Feet Pressure Golf Drill: Moe Norman’s Top Secret

I added the Moe Norman Feet Pressure Drill to the Golf Practice Planner today because it is probably the easiest way to increase rotation in your golf swing. It’s Moe Norman’s top secret.

“Winners see what they want. Losers see what they don’t want. Don’t let the game eat you; you eat the game.” – Moe Norman (best ball-striker of all time)

Name
Moe Norman Feet Pressure Drill

Category
Long Game Practice Drills

Difficulty
2 out of 10

Time
15 minutes

Props
Any golf club. Golf ball. Golf Practice Planner.

Overview
The Moe Norman Feet Pressure Drill will teach you what your feet are telling you about your swing. This is probably the easiest way to increase rotation in your golf swing. This drill will help you diagnose your swing so you can fix your own problems without getting a lesson. All the best players in the world, including Moe Norman, have great footwork.

Steps

Step 1: Watch
Watch the video below.

Step 2: Weight At Address
Where the pressure in your feet goes (towards toes or heels) will impact the rest of your body motion. In a standard golf swing, at the address position, the weight should be just forward of the centre of the arches, on the balls of your feet. That’s just past the end of your shoelaces (see image below).

Step 3: Weight On The Backswing
As you make a backswing the pressure should work in toward the middle of the right foot (you even move the pressure toward the right heel).

Step 4: Weight On The Downswing
As you make the downswing the pressure should work from the middle of the right foot (or heel) into the middle of the left foot, and into the heel at impact.

Step 5: Self Diagnosis – Weight On Heels
If your pressure goes too far onto your toes or too far onto your heels at any point in the swing, it’s going to have an effect. The more you bend over your upper body, the more your weight will go towards your heels (see image below).

The reason the weight goes towards the heels is “counterbalance” – your body is trying not to fall over. If the mass of your body goes forward, your lower body is going to move back to find balance, and as the weight moves back, the weight naturally will move towards the heels. More weight in the heels means more upper body over the ball (this is a good position for the downswing and impact).

If, however, you start with more weight on your heels at the address position, then during the downswing, you will move the weight more towards your toes (due to counterbalance). This is what most amateurs do! If you have most of your weight on your toes on your downswing, you are probably early extending (not a good thing!)

Step 6: Self Diagnosis – Weight On Toes
As you get taller (move up), your weight is naturally going to move onto your toes. As your weight moves towards your toes, your body will counteract that by moving up – getting taller (see the image below).

If you start with more weight on your toes at the address position, then during the downswing you will move the weight more towards your heels (due to counterbalance). This is why most pros will favour having more weight towards their toes at address because they want to have their weight on their left heel at impact (to create more rotation).

The modern pros get so much weight on their left heel at impact that the entire front part of the left foot rolls back (see image below).

Let’s take a look at the best ball-striker of all time.

Moe Norman at the address position (weight towards the toes)

Moe Norman at impact (weight on the left heel) 

In the image below, Moe is doing his “feel drill”. He doesn’t actually get his arms in this position just before impact during a normal swing.

Step 7: Competitive Practice
Do 10 “Feet Pressure” shots. Try to self diagnose yourself. Do you have too much weight on your heels or toes during the address, backswing, downswing, and completion of the swing?