When you think about creating power in your golf swing, what do you think about?
Your hips? Your glutes? Your core? Ground reaction forces?
What about your big toe?
Probably not.
But maybe you should.
One of the coaches who has really influenced my thinking on this is Cal Dietz. Cal is a longtime strength and conditioning coach and the creator of the Triphasic Training system, which we use parts of in the GPC Training Program. He has worked with athletes across multiple sports and has spent years studying how the body creates and transfers force. He is currently and has been for over 10 years the University of Minnesota Head of Strength and Conditioning and the USA Women’s Olympic Hockey Teams’ Strength and Conditioning Coach for the most recent Olympic earlier this year.
One of his concepts that I find especially interesting is the Toe-Glute Reflex Sequencing Principle—the relationship between the big toe and the glutes.
And when you look at that concept through the lens of golf, it makes a lot of sense.
It Starts at the Ground
Your foot is your connection to the ground.
Think about the chain:
Big Toe → Foot → Ankle → Knee → Hip → Glute → Pelvis → Trunk
When you create pressure through your big toe, you can create a stronger connection with the ground and potentially give the glutes a better opportunity to contribute.
Why does that matter for golf?
Because your glutes help control the hip and pelvis, produce force, and contribute to rotation.
A better connection to the ground can potentially give you a better foundation for hip rotation and force production.
That’s where ground reaction forces come into play.
We can’t take advantage of the ground if we aren’t able to interact with it effectively.
But Don’t Start With Your Golf Swing
This is the important part.
Don’t go to the first tee tomorrow and try to force your big toe into the ground.
Start in the gym.
Teach your body how to use your big toe during exercises first.
Try it during hip bridges, split squats, lunges, RDLs, step-ups, jumps, and other movements where you’re producing force into the ground.
Press the big toe into the ground without curling your toes or gripping the floor.
Then pay attention.
Can you feel your foot or even your arch cramping?
Can you feel your glute?
Does your hip feel more stable?
That’s what we’re looking for.
The goal isn’t to create another swing thought.
The goal is to build a better movement strategy in the gym that eventually carries over to your golf swing.
So… Do You Use Your Big Toe?
I’m not saying your big toe is the secret to hitting the ball farther.
Golf is far too complex for that.
But we sometimes focus so much on the hips, pelvis and trunk that we forget where all of that movement starts.
The ground.
And your foot is your connection to it.
If we can improve that connection, we may give the athlete a better opportunity to use the glutes, control the hips, access rotation and produce force.
So the next time you’re training, don’t just think about your big lifts.
Think about your big toe.
Build the connection in the gym first.
Then let that connection make its way into your golf swing.
