The set-up forms the foundation of any good golf swing. After practicing and receiving lessons for an extended period of time, you will realise that the golf swing is a bundle of reactions and compensations. The goal for any swing then becomes about forming a motion that decreases the number of reactions and and therefore compensations that could arise in the swing. The number one way to do this is before the swing has even begun.
The first aspect that we must do is ensure that we stand around a hand-span from the body at address. This distance will enable the upper and lower half to work together more consistently. We also nee to ensure that we tilt our spine to around a 45 degree angle over the ball with a relatively straight back. We will finish with a slight knee bend.
We also want to make sure that the left hip and left shoulder are in a straight line. We will do this be slightly bumping the left hip and lowering the right shoulder a little. Lowering the right shoulder will also allow us to have the head just behind the ball which is the goal when setting up. Having the left hip and left shoulder in a straight line is very important because it will allow the swing to work more in sequence. It will start preventing the left knee from moving too much on the backswing and will also help initiate the lower half to starting first on the downswing.
The next part is ensuring the ball position is just forward of middle for the irons and opposite the left heel for the Driver. Being just forward will allow us to transfer our weight more successfully as having the ball too far back in the stance will give us a reaching sensation which will prevent our swing from moving effectively onto the front foot. The hands also need to be just forward of the clubface at address. This is because we want the hands to be in front at impact. The hands should always win the race to the ball during impact to prevent 'flipping'.
As you can see there are certain elements that need to adopted in the set-up to ensure the swing can be void of bad habits before the swing is initiated. Even though this is the less interesting part of the swing, the more we focus on applying these diligently the faster our progress will be.
If you have any questions about the set-up please don't hesitate to contact me for a lesson.
Comments