Lift the left heel during the backswing: Joël Bernard
Tiger Woods keeps his feet flat on the ground, while Rory McIlroy lifts his left heel slightly: who’s right? Joël Bernard explains that you can lift your front heel to pivot, as long as you maintain your axis and angles. He concludes with a simple exercise—one you can do without a club—to improve your rotation and stability.
To be continued
What the lesson shows
Joël Bernard begins by addressing a question from a subscriber, prompted by a photo of Tiger Woods with his feet flat on the ground and Rory McIlroy with his left heel raised. Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and Sam Snead used to raise their heels significantly to pivot. The “X-factor” trend—separating the shoulders and hips significantly during the backswing—doesn’t suit every golfer. His response: The left heel may lift, to a certain extent, under two conditions. First, Do not move sideways: You have to keep your body still; otherwise, your angle of attack, speed, and ball contact will become inconsistent.
Next, the heel shouldn't lift because we loses its sharp edges as it straightens out: This opens the door to fat and thin shots. He demonstrates an exercise you can do even at home, without a gym: a step-up with your feet completely flat, followed by a step-up where you let your weight shift forward. toward the toe of the front foot and the heel of the back foot, and vice versa on the way down. The spin is released, and stability remains impeccable: you can even hit balls this way.
The Exercise, Step by Step
- Get into the starting position—without a club, if you'd like.
- Pedal uphill with your feet completely flat, without shifting your weight at all, to feel the limit of your rotation.
- Repeat the movement, shifting your weight toward the ball of your front foot and the heel of your back foot.
- On the way back, reverse the position: heel of the front foot, toe of the back foot.
- Make sure your body stays steady and that you don't straighten up in the backswing.
- Hit some balls using this heel-to-toe stance to generate more spin.
Key Takeaways
Mistakes to Avoid
- Moving sideways while going up, then having to readjust while going down.
- Lift your heel because you're standing up straight and losing your angles.
- Trying at all costs to find a major "X factor" that doesn't match your profile.
- Exaggerating the heel height, at the expense of fat and thin shots.
Driving Range Mode
Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.
- Step up with your feet flat, then step up using a toe-and-heel distribution
- Hits where you focus on the toe in front and the heel behind
- Video monitoring: fixed axis, no lateral movement
- Exercising at Home Without a Gym
Your Questions
Is it okay to lift your left heel during the backswing?
Yes, according to Joël Bernard, to a certain extent. Many former champions, like Jack Nicklaus, used to lift the club a lot to pivot. You just have to maintain your axis and not straighten up.
Why is lateral displacement a problem?
The more you shift your weight on the way up, the more you have to readjust on the way down. Joël Bernard explains that this causes the angle of attack, speed, and ball contact to be inconsistent.
Should we look for a major "X" factor?
Not necessarily. According to Joël Bernard, whether a player strongly separates their shoulders from their hips during the backswing depends on their playing style; for some players, this separation occurs more during the downswing.
How does the heel-to-toe exercise work?
On the upstroke, shift your weight toward the ball of your front foot and the heel of your back foot; on the downstroke, do the opposite. This allows for a smooth rotation while maintaining good stability.
Learn More
Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Joël Bernard). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons without hosting them.