The Way To A Steady Head Is Through The Feet

When I was a boy just learning to play golf under Jack Grout at the Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, one of the first things he taught me was the importance of keeping my head still during the swing. This is a very difficult thing for beginners to learn, and the method used with me is the best I have ever encountered. It involves, oddly enough, the feet.

Mr. Grout made me hit hundreds—maybe even thousands—of five-iron shots before I was allowed to start hitting woods at all, and here is what I was practicing. I would take my stance and plant my heels solidly on the ground. Then I would hit the five-iron, trying not to lift either foot. It was simply a flat-footed swing. On the backswing I would roll the left ankle in toward the right, and on the downswing roll the right ankle toward the left. The inside edge of each shoe would bite into the ground, but my feet would remain stationary. What this did was keep me squarely over the ball and make it almost impossble for me to shift my body or head. Now, as the beginner progresses, he can gradually lift his left heel off the ground as the club goes back and turn the right foot up onto the toes during the follow-through and still be able to keep his head steady throughout the swing.