Standing Too Close to the Ball?

Standing too close.

Most professional golfers would tell you that the biggest and most likely error seen among amateurs in terms of stance distance to the ball is standing too far away--in a sense, reaching for the ball. However, Tom Watson and others' opinions aside, I'm telling you that you CAN stand too close to the ball, because I did it for a while.

What are some symptoms of standing too close? Over-the-top/outside-in swing, pulls, slices, shanks, divots pointing left, fat shots, steep swing plane, standing up through impact, etc. True that these mishits and characteristics can originate from other swing problems, but I believe it's true that many--if not most--errors can be traced to the setup (GASP - grip, alignment/aim, stance, and posture/position).

You will find numerous methods online and in books to explain how you can judge the correct distance to the ball, and you'll notice that it's not an exact science. And two additional factors probably account for this inexact advice: One's body type and equipment (and whether that equipment is fitted to one's body type). For example, maybe you're 6 feet tall and skinny but your arms are short for your height. Or maybe you're 6 feet fall with a long, thick torso but you have short arms and legs. No matter, all of these characteristics can affect how far away you should stand from the ball to get an ideal swing plane. To me, the best advice is to just allow your arm-triangle to hang straight down from the shoulders, such that there's some open space between the arms and body; a down-the-line view would give the arm-triangle plane a perpendicular-to-the-ground appearance (though the arms may reach out towards the ball a bit more with the driver). I like to think of this triangular arm plane as floating on top of the chest and swinging around the neck and NOT underneath the chest; this should help you to visualize how to assume the proper distance to the ball with a given club.

I had experimented with a taller posture, which can cause one to stand closer to the ball, especially if one is not a tall player. Anything in golf can be taken too far, and what was a good thing, in retrospect, had gone too far for my body type. Standing closer to the ball, with a narrower stance and a taller posture, can lead to a swing plane that's too vertical, especially troublesome for shorter players. I had pulled my arms in closer to my chest, such that my elbows were REALLY close to my stomach. My arms were no longer just hanging from my shoulder sockets as they should be; I had been using unconscious tension to pull my arms inward, with my hands too close to my thighs at address. I had become that version of golfer that Tom Watson said didn't really exist: I was standing TOO close to the ball. My arm-triangle plane was angled inward; it no longer hung straight down. I had become TOO connected, meaning my entire upper arm was pressed against my torso, when only the top part of the upper arms should be pressed against or connected to the chest.

To correct my mistake, I had to let the triangle formed by my arms at address hang a little more freely from my shoulders, and because of this, I had to back away from the golf ball a few inches and bend over more. The club shaft automatically lowered into a flatter position at address, and I could focus a bit more on the inside of the ball instead of the top of it. It felt like I was much further away from the ball, and my posture was more bent over, covering the ball more. If you're 5-9 like me, chances are your posture should be more bent over, and your swing plane more flat. Getting further away from the ball (still only far enough so that one's arms hang freely) automatically shallows the swing plane and makes it easier to hit from the inside-out. It's also easier to stay in one's correct posture, covering the ball through impact, because the arms have space to move through without crashing into the body.

I finally started seeing a push again, which was a welcome sight after lining up on the left side of tee box, hoping to hit a push-draw, and instead, ending up with a pull-hook into the left rough or trees. If you do this and start pushing the ball, you will only need to close the club face more to get the ball drawing. If it starts hooking too much, you'll need to work on closing the club face less. This works hand-in-hand with a correct takeaway; be sure to keep the club outside the hands in the takeaway and avoid jerking the club inside, which will just cause another pull situation due to rerouting the club on the downswing.

Standing too close to the ball causes golfers to stand too upright, losing the forward upper body tilt. The arms won’t have enough room to hang and swing freely, causing the club to be lifted by the hands in the backswing, forced down on the downswing, and lifted again to the finish position. Since the hands are overly active, the body will remain relatively inactive resulting in poor club contact with the ball and very weak shots.

How's Your Distance to the Ball at Address? ~ Create Golfers

Your posture determines your swing plane to a large degree. It seems that golfers who stand very tall and close to the ball have very upright swings and golfers who bend over a lot and are farther from the ball tend to have flatter swings. I would encourage the average golfer to bend forward more in order to make it easier to make a flatter (more rounded) swing as this will help him hook the ball and also help him take a divot after the ball is struck.

Jim Suttie: How far is too far and how close is too close? » Naples Daily News

Heck, if we can stand too far where we're reaching or stretching for the ball that takes us out of dynamic balance. It should be obvious that the exact opposite could be true. We can stand too close to the ball and be out of dynamic balance. In fact, being way too close to the ball, we're in trouble when we swing down with our hands and arms and club to impact the ball. We could very likely start bumping our arms into our body or into our hips or into our legs and have to spin out of the shot too fast to make room. So yes, we can definitely stand too close.

The Proper Distance to Stand from the Ball at Address | Swing Surgeon

Interestingly enough, Martin Kaymer just brought this up last night on the Fix. He said when hitting a draw, he sets up a bit further away from the ball. This results in 2 key things for shaping a draw: I allows him to come more from the inside without getting stuck, and it flattens out his swing plane a bit more.

OTT pull swingers may be standing too close

Standing with your body too close to the golf ball so you don’t give yourself enough room, then you try and lean back to create room, there’s another big cause of the fat shots.

Causes and Cures: Fat Shots, Golf Video

If you stand too close to the ball the club gets too steep in the back swing and if you are too far away, the club becomes too flat. You need to get a feel for this and ensure that your weight is in the center of your feet. If you are too far away from the ball, you will feel like you are too much on the balls of your feet. If you are too close you will be on your heels.

Golf Ball Position In Stance, Golf Stance Tips, Lesson, Ideas

 

Preset Open Hips

Open hips/open stance.

If you're struggling with solid contact, it's always best to try something different in your setup. The swing itself is best when the setup, posture, grip, and alignment (GASP) create a somewhat automatic backswing and downswing. Trying to control small muscles in the arms in an attempt to provide power and club face control (i.e., steering) is a recipe for disaster. A good setup should help you "automatize" the swing.

Here's something I've found that really helps me create consistent, solid contact. Please note that, depending on your body type and swing mistakes, trying this may cause you more problems than it solves. Try it as a drill (at the very least) before you determine whether this is of any help. Of course, I can only theorize why it's helpful, and I will get to that shortly.

First, let's get to the heart of it: Setup like you normally would with feet, knees, hips, and shoulders aligned square to the target line, as the fundamentals tell us to do. You can even setup with slightly closed feet, and the correct shoulder position should feel somewhat closed, although in reality it's square (shoulders pointing left is a major no-no). Now, before swinging back, preset your hips into a slightly open position. Yes, you can do this even though your feet are square/closed and the shoulders are square, due to the mobility available in the hips (assuming you have no restrictions in the movement of your hips). In essence, you're starting from a correct preset impact position, and your hips are "out of alignment" with the target line compared to your shoulders.

Starting my swing from this position created very powerful near-center-face hits on all clubs, so I decided to analyze potential reasons why this apparent break from the fundamentals is helpful to me, especially given that open hips are supposed to contribute to slices and pulls.

First, I think simulating the impact position before starting the swing pre-programs the brain on what the impact position should be for a particular club and lie. You're giving your brain a "pass-through" point in the swing; instead of trapping the ball between backswing and followthrough, you've added a middle waypoint to connect those dots.

Next, you'll notice that opening the hips while keeping everything else square automatically puts a little more weight on the front leg and positions the remaining weight into the right instep where it should be. In reality, your knees will move slightly to the left when opening the hips, so you should let them (don't think about moving the knees consciously); the right knee will automatically tick inward a bit, which is a solid setup tip unto itself.

Next, when you swing back and rotate your shoulders to 90 degrees, you'll notice now that your hip turn is VERY restricted and that it's difficult to stay in a fully rotated position. The shoulders instantly want to release the tension, which means more power for your downswing. You're basically presetting a greater "X-Factor" or differential between the shoulder line and hip line at the top, which is what the X-Factor calls for. This tension is a good thing because it's going to provide automatic unwinding power from your body down to your arms and club.

You'll also notice that your weight automatically concentrates into your right instep where it should be at the the top of the backswing and thus you can't really sway to the right off the ball with the hips or shoulders.

The hands and end of the club handle also move fractionally more forward of the ball, which is where they should be at impact.

Finally, when you let that automated unwinding happen, your weight gets instantly back to your left leg as it was at address, because there was no sway off the ball. You're moving left well before impact without even thinking about it.

There may be other reasons, but I believe these are probably the main reasons why presetting open hips assists me in making reliable, solid contact.

I believe that there are other versions of this same line of thinking out there. Opening the left foot while keeping the right foot perpendicular to the target line (espoused by Hogan) or using a slightly open stance with closed shoulders (like Trevino or Couples) are really designed to do the same thing. It's important to note that all of these golfers favored a fade, and open body lines at impact are associated with a left-to-right ball flight. However, you can still hit a draw using this technique; experiment with different grips, ball position, turning the club, swinging more right, concentrate on hitting the inside of the ball, etc. Trevino stated that he used the same setup for draws and fades; he pictured a row of four balls, and for fades he would try to hit all four in a row, while he would only pick off the first ball without hititng the others for a draw.

You can preset open hips for all shots, especially including the short game and even for putting (it locks the knees into place and prevents swaying), and for full shots, you may choose to use it merely as a drill.

Speaking of Hogan, I believe DTL views of his swing show that he also preset his hips slightly open, because you will notice his right knee ticked in slightly and his left foot flared out with the right foot perpendicular.

Last but not least, all three main horizontal planes, i.e. feet, hips and shoulders should never be parallel to one another. Hence the idea of increasing the diagonality of the stance in three planes - hips open in relation to feet, shoulders closed in relation to hips. Of course shoulders are used for visual aiming while feet seeks for ultimate balance and ultimate benefitting from ground forces.

Biokinetic Golf Swing Theory: Setting the Swing Motion

Pre-Set Drill: A great drill to properly train the feel of Key #2: Weight Forward is to pre-set your impact position before making a golf swing. Here's how:

1. Set up over the ball as you normally would.

2. Move your left knee and hip towards the target and open them slightly. Let your hands shift towards your left thigh as you do this. You'll feel more weight on your forward leg.

3. Make a half to three-quarter backswing leaving your left knee and hip forward.

4. From there, bump the hips even farther forward, hit the ball, and swing to an abbreviated finish.

Doing this drill properly will set you on the path to achieving Tour-quality impact.

5 Keys | GolfTipsMag.com

A common error of golfers of all levels is lining up too far to the right of the target. This forces you to come over the top on the downswing to reroute the club on line, then release the hands quickly to prevent a slice and send the ball toward the target. These corrections put too much pressure on the small muscles of the hands to release the club at precisely the right time. You may be powerful, but you'll find yourself missing the target in every direction.

If you're going to make mistakes in alignment, make them to the left of the target. An open stance presets your hips in a cleared position, as they begin slightly rotated toward the target. You don't need a quick release of the hands; instead, you can square the club with the big muscles of the shoulders and back and approach the ball from an inside path. Keep your stance square to slightly open to develop a repeating swing. Don't let yourself drift to the right.

Set up for straight shots | Golf Features | IntoTheRough.co.uk

For pitch shots and chip shots, there is a much less aggressive turning of the body through impact. This is especially true for chip shots, as the chipping motion more closely mirrors a putting stroke. To overcome the less aggressive hip turning through impact, ideally we want to set up with an open stance to the target line with our body lines. This ensures open hips through impact, and the result is our arms can swing freely without manipulation to the follow-through position.

Believe it or not, this also comes into play with putting. Although it is common for teachers to tell students that their entire body alignment should be parallel to the target line, most tour professionals set up with open feet, knees, and hips (with the shoulders remaining square to allow a proper putter path). Again, this open alignment of the lower body allows the arms to swing down the target line in a free manner.

Golf Teaching Pros: Why the Open Stance?

If that sounds familiar, here's a drill to help you start the club back straighter and shallow out your downswing. Set up in a dramatically open stance, with your feet aimed 30 or 40 degrees left of the target. Then swing back along your stance line. This will prevent you from pulling the club to the inside and will create a wider arc. You'll get into a lower, flatter position at the top (below).

Jim McLean: Open Up To Fix Your Slice: Golf Digest

Shaping Shots Consistently

I must have a ga-ja-billion posts on shaping shots (i.e., coaxing fades and draws), and that's because I'm always in search of the best way to do it. The best way is the way that is consistent and reliable for you to perform on the course (i.e., 90% of the time the ball bends as you intended). Click on the tags or keywords at the end of this post and you'll discover the numerous ways it's possible to influence the ball's starting line and follow-on ball flight.

I think this method--along with Jack's method--may be the easiest.

To fade the ball, tee up the ball LOW (even with the top of the driver) and on the right side of the tee box. Aim the club face towards the left side of the fairway (pick a tree or other target on the left); this represents the starting line. Place the club down aligned with this starting line. Make the address stance slightly open to the starting line; this means the hips, knees, feet, and shoulders should be aligned to the left. The upper body should still be tilted away from the target, and one must still shift the weight correctly and stay behind the ball for this power fade (sort of a push-fade, as you're still hitting inside-out ala Lee Trevino). Position the ball off the inside of the left instep (or roughly with the left shoulder). The further forward the ball position, the further left the ball should start on line before curving. Experiment with tee heights and ball position to get the right mix for the shot shape you want. Hit through the ball as if hitting four balls in a row on the starting line. Finally, use your normal grip, as most amateurs and high-handicappers hit with a slightly open club face even when trying to close it. Done correctly you should impart a nice, narrow fade on the ball.

To draw the ball, tee up the ball HIGH (one quarter to half the ball above the driver) and on the left side of the tee box. Pick a target on the left side of the fairway and place the club on that starting line. Make the address stance slightly closed to the starting line (pull the right foot back and align the shoulders and knees to the feet). Position the ball back in the stance (a few inches to the right of where it would be for the fade); the ball should be inside the left heel or roughly even with your shirt logo. Finally, rotate the club face slightly closed compared to the stance and then take your normal grip (most amateur golfers have trouble closing the club face enough for a push-draw, so manipulating the club at setup is easiest). Instead of hitting through all four balls, pretend you're hitting only the first ball of the four. Experiment to find the right mix; you will draw the ball (if you hook it then either move the ball slightly forward, tee it lower, lessen your closed stance, or try combinations of all).

A few notes. The lower the loft of the club (6-iron and up to driver), the easier it is to slice and the harder it is draw (another reason for manipulating the club face slightly closed for a draw). The higher the loft of the club (i.e., 7-iron and higher), the easier it is to hook and more difficult to fade. Draws tend to fly lower, further, and run more on landing. Fades tend to fly higher, shorter, and land with less roll. Take this into account when selecting a club. Don't be afraid to exaggerate adjustments to get the ball spinning like you want (i.e., if you lose your draw, get the ball hooking by standing with your back to the target and hitting balls).Full extension adds power and helps close the face (obviously useful for a draw but maybe for the fade too if the fade is too close to a slice). Hit both shots with the same swing shape--inside-out. And inside-out fade is called a power fade, and this was used by the greats like Hogan, Trevino, and Nicklaus.

Trevino’s swing is unorthodox, and so is his method for hitting the fade. The conventional way is to align the body left of target, aim the clubface at the target, and swing along the line of the body. Trevino follows the first two steps, but swings down the target line rather than with his body. The deviation actually produces a swing path that’s inside-to-out relative to the body, and directly down the target line. Trevino produces the left-to-right spin necessary for a fade by delaying the release (rolling over) of his hands through impact. According to Trevino, his routine produces more power than the traditional technique. He acknowledges that the ball will finish right of the target, but suggests simply lining up the body and clubface farther left to compensate.

Try Trevino's Unorthodox Power Fade Swing

Most players think of the swing as a circle. Trevino saw it as something different. Instead of folding his arms up after impact to remain on the circle, he chased his right shoulder toward the target to 
 the point where the club pointed straight down the line. He made this move with such force that it 
 looked like his right arm was going to rip straight out of its shoulder socket. It’s actually a move that most great ballstrikers have used over the decades.

Eventually, your left elbow must fold and get the club moving up the circle again, but try chasing down the line first, like Trevino did. I bet you’ll find yourself hitting the ball a little straighter and, if you can hold off your release just that much longer, creating a power fade. While the word “fade” has negative connotations for a chronic slicer, a controlled cut in the hands of a good player like Trevino leads to a Hall-of-Fame career, five Vardon Trophies and half a dozen major victories.

Johnny Miller - Lee Trevino signature chase move can help you hit it straighter | GOLF.com

"Inside out?" you might ask. "Doesn't that cause a draw?" Yes, it does, but only when your swing is inside out in relation to your target line. This swing is inside out in relation to the body alignment, but straight back to straight through in relation to the target line (see illustration). You won't draw the ball with this swing. If anything, you will contact the ball after the club has swung down and back to, the inside on the forward swing, thus putting a slight left to right spin on the ball .

So you have two big pluses here: First, you have an inside to outside attack in relation to your body. This is much more powerful than the outside-to inside swings that many amateurs use to fade the ball. Second, you have the club moving down the target line, producing either a straight ball or slight fade. You can't beat that combination.

Here's a trick that might help you understand this a little better. After you set up, imagine that there are three golf balls in front of the one you're about to hit. For the fade, you want to hit through all four balls. This will force your right shoulder down rather than around on the downswing, with your arms extending toward the target on the follow through. Keep in mind that the right shoulder doesn't dip. That would cause fat shots. Instead, the shoulder simply swivels underneath the chin. As a result, you will hold your release, keep the club moving down the target line, and push the ball to the hole, with very little sidespin.

I have, however, encountered one "problem" among people who have tried this method. They say to me, "Lee, when I swing your way, I hit the ball way to the right. I just tell them, "Aim farther left.” Don't open your stance more; just shift your entire orientation to the left. In other words, rather than aim the clubface down the fairway or at the pin, aim it at an intermediate target more to the left and shift your body alignment farther to the left as well. There's no rule that says you have to aim down the middle. Line up for the trees on the left and push it down the fairway. It's easy, when you know for sure that you can hit the push/fade.

The beauty of the balls in a line image is that you can use it to draw the ball, too. For the right to left shot, line up your body parallel to the target line and aim your clubface at an intermediate target to the right, to allow for the draw. Then, simply think of picking off the first ball in line, the real ball, without touching the three imaginary ones. This brings the right shoulder and club up quickly in the follow through, and whenever the club and shoulder move up, they go counterclockwise as well, which closes the clubface. Result: a draw.

You Can Learn to Hit My Fade - Lee Trevino - Golf Magazine - Dec 1979

Driver Shaft Lean at Address

I've noticed that I can set up to hit a driver with the shaft leaning too far forward when I'm not paying attention, with the club shaft pointing at my left hip. The mishits from a shot like this include fat shots and pop-ups, because this sort of setup encourages a downward hit into the ball. With the woods, we want an upward angle of attack.

If you look at video or photographs of professional golfers showing their driver setup positions, you will notice that most set up with their hands directly over or just behind the club head (and thus ball) at address, and the club shaft is either vertical or leaning slightly away from the target. The club shaft will point at the belt buckle or just to the left of it, and the angle of the club shaft matches the angle of the left leg. In other words, the club DOES NOT lean towards the target as it does for iron shots.

Setting up with the shaft vertical or leaning very slightly away from the target will encourage a sweeping driver or wood swing rather than a downward driver swing, which is encouraged by the opposite setup. To reach this position, don't move the arms; rather, adjust the stance to get the shaft (and thus ball position) adjusted properly.

Remember to keep the shaft pointing towards the belt buckle and this will assist in getting the driver shaft in the correct position. Also keep in mind that ball position in the stance is directly associated with the degree of shaft lean, either forward or backward, at address. The ball position for the driver should be relative to the hands and upper body, not the feet, and poorer players tend to push the ball position to far forward, especially when hoping to hit a push-draw.

It's important to experiment. It's possible that a hand position very slightly forward of the ball with a driver might assist in hitting inside-out and promoting a push-draw. Taken too far, however, will cause fat shots, pop-ups, pushes, and push-slices.

So if your hands are ahead at address, they will try to be ahead of the ball at impact promoting a "compression" of the golf ball equaling more distance and accuracy. The backward lean of the driver will promote a "sweeping" of the ball off the tee to create the optimal launch angle for your drives.

Jake Spott Golf Instruction: Shaft Lean Angle

One of the most common errors with the driver is to lean the club shaft too far forward. This club shaft alignment promotes a steep attack angle, robbing you of power and accuracy. Rory [McIlroy] is a great example of someone who doesn’t lean the driver forward at address, allowing him to get behind it and achieve the necessary attack angle.

Tip from Travis: Avoid the shaft lean « PGATOUR.com The Tour Report

The shaft of the club will appear to lean slightly toward the target with your short irons because the ball is positioned in the center of your stance. With your middle irons, the shaft of the club will lean only slightly toward the target (or not at all) since the ball is forward of center. With long irons and woods, your hands and the shaft of the club will appear to be in line. Again, as the ball position moves forward, the hands stay in the same place so the lean of the shaft disappears. With a driver, the shaft will lean away from the target.

Golf Setup - Proper Positions

With the driver, most golfers play the ball too far forward and stand too far away from it. This might feel powerful, but it sets some bad things in motion.

Lesson Tee: Butch Harmon: Rule No. 1: Position The Ball: Golf Digest

 

Posture and Setup

Here are some tricks I use to get a basic, fundamental setup:

• Aim: Stand behind the ball to get aim line (starting line relative to the target); pick a spot on the ground a foot or so in front of the ball that's on the aim line--focus on that spot as you address the ball
• Alignment: Take standing position on the side of the ball with club held out in front; align parallel to the line created by the ball and the spot you picked in the first step; back is straight
• Stance: In general, set the left foot perpendicular to the target line and flare the right foot out slightly. Foot position can be adjusted to encourage ball flights but one should NEVER move the left foot from its address position during the swing
• Posture: Unlock the Pelvis: Bend from the hips at address, such that the rear end protrudes SLIGHTLY to balance the torso; the pelvis should be inline with the torso. When the pelvis is locked, the pelvis is more inline with the legs, the back is in a C posture, and the body is already preset to stand up and lose the primary torso tilt, either going back or coming down. Don't go too far or you'll have the opposite problem with and S posture. If you feel unstable at address, check for this. The back is still straight; now bend the knees; arms should hang but shoulders should feel pulled back (if they droop the the upper back is drooping); this will look and feel as if you're establishing a tripod created by your legs and the club, and you will be looking in on your hands; another feel is that you're squatting to sit down on a stool (Updated 15 Jan 2015)
• Posture: At address, the sternum or the middle of the chest will be pointing to the ground at a certain angle, pointing more down with short clubs and less down with long clubs. Note this position of the sternum, for it represents the "return cover angle" (the primary torso tilt or spine angle) of the chest needed during the downswing to maintain posture and hit the ball solidly (Updated 1 Dec 14)
• Posture: Preset secondary axis or torso tilt by concentrating the weight onto the inside of the right foot and ticking the right knee in slightly; the upper body should then tilt slightly away from the target and the head should be preset behind the ball; this will allow for a centered pivot without swaying off the ball (Reverse K Position)
• Set-up: Ensure that the elbows are straight, close together, pointed down, and in front of the torso; the upper arms should be somewhat across the top of the chest
• Stance: Weight should be on heels at this point, so shift it slightly forward into the balls of the feet (mid-foot or arches)
• Stance: Take small adjustment steps to align the club to the ball and target line
• Set-up: (Ball position) Looking down at the hands and the ball at address, the hands should be, generally speaking, just in front of the ball for irons and just on top of or maybe slightly behind the ball for woods; the proper way to get the ball and hand position is with stance adjustments left or right (do not use the arms to get this hand position, i.e., forward press)
• Alignment: Finally, ensure that the shoulder line is parallel to the knee, hip, and aim lines
• Set-up: The belt buckle should be angled down toward the target/starting line, and the butt of the club should point at the belt buckle

My first typical error is to allow my pelvis to get into an un-protruded position, which fundamentally alters the posture and can lead to several errors, including thin and fat shots. A symptom that this is happening is that your shoulders will begin to droop and you will lose the feeling that the arms and club are hanging from the shoulders (i.e., the elbows and forearms may start touching the belly area, depending on your physical condition).

My second typical (and biggest) error is to leave my shoulders too level and turned slightly open, unconsciously aimed off to the left. This ironically FEELS right because the right hand is lower on the club and naturally pulls the right shoulder toward the aim line. But the correct position is such that the back of the left shoulder is slightly facing targetward; the correct FEEL for me is that the shoulders are aligned pointing slightly right, when in reality the shoulders are aligned parallel to the knees, hips, and aim line. Here's a test: set up in the correct posture holding a pitching wedge with the arms hanging. Now let go of the wedge and see where the arms hang. If they hang in the same plane the shoulder alignment is good; if the shoulder line is aimed too far left or right then the arms will hang unevenly. Turning the shoulders slightly rightward to improve alignment also gets the head behind the ball and automatically lowers the right shoulder.

My third typical error is to let my arms start bending and bowing slightly outward; my elbows separate and point outward instead of down.

My fourth typical error is to let the ball position relative to my swing center get too far forward, which, depending on the club face at impact, can cause pulls, pull-hooks, or slices. It's important to first "setup the crane and wrecking ball" and then "walk that crane into position," (Shawn Clement) such that the hands are just ahead of the ball for irons and either on top of or maybe slightly behind the ball for longer clubs (for driver, the ball isn't as far forward as you might think, especially for a draw). This works because the hands should be in the same position relative to the middle of the body for all clubs at address.

Along those lines, if you're losing shots to the right (i.e., straight-slicing, pushing or push-slicing), try moving the ball forward in your stance a few inches, especially with the driver, woods, and even the putter (Leadbetter). Keep in mind that this can exacerbate pulls and pull-hooks, so back off if that becomes the issue. (Updated 5 Aug 14)

Note that these setup steps don't account for unusual lies or stance adjustments for shot shape, so aspects may change for uphill, side hill, down hill, desired ball flights, etc.

Make sure you have a good knee bend and a nice bend from the hips. Your arms should hang down in your setup so there is a slight angle between your forearms and your golf club shaft. Your weight should be on the balls of your feet or towards the middle.

How To Achieve Perfect Posture On Every Golf Shot For Great Results | swingperfectgolfswing.com

1. Stand tall with a slight knee bend from the hips.

2. You should feel a pelvic tilt (butt out) with a flat back as you bend over.

3. Weight on the balls of your feet.

Good posture for good swings | Kandi Comer Golf

Once you are in this position stick your butt out. The reason for sticking your rear end out is to bring your center of gravity to a point over your arches.

With your weight in the middle of your feet you are in a dynamic position, you can swing the golf club to and fro and maintain good balance and that is the key to a good, solid, repeatable golf swing.

Butt Out - Play Better Golf

Chris DiMarco said his renewed golf swing is all in the butt. As in, sticking it out.

"My wife said, 'you used to stick your butt out like you were wearing a dress,'" DiMarco told the media after he fired a 68 in the first round at the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea. "It's amazing, the simplicity of it. Sure enough, that just kind of kicked everything right into gear and I have hit so many sold shots all week.

Tim McDonald: Chris DiMarco says golf swing is all in the rear | World Golf News

Often your stance can look and feel square to you but your hips and shoulders will be several degrees off line.

Instruction Tip #20 - Perfect Your Alignment

Point the butt of the club at your belt buckle and your belt line toward the ball.

"Belt line at the ball - Brian Manzella"

As we reach slightly lower with our right hand to grip the club, our right shoulder moves down and forward slightly and our right hip moves forward just a little bit.

Slight as they are, these movements "open" our body to the ball. You can see the effect more easily if you drop your right hand a foot down the shaft from the left.

The effect of this "opening" is threefold. It causes us to aim to the left, restricts our backswing and shoulder turn, and puts us in a position to hit from the outside in before we have even started the club back.

The Golf Stance Part 3: The Arms and The Open Position

Strive to keep your hands just SLIGHTLY ahead of the ball at address with all of your clubs. If you find you're pushing your shots you can bring them back to even with the ball. If your hands are really slow you can adjust them to just a tad "behind" the ball. No more.

Better Golf Address Fast and Easy

With the driver, most golfers play the ball too far forward and stand too far away from it. This might feel powerful, but it sets some bad things in motion.

Lesson Tee: Butch Harmon: Rule No. 1: Position The Ball: Golf Digest

The final step in our setup is to simply march over to the golf ball. From the setup position with the clubhead resting on the ground at the center of the stance, simply shuffle over to the ball while maintaining setup posture. Basically we create the setup while standing a few inches too far away from the ball, then slide the clubhead up behind the ball as the feet take a small step forward. We literally use the club as a yardstick to measure the body distance from the ball.

Golf Setup Lesson – Foundation for a Golf Swing

The hand position at address should be as close as possible to the position you want your hands to come into the ball at impact.

For an iron shot, where you need the club coming down into impact, you place the hands forward of the ball and in front of the club head so the shaft and left arm are in a straight line.

For a driver off the tee, where you need to hit the ball into the air, the hands should be opposite or even behind the ball slightly. The higher you want to hit the ball, the further behind the ball you have the hands when hitting off the tee.

Golf Address Hand Position - Stance Grip Tips | Suite101

 

 

 

Golf Height and Spin Influences

The following are often trumpeted physical aspects of the golf swing that are associated with particular ball flights, but it should be noted that they are not exclusive to those ball flights (one can hit a fade using an inside-out swing). Slice or cut spin (clockwise-tilted spin) is typically associated with high ball flights and hook spin (counter-clockwise-tilted spin) is typically associated with low ball flights, but that doesn't mean one can't hit high draws and low fades. Understanding these attributes can help one diagnose when something goes wrong on the course (because it inevitably will).

Hook Spin (Draw) and Lower Ball Flight Characteristics	Slice Spin (Fade) and Higher Ball Flight Characteristics
Setup further away from the ball; posture more bent over; elbow away from torso	Setup closer to the ball; posture more upright; elbows close to the torso
Flatter swing plane (more around the body)	More vertical swing plane (more up and down or down the line)
Stronger Grip (hands turned to the right) / lighter grip pressure	Weaker Grip (hands turned to the left) / firmer grip pressure
Knuckles down at impact (flat or cupped left wrist - closes and delofts club face)	Knuckles up at impact (bowed wrist or knuckles up - opens and adds loft to club face)
Swinging from in to out (swing plane tilted to right or swinging from inside)	Swinging out to in (swing plane tilted to left or over-the-top move)
Closed stance (shoulders, feet, hips aligned right of target)	Open stance (shoulders, feet, hips aligned left of target)
Back foot flared out, front foot perpendicular	Front foot flared out, back foot perpendicular
Closed or closing club face	Open or opening club face
Ball positioned further back (ball on the backside of swing arc)	Ball positioned further forward (ball on the front side of swing arc)
Grip more in the fingers (promotes club face closure)	Grip more in the palm (slows club face closure)
Posture more bent over from hips (promotes flatter swing plane)	Posture more upright from hips (promotes vertical swing plane)
Short thumb on left hand grip (promotes club face closure)	Long thumb on left hand grip (slows club face closure)
Lag retained excessively (hands in front of club head at impact)	Club casting or losing wrist hinge before impact (no lag retention)
Full shoulder turn (90 deg) = flatter plane/higher shoulder-hip turn ratio	Partial shoulder turn (<90 deg) = steeper plane/lower shoulder-hip turn ratio
More diagonal finish (club points more down behind the back)	Picture frame finish (club and arms form an open rectangle shape over the head)
Downswing begins with lower body ahead of upper body	Downswing begins with upper body ahead of lower body
Arm motion more active than body	Body motion more active than arms
Hands and arms extending out away from body past impact	Hands and arms pulling in toward the body past impact
Left arm straight through impact and followthrough	Left arm "chicken winging" (bending) through impact and followthrough
Ball tee'd up higher (high trajectory, hook)	Ball tee'd down lower (low trajectory, slice)
Smaller diameter golf grip (promotes earlier club face closure)	Larger diameter grip (promotes later club face closure)
Higher lofted clubs (easier to hook and draw) (e.g., 9-iron)	Lower lofted clubs (easier to fade and slice) (e.g., driver)
Gripping down on clubs (easier to release)	Gripping at full length (slower to release)

 

Of course, there are some outliers (it wouldn't be golf if there weren't):

Hook Spin (Draw) and HIGHER Ball Flight Characteristics	Slice Spin (Fade) and LOWER Ball Flight Characteristics
Ball tee'd up higher (high trajectory, hook)	Ball tee'd down lower (low trajectory, slice)
Head behind the ball at impact (high flight, hook)	Head forward of the ball at impact (low flight, slice)
Wide stance (especially with driver)	Narrow stance (especially with driver)