Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a GOLF.com series in which we’re sharing improvements, learnings and takeaways from amateur golfers just like you — including some of the speed bumps and challenges they faced along the way.
If there’s one thing that I routinely struggle with in my golf swing, it’s my rotation.
Maybe it’s the former baseball player in me — where I needed to use quick motions in the batter’s box to hit a moving object — but anytime I stand over the ball, I’m too fast in my transition as I come to impact. This often results in my hands trailing, the clubface dragging and opening, leading to many of my shots spraying to the right (as a right-handed player).
Sure, some of the issues can be cured by simply slowing down and focusing on my sequencing, but after taking a lesson with GOLF Top 100 Teacher Joe Plecker, there was an even easier fix: my feet positioning.
In the video below, Plecker analyzes where my feet are at address, and demonstrates how a 2-club cross drill can determine their proper width — creating more depth in the rotation and backswing for better shot results. Check it out and try it for yourself.
Use 2 clubs to determine the proper feet position in the golf swing
Until I took this lesson from Plecker, I never really thought twice about where my feet should be in the swing. I just sort of setup over the ball, kept them about shoulder-width apart and swung.
But Plecker gave me the cold hard truth after witnessing just one tee shot from me.
“I see something in how your feet are positioned here,” he said. “[How you currently are] is too narrow, and your toes are pointed in front.”
My first thought? How the hell have I played golf for nearly 30 years and this simple issue has never been fixed? After getting over that reality, Plecker continued — and finally helped cure the problem.
“I’m going to take two golf clubs and I’m going to cross them. Now put your left foot there, and then your right foot on the other side,” he told me. “Put the shaft [of the club you’re holding] across your thighs, and try to turn back till that shaft matches the one [on the ground].”
The image below shows how this should look.
During my first attempt, it was a struggle to line up the shafts because the position of my feet were too narrow. This is where Plecker made some adjustments to widen my stance to create more depth in my backswing.
“Make your stance a little wider, flare your right knee and foot out, and now turn again into the backswing,” he said. “It [has to feel] a little easier, and your right foot [the trail foot] stays on the ground.”
