[Yoda]

As far as lifting the left heel, I've always thought of it in the sense that it is lifted, not that you lift it. Allowing the left heel to be taken off the ground naturally by the Pivot, instead of lifting it intentionally, will leave you better off in your Motion IMHO. Personally, my heel doesn't lift, but I attribute that to flexibility instead of an effort to keep it grounded. If the Pivot wants to lift the heel, then let it be lifted.

Agreed on all points, NCHamr. A proper pivot will, in almost all cases (especially with the longer clubs and the necessity of the right shoulder to turn to the flatter planes), pull the left heel off the ground.

Problem is . . .

Few golfers have a proper pivot. And they won't have one until that left heel (and the accompanying knee bend) starts accommodating the necessary Hip Turn (and with it, the necessary Shoulder Turn).

The reality is that the average guy's lower body doesn't move very well. Soon, the various pivot Components -- especially the Hips, Knees, and Feet -- get used to that limited dynamic and simply shut down. They're no longer active; instead, they merely accommodate, to a limited extent, the required Golf Motion.

To all golfers, I say this:

Virtually every great player in history has lifted his (or her) left heel and fully-cleared their right hip, especially with the longer clubs. Off the top of my head, let's make a list over the last century:

Early on:

Anderson
Vardon
Braid
Ray
Ouimet
Barnes
Jones
Vare
Hagen
Sarazen

And almost everyone else.

Next gen:

Hogan
Snead
Nelson
Picard
Demaret
Zaharias
Guldahl
Jameson
Mangrum
Bell
Toski
Locke
Cotton
Suggs
Burke
Berg
DiVencenzo

And almost everyone else.

Next gen:

Wright
Palmer
Nicklaus
Jacklin
Whitworth
Rawls
Player
Trevino
Casper
Watson
Miller
Nelson
Norman
Kite
Crenshaw
Langer
Price
Haas (gotta put him in here; all-time PGA TOUR leader in Cuts Made!)
Watkins

And almost everyone else.

Next gen:

Stewart
Lopez
Azinger
Woosnam
King
Montgomerie
Mickelson
Harrington
Love

And a ton of new (but not yet great) players too numerous to mention. Many of whom will no doubt learn from their new age instructors to keep their heel down in the coming years (risking both their backs and their careers).

Woods? No, but then, he's not exactly the straightest driver out there, and at age 35, has already had his 4th left knee operation.

Here's my question, to all players, instructors, biomechanists, broadcasters, magazine experts, et. al:

If virtually ALL of the great champions in history -- male and female -- have had sufficient pivots to pull their left heel off the ground, why is the average golfer inhibiting his own by leaving the left heel down?



Here's an interesting tidbit:

Years ago, marine biologists put a test group of sharks in a pool and let them get used to swimming the perimeter. Then, they put a plexiglass wall across the middle of the pool. Boom. Boom. Boom! The sharks soon got used to swimming in the plexiglass defined half-pool.

Then, the biologists lifted the plexiglass wall.

What happened? The sharks, having learned their constraints, continued to swim in their limited half-pool.

And so it is with almost every left heel/right hip-bound golfer. The pivot lacking, they compensate. Usually with an under plane backswing around their frozen right hip, accompanied by an overswing of their collapsing arms, and the inevitable over-the-top move in the Start Down.

Here's the real deal: Power is not the problem. The Arm Swing is Power, not the body. And the problem is that the Arms cannot swing freely On Plane (and past the body) while the right hip is in the way. Either back or down.

So, get reckless: Lift your left heel. Clear your right hip. Let your left knee be pulled inward and point at or just behind the ball. With that action, you'll create a path for your HANDS to swing, back and down. Follow the lead of virtually every great champion in history . . .

Just do it.