The effect of foot placement on the golf swing seems to be an underexplained relationship in golf today. I suspect there is more money in omissions than cures. Of course, an alternative answer may be that there is a pervasive knowledge deficit. In either case, a student’s quest for knowledge is unfulfilled.

There is an ear for every voice. However, we need to demand that our ear gets a better explanation from our chosen voice. Otherwise, we might be getting instruction from a very confident dumbass. If true, time and money have been wasted getting a sales pitch instead of a golf lesson. Better answers can create a mental connection between our feet and golf swing.

From our first steps, we learn to fight gravity using our feet. As we gain experience walking, we dare to try running. There were answers available on the subject of how to run, but we didn’t need them. We never questioned the process, because we were too busy making it happen.

As long as our intent remains constant, we will always figure out how to move with certainty. Certainty implies commitment and efficiency. Therefore, discussing foot placement and how it affects a golf swing is really a discussion about finding and committing to objective, athletic efficiency. Properly evaluating our feedback is an absolute necessity in determining efficiency. But, what standard do we use?

We need a proper point of reference to objectively observe movement, which is always where and how we place our feet at address. For example, if we turn our rear toe toward the target, we inhibit torso and hip turn and shorten our backswing. If we turn our rear toe away from the target, we encourage more torso and hip turn and lengthen our backswing.

Foot orientation is also a feeding factor of trajectory and shot shape. But, how feedback opens the mind of the golfer is more important than any incidentals of movement. Opening our mind allows us to become more responsive, adaptable, and function with less doubt. An Open Stance promotes an optimal placement of the feet, objectively, for feedback to do it’s job for us, subjectively.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy