Why Scottie Scheffler's feet move backward when he swings his golf club

Why Scottie Scheffler's feet move backward when he swings his golf club originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It might not be how you would teach a golf swing.

But considering that Scottie Scheffler is the world's No. 1 golfer, there aren't too many people telling him to change it. Rather, everyone wants to know about the backward foot movement that allows Scheffler to be a favorite in every golf tournament he enters, including the Masters at Augusta National.

Most golfers don't have the feet movement Scheffler does, where his shoes seem to move away from the ball as he makes contact.

It works for Scheffler, though, and that's what really matters.

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Why do Scottie Scheffler's feet move backward in his swing?

Scheffler's feet move around as part of his weight transfer.

As he shifts his weight with his natural strength, he essentially is pushing his motion upward, so he basically leaps off the ground.

"He's got long arms and an upright swing. His golf body type means he has a lot of vertical in his golf swing," teacher Colin McCarthy said in an explanatory Instagram post in the past. "When people see his footwork, what they see is a reaction to something that has already happened."

Scheffler himself has called the movement a "body release."

Essentially, Scheffler's feet movement is an example of his explosiveness. But since his feet don't really do the dramatic movement until the golf ball is hit, it's not a massive problem.

Clearly, at least for Scottie, it works.

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