One of the biggest areas that I fix with students when they first come in for a lesson is their distance away from the ball. Most students tend to stand too far away from the ball causing them to lose their balance through impact. This will often lead to 'top' shots and 'toe' shots with the direction of the ball going left or right depending on how the clubface is presented at the ball.
The main cause of this imbalance is that the upper half and lower half stop working efficiently as they become too disconnected. It also causes the swing path to travel on an inside path as the arms tend to extend too much on the takeaway causing the clubhead to move behind the body. Also with the arms being too far away, it causes the arms to stiffen which prevents correct wrist hinge from occurring. The result of this can lead to overswinging as the arms tend to collapse at the top of the swing due to the wrists not hinging early enough on the backswing.
The correct position for the club to be is roughly a handspan from the body. Steve Elkington also used another method to test whether you were standing at the right distance from the ball. Once you've set-up properly, keep the clubhead behind the ball but place the club on the ground. For you to be at the perfect distance, around half the grip should pass beyond your heels. The hands should also lower a little to prevent the arms from straightening in order for the wrists to hinge effectively on the takeaway.
The set-up as I've mentioned before is crucial for the overall swing to remain consistent. Everything from ball position, spine angle, grip and indeed the distance from the ball is all designed to allow you to hit certain positions in your golf swing reliably and efficiently. When one position is considerably out, the rest of the swing becomes a bundle of compensated moves in an attempt to fix the problem. Take time with your set-up positions and you will build a long lasting swing.
If you'd like any help in identifying whether you're standing in the right position at set-up don't hesitate to contact me for a lesson.
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