Playing Golf Shots When Lifting The Left Heel (Video) - by Peter Finch
Playing Golf Shots When Lifting The Left Heel (Video) - by Peter Finch

If you’ve been practicing lifting the left heel during the golf backswing, what you may find difficulty is actually taking that technique to the course, and actually when you should apply that technique on the course as well. Broadly speaking lifting the left heel during the backswing will allow the right hip to open more. It will allow the body to turn more and it will give you more power. But there are almost exceptions to the rule once you get out on to the course. For example if you are around the green hitting a chip & run shot, there is no need for you to add in excess power to your technique.

All you want to be doing on an actual chip shot, if I kind of just hit a bit of a chip & run example shot here. it’s getting that body set, hips and feet slightly open, shoulders still square to the target, and taking the club back and through to about this position here. There is no need to go any further if it’s just a standard chip & run shot. Now if you were to lift your left heel within this technique with your weight already on your left side, if you start to lift your left heel, your body will begin to tilt towards the ball. It will begin to tilt towards the target too excessively. So there's absolutely no need to be lifting up the left heel when you're hitting chip shots, and really when you're starting to hit pitch shots. So from within 90 yards and in, when you are all about control, the only way that you really want to be using the left heel effectively when you go into the course is when you are certainly faced with a shot which is a full swing shot. That’s when the left heel becomes useful. So to go from a chip shot where I am just kind of on that left side, just moving those shoulders back and through and just hitting that little bit of a chip & run shot where there's absolutely no need to lift that left heel. To go into a full swing technique where I want that left heel to lift, I want that right hip to move more, and I want to turn those shoulders more as well. There's big differences in between those techniques. So if you have been practicing lifting the left heel and you want to take it to the course, make sure you pick your shots correctly. Make sure you’ve analyzed the situation correctly for when to use this part of the technique. 2016-06-06

If you’ve been practicing lifting the left heel during the golf backswing, what you may find difficulty is actually taking that technique to the course, and actually when you should apply that technique on the course as well. Broadly speaking lifting the left heel during the backswing will allow the right hip to open more. It will allow the body to turn more and it will give you more power. But there are almost exceptions to the rule once you get out on to the course. For example if you are around the green hitting a chip & run shot, there is no need for you to add in excess power to your technique.

All you want to be doing on an actual chip shot, if I kind of just hit a bit of a chip & run example shot here. it’s getting that body set, hips and feet slightly open, shoulders still square to the target, and taking the club back and through to about this position here. There is no need to go any further if it’s just a standard chip & run shot. Now if you were to lift your left heel within this technique with your weight already on your left side, if you start to lift your left heel, your body will begin to tilt towards the ball. It will begin to tilt towards the target too excessively.

So there's absolutely no need to be lifting up the left heel when you're hitting chip shots, and really when you're starting to hit pitch shots. So from within 90 yards and in, when you are all about control, the only way that you really want to be using the left heel effectively when you go into the course is when you are certainly faced with a shot which is a full swing shot. That’s when the left heel becomes useful. So to go from a chip shot where I am just kind of on that left side, just moving those shoulders back and through and just hitting that little bit of a chip & run shot where there's absolutely no need to lift that left heel.

To go into a full swing technique where I want that left heel to lift, I want that right hip to move more, and I want to turn those shoulders more as well. There's big differences in between those techniques. So if you have been practicing lifting the left heel and you want to take it to the course, make sure you pick your shots correctly. Make sure you’ve analyzed the situation correctly for when to use this part of the technique.