Seeing that trail foot pop up off the ground way too early in your golf swing is one of the most common and frustrating swing flaws. It feels athletic, like you’re really throwing yourself into the shot, but the results are almost always disappointing - thin shots, topped balls, weak slices, and a total loss of power. This guide will walk you through why that foot is lifting, the problems it causes, and most importantly, concrete drills and feelings that will help you keep it grounded for a more powerful and consistent golf swing.
First things first, a lifting trail foot isn't usually the root problem, it’s a symptom of something else going wrong in your downswing sequence. Golfers who struggle with this are often driven by instinct - the instinct to "help" the ball get into the air or to "hit" the ball with as much force as possible. This instinct leads to a few common technical faults that cause that premature lift.
This is the number one cause. Many golfers think power comes from violently rotating their hips as fast as they can from the top of the swing. When you do this, your trail hip spins out and towards the golf ball. Your trail leg goes with it, straightening and pushing you onto your toes. With nowhere else to go, your foot pops off the ground. The feeling is a quick, jerky spin rather than a smooth and powerful unwinding.
A deep-seated instinct for many amateurs is the belief that you must get under the golf ball to lift it into the air. This causes players to hang back on their trail foot and try to "scoop" the ball skyward. As you try to lift, your body pushes upward off the trail side, causing your foot to leave the earth. Your golf clubs are designed with loft to get the ball airborne - your only job is to deliver the clubhead down to the ball. The loft will do the rest.
This is closely related to trying to lift the ball. A proper downswing starts with a noticeable shift of pressure into your lead foot. It's what allows the body to unwind powerfully. If you fail to make this initial shift, your weight stays on your trail side. From this "stuck" position, the only way to even attempt to get to the ball is to push off and jump from that back foot, which leads to all sorts of inconsistency.
Sometimes, the issue can simply be a lack of stability. If your body isn’t used to rotating while keeping pressure on the inside of the trail foot, it will default to the path of least resistance - rolling over the top of the foot and lifting the heel. Flexibility and a solid athletic stance are the foundation for a stable lower body a ction.
Now that we know the "why," let's talk about the results this flaw produces on the course. It’s not just about looking off-balance, it has a direct negative impact on your ball striking, power, and consistency.
A golf swing creates power by using the ground. Think about a pitcher in baseball or a boxer throwing a punch. They stay connected to the ground for as long as possible to transfer energy efficiently up through their body and into the throw or punch. When your trail foot leaves the ground before impact, you break that connection. You're giving up all the incredible ground force you could have used and instead rely entirely on your arms, which leads to weak, floaty shots that go nowhere.
When your trail foot comes up early, your swing's low point becomes impossible to predict. One time you might hit the ball thin, the next fat. A premature lift also often steepens the club's path on the downswing, pulling it "over the top" and causing a slice. Alternatively, it can cause the club to get "stuck" behind you, leading to big blocks or hooks. A stable lower body is the bedrock of a repeatable swing path, without it, you're just guessing.
That pure, flushing sound you hear from great players comes from "compressing" the golf ball - hitting down on the ball with a forward-leaning shaft, trapping the ball between the clubface and the turf. This is physically impossible if your weight is on your back foot or you’re jumping upward through the shot. Keeping your trail foot down longer ensures your weight moves forward, allowing you to hit the ball first and create that crisp, satisfying strike.
Okay, enough theory. The only way to fix this is to feel the correct motion. These drills are designed to retrain your instincts and teach your body what a proper weight shift and lower body sequence feel like.
This is a classic for a reason. It perfectly trains the feeling of moving your momentum through the ball and towards the target, not spinning out.
This provides instant feedback on whether your foot is rolling and lifting correctly or improperly spinning up.
This drill helps take your over-active trail side completely out of commission so you can learn what supporting the swing with your lead side feels like.
Let's be very clear: the goal is not to keep your trail foot flat on the ground for the entire swing. That's a different fault altogether and will restrict your rotation. The key is the timing and the nature of the movement.
In a good golf swing, as you start the downswing and shift your pressure to the lead foot, your trail foot should feel like it's rolling inward onto its instep. The heel stays down through the impact zone, providing a stable anchor against which your body can rotate. Only after the ball is gone and your body continues to turn towards the target does the heel naturally and freely release from the ground. It's pulled up by the rotation of your hips to a "tiptoe" finish, with nearly all of your weight resting comfortably on your lead side. The foot lift is a result of a good turn, not a producer of it.
Learning to keep your trail foot down longer is really about improving your downswing sequence and shifting your weight correctly. It's about letting a stable lower body be the engine, allowing you to stay in balance and deliver the club powerfully and consistently. By using these feelings and drills, you can start training your body to use the ground instead of jumping off of it.
We know that ingraining a new swing feel can be a confusing process that raises more questions as you practice. For those moments when you're on the range and need a simple, clear answer to understand what you're doing, our tool Caddie AI can act as your personal 24/7 golf coach right in your pocket. It helps you grasp swing concepts and course strategy so you can get past confusion and focus on hitting better shots.
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