10 ways to use your feet in the swing (and lower your scores in the process)

By: Kellie Stenzel, Top 100 Teacher

February 3, 2024

Too many players don't use their feet properly in golf. So GOLF Top 100 Teacher Kellie Stenzel shares 10 ways to change that

Learning to use your feet in golf can vastly improve your game. Here's how.

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Have you ever noticed how good golfers tend to use their feet a lot while they setup? This isn’t a coincidence, but instead, something that helps them execute their shot.

The feet have a lot of responsibilities in the golf swing, and the best players understand how to use them to their advantage. Below, I tell you how you can, too!

10 ways to use your feet in the golf swing

Many amateur golfers just don’t use their feet right in the golf swing — whether that’s during setup or while in motion. But here’s how you can use your feet as a tool to hit your desired shot just like the best golfers in the world do.

1. Find proper posture and spacing

Good golfers step their feet at setup to get into the proper posture, while also finding a consistent spacing between their hands and thighs at address. The ability to get into the same setup with each club will make it possible to make contact with the center of the face consistently.

2. Ball position

Adjusting your feet to have proper ball position is by far one of the most important fundaments in golf.

Depending on what club you’re using, always make sure you move your feet and adjust ball position. Stepping towards the target will move ball position back in the stance, and stepping away from the target will move the ball forward.

3. Aim and alignment

Aiming the face and aligning the body are certainly parts of a good setup routine. Stepping your feet in a circular motion will allow you to adjust both your clubface and your body alignment, while maintaining proper ball position for your chosen club.

4. Wider feet for bigger swings

The larger the swing you’re taking, the wider your stance should be.

Using a slightly wider stance while hitting your driver will allow you to add additional shoulder tilt. This is important in order to get the lead shoulder higher and the trail shoulder lower — helping you launch the ball and create farther distances.

5. Narrow feet for smaller swings

Using a more narrow stance on smaller swings is a great tool for controlling distance on short game shots. This is because, when your stance is narrower, it limits your flexibility and swing speed — leading to less distance.

6. Step in when you grip down

When you hold lower on the grip of the club for reduced distance, always step the feet in closer. This is to help with your balance and for maintaining good posture.

Instead of bending your knees more when holding lower on the grip, step closer, allowing your hands to hang directly below your shoulders.

7. Use a closed stance for a hook or draw

When you want to purposely curve the ball, it can often be done with some simple setup changes; like adjusting the positioning of your feet.

If you setup and “close your stance”, this can produce a draw or a hook. By doing this, it limits the ability to turn your body towards the target, and will increase the impact of the face with your hands and arms.

This can be a great adjustment for when you need to intentionally curve the ball around a tree or a dogleg.

8. Use an open stance for a fade or slice

If you need to fade or slice the ball, you can aim your clubface to the target, setup normally, and then turn your lower body towards the target so that both your feet and hips are facing in that direction.

By using this type of alignment, you’ll limit the ability to turn back, while also allowing your lower body to clear through sooner and more easily on the forward swing. This opens the face and produces the desired ball curve.

9. Ball forward with the driver and from a greenside bunker

Two shots where the ball position should be more forward is when using the driver and when you’re hitting from a greenside bunker (where you’ll want a wedge that glides though the sand due to the bounce of the club; like this option from Miura).

By stepping sideways and away from the target, your body alignment stays in the correct spot, but the ball position remains forward.

When using this adjustment with the driver, it should be accompanied with added shoulder tilt that’s away from the target — so that the shoulder line is relatively parallel to the aim line of the clubface.

10. Ball back for a lower ball flight

Where your ball is positioned can have a dramatic impact on both the ball flight and launch angle.

So when you setup with the ball towards the back of your stance, it helps deloft the clubface, which produces a lower ball flight that can be great for avoiding things like low tree branches or for keeping the flight down to offset the wind.