your tee shot, practice your foot placement. Novice golfers struggle with their consistency on each shot, and most of the time it can be traced back to inconsistent footwork. Famous golfer Jack Nicklaus once said, "If you set up correctly, there's a good chance you'll hit a reasonable shot, even with a mediocre swing."

To have more success at each tee box, follow these five steps.

1) Make sure your legs are shoulder-width apart.

This sounds very straight forward and aligns with most athletic positions from other sports. Stand with your knees slightly bent. Driving the ball requires a slightly larger stance while shooting with irons and chipping allows for a smaller stance. You can modify your stance by an inch or two depending on the club.

2) Pay attention to your feet and toes!

How your feet are angled will greatly impact the effectiveness of your shot. Your front foot should have a slight angle outward, or towards where you want to hit the ball. Your back foot should be at a complete 90-degree angle from the desired target. Angling your feet in the correct stance will allow faster body rotation and improved flexibility.

3) Make sure you are centered and balanced.

Understanding the correct foot placement is only half the battle. If you feel uncomfortable or off-center while making these changes, your shot will be inconsistent. You want your body weight to be evenly distributed through your toes and heels. Depending on the club you are using, you can lean into the shot. For example, for smaller irons your weight should be more on your front foot. For longer clubs place your weight on your back foot. Mastering the proper balance for each shot will allow you to improve your backswing, and hit more powerful shots.

4) Align your posture, and stand tall.

A golf swing is a full-body motion. The huge difference between a new golfer and an experienced golfer is the efficient transfer of energy while swinging. Pro’s are able to harness all of their rotational power from their hips, shoulders, and legs. Your spine should align with your knees, and the balls of your feet while hitting from the tee box. Keeping your posture straight will allow more consistent drives and longer shots.

5) Ball Placement!

This will become natural over time but being detail-oriented about where your ball is placed will lead to more consistent shots. Depending on the club you use this will be slightly different. For your 7, 8, and 9 iron, put the ball in the middle of your stance. For long distances irons, place the ball slightly in front of the true center, close to an inch forward. For drivers, place the ball in line with your front foot, then move it back an inch. The ball should sit slightly inside of your front foot. For every shot make sure the ball is not too far away or too close to your body.

Following these steps will help improve your consistency, striking power, and your score on the course. Remember to stay relaxed throughout your warm up swing, and focus on the ball. If you follow these steps, you may notice a large improvement in your overall game. For tips like this and more, check out our Nike Junior Golf Camps!