Old School Fundamentals at their Best

By JOHN BURCKLE

Fred Couples has always been known for his fluid, effortless golf swing that produces incredible power, a.k.a. Boom Boom. Today’s game is all about speed and power. We see players like Justin Thomas jumping off the ground and Scotty Scheffler sliding his trail foot through impact. Let’s take a step back in time and look at how Hall of Famer Fred Couples uses his lower body to maintain balance and generate power.

You can see at the top of Fred’s backswing that he’s completely in balance (picture 1) and his right foot is well grounded. Most of his weight is on his right leg, yet none of the weight has rolled to the outside edge of his right foot. He’s loaded into his right side and ready to go. This is so important for proper weight shift.

When making the first move toward the ball from the top of the backswing, it’s important to transfer the majority of your weight onto the left side before you strike the ball. Look at Fred’s shift to his left foot (picture 2). The lead foot is securely grounded, the trail foot has very little weight on it, and the club head is lagging behind.

Post impact (picture 3). No jumping off the ground here. Old school foot work. Left foot solidly on the ground with trail foot gliding along into the finish. Perfect balance.

Fred Couples is proof that shifting into a solid grounded lead foot can still be powerful and efficient. There are many ways to hit the ball far, but maybe old school is best for you.