Considerable attention is devoted to hands, arms and club position in the golf swing. However, don't overlook the importance of your lower body for good golf shots. The position and movement of your left leg through the downswing, for example, plays a large part in generating power and maintaining balance as it straightens into the follow-through.
Knee Flex
Although your left leg will ultimately straighten through the downswing, it needs to be flexed during setup and into the back swing. The late golfing great Ben Hogan wrote about the importance of knee flex in the overall athletic posture necessary to swing the golf club. For example, the ability to rotate during the back swing and uncoil through impact with balance hinges on the stability that comes from flexed knees.
Driving the Legs
Just as important as straightening the left leg during the downswing is how you go about doing it. Jeffrey Mann, writing on the website Perfect Golf Swing Review, points out that driving your legs forward through the downswing serves the critical purpose of generating power in the shot. Leg movement should always lead your hands and shoulders through impact, maintaining the proper sequence of your hips, legs, shoulders and hands.
Weight Distribution
Mann also covers the process of weight distribution during the downswing. The driving of the majority of your weight onto your left leg directs your body toward the target. Think about straightening your leg during this process as the result of this weight transfer. Straightening your left leg without this transfer will throw you off balance, forcing your weight backward and diminish your swing's potential for power.
Straight, Not Locked
Hogan also pointed out that the finishing position at the completion of the follow-through should feature relaxed balance. In other words, you don't want to be working hard to keep balance after the ball has gone. One element that can cause an imbalance is a left leg that is not only straight but also locked at the knee. Maintain a very slight flex in your left knee as the leg straightens -- enough so that you feel in control of your posture.
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