OFF THE TEE
Pivot Around the Post
my body pretty fast to get through the ball, and my toes go from facing the ball to facing the target. It’s an unfor- tunate by-product of trying to generate more power, and I see a lot of amateurs making the same error. There’s nothing wrong with having good body rotation – at least you’re not steering with the arms only – but you have to control it. To help stabilise my lower body, I spend a lot of time with my trainer, Randy Myers, working on balance and one-legged exercises. I also focus on my lead foot – in particular my left heel – and I think that work can help your ball- striking, too. – WITH RON KASPRISKE BEN GRIFFIN joined the PGA Tour during the 2022-’23 season, and finished second at the 2024 RBC Canadian Open.
Focus on your left heel for better drives BY BEN GRIFFIN
FEEL THE FLOOR The more you can rotate your body in control, the more fairways you can hit. For me, the key is that my left foot, particularly my left heel, stays grounded as I swing down (above). Mine eventually lifts a touch (left), but not much. When you go to the range, hit your driver with the thought of keeping that heel down. Feel like your body is pivoting around it and that pressure is moving upwards through that leg. That’s how to swing harder without spinning out.
The last thing you want to do is try to steer your driver in play, but on the flip
side, if your swing gets too loose, you risk hitting the ball off the map. So how do you find the balance between being too restricted and too wild? The key might be your left foot. When my driver just isn’t working, it’s often because my left foot is spin- ning out as I swing down. I’m rotating
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JD CUBAN
68 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
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