Screening

What's Stopping You?

Flat Feet

Pro says:

One of the most significant problems associated with flat feet is that the knees are turned in.

This in turn can create a poor foundation for the turning or pivoting of the upper body.

This can lead to excessive sliding motion of the hips on the downswing which as a generalisation would be associated with the pushes and hooks family as the flapping or flashing nature of the club face through the impact area is evident.

In the case of flat feet, balance can be affected with swing compensations such as a loss of good posture on the downswing resulting in a loss of spine angle through the impact area with the pelvis moving toward the ball causing a myriad of possibilities - including shanking due to the hands moving closer to the ball at impact.

Dropped Arch

Physio says:

This is a common foot complaint and is caused by a reduction of the arches of the feet.

The muscles of the foot over stretch usually because of prolonged standing at work or on the practice range or simply by gravity and eventually lead to collapse of the aches.

Other similar problems include bunions (a general complaint of women) which eventually leads to surgery; tight calf muscles, caused by high hills are also common. In the corporate and senior golfer gout or osteo-arthritis in the feet and ankles, causing wear and tear in the joints is a similar complaint.

In young male and female golfers many problems are linked back to blisters, calluses which cause a different gait and eventually problems with the forefoot arches.

Exercises

Try lifting golf balls with the instep of your foot.

For those with extremely flat feet practice while sitting down.

As your arches strengthen you should be able to complete the exercises while standing.

Trainee: Peter Freeland Riverside GC, Tasmania.

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