Happy Tuesday - The unsung hero in the golf swing is frequently overlooked by amateur players - footwork! We can all agree the upper body does the bulk of the work, but the feet and legs play a vital role in when it comes to swing mechanics.
In today’s quick tip, we’ll get your lower half working in the proper sequence, making your golf swing as efficient as ever.
Let’s jump in!
TIPS & DRILLS
Try the “Shin Breaker” to Improve Your Footwork
Improving ground interaction will increase speed and consistency
To Recap…
If you’ve never understood the term “early extension,” it’s exactly as it sounds - when you extend your body early, triggering the hips to lunge towards the ball and making it very difficult to get the club back to the ball squarely. The miss is typically high and out to the right (for a right-hander), or worse, a shank!
In the drill below, affectionately called the “Shin Breaker”, @ryanhager_pga shows us how to use an empty range bucket to provide immediate feedback if your lower half is working in the proper sequence:
STEP 1: Take an empty bucket of range balls and set it up so your toes are standing on the inside of the bucket. Set it a few inches away from your shin so there is no room for error!
STEP 2: The goal is to be able to make swings WITHOUT your shins making contact with the basket through impact. This could be really difficult at first, so start at slower swing speeds or even half swings to ingrain the motion first.
STEP 3: If the basket rolls towards the target, this is actually a good thing - this “rolling” of the trail foot means you are staying in posture! GOOD!
PRO TIP: It’s easy to do this drill on the range and re-train the proper motion after a few swings, but taking it to the course is a whole different animal. Altering your footwork permanently is a MAJOR change to your swing. It could take a number of rounds or even weeks of practice to ingrain the proper motion, so exercise patience!
TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a Callaway Elyte Fairway Wood
(1 winner chosen on 7/31/25 across all July trivia entries, 1,000 correct respondents minimum)
What player holds the record for most Ryder Cup points scored?
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