How to effectively use your feet to make a better golf swing

I’ve coached a lot of players over the years, and one thing I tell every serious golfer: great ball-strikers don’t just move the club — they move the ground.

Footwork is everything. Your feet control, balance, pressure and ultimately, how you create speed and deliver the club. With the help of Swing Catalyst technology, I’ve been able to measure, visualize and train better footwork with players of all levels.

What you’ll find below is a clear, drill-driven guide to improving your footwork — based on what I teach every day and what I see in the data.

1. Setup: Balance and pressure distribution

What I’m looking for at address

At setup, I want your pressure centered under the balls and midfoot — not on the toes or heels. You should feel athletic, grounded, and “ready.” Pressure should also be even left-to-right — roughly 50/50 on stock shots. That gives your center of pressure (CoP) the freedom to move cleanly during the swing. Using Swing Catalyst’s Balance Plate, I can actually show players a real-time heat map and CoP trace so they see exactly what’s happening under their feet.

Why that pressure matters

Here’s something that surprises a lot of players: your feet don’t just hold weight — they apply pressure to the ground. That pressure creates the forces (vertical and rotational) that drive club speed and stability. With Swing Catalyst, I can measure how much and where you’re pushing, and then connect that directly to your ball-striking and power.

My coaching process

Before I change anything in a swing, I check balance at setup using the pressure plate. If your foundation is off, the rest of your motion is going to compensate — and that’s where problems start.

2) Common footwork mistakes

Backswing mistakes

1. Rocking to the heels or toes
When a player rocks to their heels in the backswing, I usually see the club work too far inside or lift early. If the pressure shifts toward the toes, the club often goes across the line or loses depth. On the Balance Plate, this shows up as the heat map drifting toward the back or front edge of the foot, rather than staying centered. These pressure misalignments lead to poor pivot mechanics and an inconsistent low point, which compromises contact.

2. No pressure load into the trail foot
Another common error is failing to shift pressure into the trail foot during the backswing. When the CoP barely moves to the trail side, it tells me the player’s body is staying stacked over the ball rather than loading properly. That leaves no room to push off in transition, which limits speed and rhythm. Most efficient swings show pressure moving into the trail foot in the backswing, then into the lead foot early in the downswing.

Downswing mistakes

Instruction

3. Hanging back on the trail foot
If a player doesn’t recenter or shift their pressure forward in transition, they often hang back on the trail foot. This results in inconsistent strikes — typically thin or fat — and often leads to right-side misses for right-handed players. It also limits the player’s ability to generate speed efficiently.

4. Late or insufficient lead-side push
Many players don’t generate enough vertical force or rotational torque from the lead side during the downswing. When that push is weak or delayed, the rotation slows down, the handle stalls, and timing becomes an issue. On the force data, this shows up clearly — we can see whether or not the lead foot is driving force back into the ground to support rotation and speed.

5. Over-aggressive slide or spin-out
Some players slide aggressively or let their trail foot spin out without proper vertical or rotational support. That kind of lateral motion, if not backed by effective ground reaction forces, leads to chaos in face control and swing path. Players sometimes try to mimic moves like Scottie Scheffler’s sliding trail foot, but without the same timing or force pattern, it doesn’t work. The motion looks similar — but the forces underneath are completely different.

3) Drills to fix your footwork

1. Find neutral at setup

One of the simplest ways to check your balance at address is what I call the “Tripod Foot” drill. You want to feel even pressure under your big toe, little toe and heel on both feet. Once you’re in posture, tap your toes and heels to confirm you’re not overly biased in one direction. On a Balance Plate, I look for evenly centered footprints, with the CoP dot resting cleanly between them. That tells me you’ve found neutral.

2. Load the trail foot in the backswing

To teach players how to load the trail foot, I use a drill I call the “Step-Back Load.” Start in your normal address position, then step your trail foot a few inches farther from the target just before starting the backswing. This subtle move forces pressure to gather into the inside of the trail foot, helping players feel a solid load without swaying. It’s one of my go-to tools when I need to clean up backswing mechanics.

Another great feel is what I call “60/40 to Trail” rehearsals. Begin with a 50/50 pressure split, and as the club moves to waist-high in the backswing, shift around 60% of your pressure into the trail foot. The exact number isn’t critical — the feel is. Just make sure the pressure stays inside the trail foot and doesn’t roll to the outside edge.

3. Recenter then shift in transition

To train the transition, I often use a “Split-Step Transition” drill. Take your normal stance, and as the club reaches the top of the backswing, perform a small “split step” — a subtle bump toward your lead foot — before starting the downswing. This helps sync up the pressure shift from trail to lead, which is essential for creating power and consistency.

Instruction

Another helpful cue is what I call the “Lead-Heel Plant.” If your lead heel lifts slightly in the backswing, plant it back down as the first move to start the downswing. On video, I want to see the lead hip stack over the lead foot as the club shallows. And on the pressure plate, I’m looking for the CoP to move quickly to the lead foot early in the downswing.

4. Create Useful Vertical Force

To help players feel vertical push from the lead foot, I use the “Stomp and Turn” drill. From the top of the swing, stomp the lead foot into the ground, then rotate through. The stomp builds vertical force, and the turn converts that force into rotational speed. I’ve seen players gain 4 to 6 mph of club speed just by learning how to push more effectively through the lead side.

Another useful feel is what I call “Lead-Leg Torque.” Imagine screwing your lead foot into the ground — the forefoot gently rotates toward the target while the heel resists in the opposite direction. This creates torque between the foot and the ground. On the 3D Motion Plate, we can see this as one of the key drivers of efficient rotational force.

5. Control slide and spin-out

To help players reduce excessive lateral motion, I often use a “Narrow-to-Normal” stance progression. Start by hitting controlled half-swings with a slightly narrower stance. This forces better balance and limits the tendency to slide. Focus on finishing with your chest facing the target, your trail foot released, and your body in control. Once that’s stable, build back to your normal stance. On the Balance Plate, I want to see a forward-moving, stable CoP at the finish.

Another cue I use is “Inside-Edge Trail Foot.” During the backswing and initial move down, feel pressure on the inside edge of your trail foot. That internal pressure helps you stay centered and prevents the CoP from drifting outside, which often leads to uncontrolled sliding in transition.

Bringing it together

Start the swing in balance. Load into the trail foot without swaying. Recenter and shift pressure to the lead side early in the downswing. Then push — both vertically and rotationally — from the lead foot to deliver speed and a stable face through impact. These are the precise movement patterns I train with players every day using Swing Catalyst. When your feet work, your swing gets simpler, more powerful, and a lot more repeatable.