Left Heel Lifts In Golf Backswing (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles
Left Heel Lifts In Golf Backswing (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles

So, if we’re going to take on both the ideas that Johnny Miller had in his golf swing to make him such a supreme ball striker, one of the most noticeable things in his golf swing is that a left heel lift he had during the back swing. Now, for a lot of golfers we talk about not lifting that left heel. So, why does it work for some? Why not others? And what can we learn from this idea of lifting the left heel?

Now, the first thing to notice that although the left heel goes left for some good ball strikers, it doesn’t involve a sway to the right side and that’s what most club golfers who do lift their left heel, sway away. That’s the reason why the heel lifts effectively. So, the left heel lift is this and it is not this. Okay. So, from this angle, the left heel lift would be here, but not here. So, it’s not a big sway to the real leg and that’s what a lot of club golfers are going to come and stuck, certainly swaying your body weight to the right-hand side and letting your left heel lift up this way is not going to make you a good ball striker, it’s going to cause significant issues with your down swing and your ball striking potential. So, the Johnny Miller left heel lift just facilitated a little bit of a bigger shoulder rotation. He was able to turn around a little bit more – generating a little bit more power and he actually used that left heel lift as quite a significant trigger for the good down swing. We actually use that left heel lift and then sort of stump it down if you like in the down swing. The first movement of the down swing to make sure initiating with the lower body is to get that left heel and stump it on to the ground and as that left heel stumps in the down swing here, we initiate the shift across the turning to impact. So, although the left heel might be lifting, which is contrary to what a lot of golfers would teach, having that left heel in the air allows us to initiate the down swing by getting up body weight back to the left side. So, it stays centered at the top, drive your body weight to left-hand side and that’s really going to help you get a good accurate ball striking impact position by getting your body weight back to your left side. 2016-10-20

So, if we’re going to take on both the ideas that Johnny Miller had in his golf swing to make him such a supreme ball striker, one of the most noticeable things in his golf swing is that a left heel lift he had during the back swing. Now, for a lot of golfers we talk about not lifting that left heel. So, why does it work for some? Why not others? And what can we learn from this idea of lifting the left heel?

Now, the first thing to notice that although the left heel goes left for some good ball strikers, it doesn’t involve a sway to the right side and that’s what most club golfers who do lift their left heel, sway away. That’s the reason why the heel lifts effectively. So, the left heel lift is this and it is not this. Okay. So, from this angle, the left heel lift would be here, but not here.

So, it’s not a big sway to the real leg and that’s what a lot of club golfers are going to come and stuck, certainly swaying your body weight to the right-hand side and letting your left heel lift up this way is not going to make you a good ball striker, it’s going to cause significant issues with your down swing and your ball striking potential.

So, the Johnny Miller left heel lift just facilitated a little bit of a bigger shoulder rotation. He was able to turn around a little bit more – generating a little bit more power and he actually used that left heel lift as quite a significant trigger for the good down swing. We actually use that left heel lift and then sort of stump it down if you like in the down swing. The first movement of the down swing to make sure initiating with the lower body is to get that left heel and stump it on to the ground and as that left heel stumps in the down swing here, we initiate the shift across the turning to impact.

So, although the left heel might be lifting, which is contrary to what a lot of golfers would teach, having that left heel in the air allows us to initiate the down swing by getting up body weight back to the left side. So, it stays centered at the top, drive your body weight to left-hand side and that’s really going to help you get a good accurate ball striking impact position by getting your body weight back to your left side.