# Justin Rose lifting left heel on backswing



## richart (Jul 24, 2017)

Watching the Open, I noticed a bit on Justin Rose, and because of back problems he is lifting his left heel on his backswing. Only saw the end of the piece, so not sure if it is on all shots, just the driver, or even just in practice.

Anyone suffering from a bad back tried it ? I have had a go in the garden and it feels quite good. When I started playing nearly all golfers lifted their left heel (right handed golfers) on the backswing. Best example was Jack Nicklaus. As I started as a kid I was supple, and found I didn't need to.

I know Harrington does his walk through after hitting his shots, to protect his back as well. 

Any thoughts ?


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## bobmac (Jul 24, 2017)

Does his knee go forward (towards the ball) or back (towards his right knee)?


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## richart (Jul 24, 2017)

bobmac said:



			Does his knee go forward (towards the ball) or back (towards his right knee)?
		
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 It goes out and back from memory Bob. I only caught the end of the piece, but it looked like it was helping him turn without so much pressure on his lower back.


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## Foreplay (Jul 24, 2017)

Very interesting. Had a back operation about 15 years ago and only recently returned to golf. When teeing off my left heel raises and rotates quite a lot. This felt natural and I thought it was the correct movement until I saw a few videos. I guess subconsciously I do it to protect my back as I am reluctant to put in a full backswing.


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## richart (Jul 24, 2017)

Foreplay said:



			Very interesting. Had a back operation about 15 years ago and only recently returned to golf. When teeing off my left heel raises and rotates quite a lot. This felt natural and I thought it was the correct movement until I saw a few videos. I guess subconsciously I do it to protect my back as I am reluctant to put in a full backswing.
		
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 It was definitely the way most swung in the 70's when I started playing. More recently the heel seems to stay down, which I imagine gives a stronger turn, more torque , but puts more pressure on the back ?

Only time I get a bad back is playing golf, but that could be to do with my awful swing.


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## bobmac (Jul 24, 2017)

If it moves back, that would encourage a sway off the ball. 
Not a big deal with the driver but more dodgy with fairway shots where a sway could cause an inconsistent contact


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## One Planer (Jul 24, 2017)

You wanna check Padraigs current footwork.


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## garyinderry (Jul 24, 2017)

Justin used to use this as a power move to get a few extra yards on his drives on wide open par 5s.


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## richart (Jul 24, 2017)

bobmac said:



			If it moves back, that would encourage a sway off the ball. 
Not a big deal with the driver but more dodgy with fairway shots where a sway could cause an inconsistent contact
		
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 I only saw him with the driver, and not sure he does it with the irons.

I assume you start the down swing by snapping the heel down Bob ?


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## bobmac (Jul 24, 2017)

richart said:



			I assume you start the down swing by snapping the heel down Bob ?
		
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I would if I was as old as you


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## richart (Jul 24, 2017)

bobmac said:



			I would if I was as old as you 

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 I think 'snapping' is probably a bit too energetic for me.


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## HomerJSimpson (Jul 24, 2017)

richart said:



			I think 'snapping' is probably a bit too energetic for me.

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Just the bones going again!!!


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## Face breaker (Jul 24, 2017)

I lift my left heel on the back-swing, I also have a narrow stance, both of these things together help me to turn into and follow through with my swing, I'm not particularly unfit/overweight or old form that matter (43) but I'm quite stocky and struggle to turn into the swing...

Although neither of these techniques helped one bit this evening as I played like a complete and utter novice, anybody would've thought I'd never swung a club in my life, certainly played well above my handicap of 21...

Figured it out though, weak grip technique and to much wing flapping going on...


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## Orikoru (Jul 25, 2017)

I'm pretty sure Bubba does this on his drives as well (right heel since he's left handed). His technique isn't exactly textbook though of course.


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## Khamelion (Jul 25, 2017)

All the lessons I had, I was told to keep the left foot planted and to start the downswing I was told to imagine there was a wet sponge under my left heel and I had to push down to squeeze the water out.

As mentioned above Nicklaus lifted his heel while swing, didn't do him much harm, I guess as in all areas, things just keep circling around. Coaches will no doubt start to tell pupils that lifting the left heel is okay and they won't be as strict in telling pupils to keep the foot planted, lifting the heel will then become the norm or a few years.

The golf swing is unique to everyone and so long as you are getting the result you intended and can repeat the swing shot after shot, who cares if your left heel dances around likes it been possessed by a 70's disco diva.


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## richart (Jul 25, 2017)

Khamelion said:



			All the lessons I had, I was told to keep the left foot planted and to start the downswing I was told to imagine there was a wet sponge under my left heel and I had to push down to squeeze the water out.

As mentioned above Nicklaus lifted his heel while swing, didn't do him much harm, I guess as in all areas, things just keep circling around. Coaches will no doubt start to tell pupils that lifting the left heel is okay and they won't be as strict in telling pupils to keep the foot planted, lifting the heel will then become the norm or a few years.

The golf swing is unique to everyone and so long as you are getting the result you intended and can repeat the swing shot after shot, who cares if your left heel dances around likes it been possessed by a 70's disco diva.
		
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Think you might have missed my initial point of the thread. The heel lift is to protect the back, not to do with improving the swing. Rose has had back problems, and he is know lifting his heel. Harrington is walking through after the shot for the same reason.

Swinging a golf club is likely to cause some golfers problems with their back in later years, so is it worth trying to protect it now ? I am tempted to try it as only golf has given me back problems in the past. A bit like fast bowlers changing their action for the same reason.

I assume no one is taught these days to lift their heel in the swing ?


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## louise_a (Jul 25, 2017)

One of our members lifts her left heel when playing a lot of shots, doesn't  do her any harm, she plays off 10.


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## Khamelion (Jul 25, 2017)

richart said:



			Think you might have missed my initial point of the thread. The heel lift is to protect the back, not to do with improving the swing. Rose has had back problems, and he is know lifting his heel. Harrington is walking through after the shot for the same reason.

Swinging a golf club is likely to cause some golfers problems with their back in later years, so is it worth trying to protect it now ? I am tempted to try it as only golf has given me back problems in the past. A bit like fast bowlers changing their action for the same reason.

I assume no one is taught these days to lift their heel in the swing ?
		
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I got the point of the post, in that lifting the left heel will help protect the back, but in the same breath instructors generally teach that keeping the heel planted is the way you should stand and swing.

That written, if more pros start to lift their heel, then instructors will start to teach that method.

It may well be, going to the extreme, if an instructor is adamant that a pupil keeps their feet planted and then as a result said pupil gets back issues, that pupil could potentially sue the instructor on health and safety grounds and before the forum population shoot me down on that last comment, I did say it would be an extreme situation.

But if the above did happen then teaching lifting the heel would become the norm, as instructors fear of being sued as a precedent has been set.

So what resulted from a few pros and amateur golfers protecting their backs, is all of a sudden the next big thing in teaching the golf swing.


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## bobmac (Jul 25, 2017)

Khamelion said:



			So what resulted from a few pros and amateur golfers protecting their backs, is all of a sudden the next big thing in teaching the golf swing.
		
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Lifting the heel encourages a sway which makes your contact more inconsistent.
Therefore pros will never teach it.


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## Yant (Jul 25, 2017)

Here's some video i took of Justin last week at one of the practice days.

[video=youtube_share;8e2pytU4g6c]https://youtu.be/8e2pytU4g6c[/video]


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## richart (Jul 25, 2017)

bobmac said:



			Lifting the heel encourages a sway which makes your contact more inconsistent.
Therefore pros will never teach it.
		
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Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Miller lifted their heels and managed not to sway.

I get your point that it could encourage a sway, but it can be done without swaying. I only opened the thread, as I thought it was interesting if you suffered from a bad back. 

As I said I only saw end of the Rose piece, so not sure if he just used it in practice, just with his driver, or what.Perhaps someone else saw it at the Open Zone ?


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## Crow (Jul 26, 2017)

richart said:



			I assume no one is taught these days to lift their heel in the swing ?
		
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Can't answer for these days but I've just finished reading Abe Mitchell's "Essentials of Golf", he promotes a raised left heel, as did most of the players of that era.


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## IainP (Nov 5, 2017)

Not the OP, but good to see Rose win his last two tournaments.


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## the_coach (Nov 5, 2017)

richart said:



			I assume no one is taught these days to lift their heel in the swing ?
		
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richart said:



			I only opened the thread, as I thought it was interesting if you suffered from a bad back.
		
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- at it's basics you can only rotate the upper body with in a certain range of motion (speaking about most folks who do not/are not able to do all the gym work that many tour pro's/elite golfers tend to - to aid their flexibility) without the hips turning 

you can only rotate the hips to a certain range of motion part through the range of the hip flexors - then the hamstrings - calf muscle etc - ankle structure .... it's all linked

through age & a general lack of flexibility because to have a decent shoulder turn (pivot) you have to have to be able to internally rotate into the trail hip - that's what a hip turn really is - then if the hams are tight same with calf muscle same with ankle structure - so often times then the lead heel will to rise up some

so depending on the physicality of folks taking lessons it is often times necessary to allow that lead heel to rise some - but then it should only rise as the last movement in the chain - as a result of the motion that comes before - so it's important that there is no 'independent active' just 'lifting' of the lead heel  

to deal with a bad back in a golf motion particularly if that's issues with the lower back it's imperative the hips are allowed to turn (that internal rotation into the trail hip) & to allow all that to happen then the lead heel - it's okay - for that to lift off of the ground but not be 'lifted' more think of it being 'pulled' up  - if you can get a sense of that difference 

to accommodate this the lead knee will then move both a tad out & a tad back as the lead heel is 'pulled' a tad up

- as long as the pattern of movement of the hips has been that 'internal rotation' into the trial hip with weight pressure downwards into the inside half of the trail foot along with the trail leg being allowed to straighten a tad (but not lock out ramrod straight with all the weight pressure moving to the outside of the trail foot) 

plus as long as the upper body has not initially swayed trailside during the start of the takeaway - then as part of the last part of the backswing the lead foot lifting would not initiate a sway - but if it's 'actively lifted' at the start of the swing it can definitely initiate an unwanted lateral sway trailside a ways of the ball that then most folks don't recover from in their downswing to strike so the issues with a bunch of inconsistencies

& yep if for the above reasons it has been 'lifted up' then putting the lead heel back down into the ground should start the transition sequence


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Nov 6, 2017)

One Planer said:



			You wanna check Padraigs current footwork.
		
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Caught a moment of PH taking a tee shot this last comp.  It may have been my imagination but I thought he actually lifted his left foot just as he started his *downswing* and actually moved his left foot a little to the left (relative to his stance).  But I may have imagined that.


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