The Ground-X-Factor: Training the Proprioceptive and Propulsive Function of the Foot for Improved Technique and Enhanced Performance of the Golf Swing

This study pioneers a new golf athletic training paradigm that emphasizes the proprioceptive and propulsive function of the feet to enhance swing performance. Twenty-five experienced golf players completed three separate swing sessions: the first before a specific foot proprioceptive intervention (time t0), the second immediately after the intervention (time t1), and the third three minutes after the end of the second session (time t2). During the second and third sessions, participants were instructed to integrate the sequence of foot actions practiced during the proprioceptive intervention into their swing. The club and ball kinematics and the vertical ground reaction exerted by each foot were recorded and compared across sessions. Lead foot pressure increased from t0 to t1 but did not show further increments from t1 to t2. Club speed increased from t0 to t1 and continued to rise, albeit to a lesser extent, from t1 to t2. Ball speed did not change significantly from t0 to t1 but increased from t1 to t2. The benefits of the intervention and the new swing technique progressively propagate with practice from the feet to the club, and finally to the ball. Through the proposed exercises, golfers can progressively develop a refined swing technique that optimizes foot function and enhances swing performance.