Golf Stance
Set Up to Hit it Big

The set-up to your golf swing is all important, so its crucial to have a great golf stance.

A good golf stance, with a good set-up is what prepares you for a great golf swing.

Positioning Your Body.

Position your feet shoulder width apart, and tilt your body from your waist forwards towards the ball, flexing your knees as you bend (you do not need a club at this point) allowing your hands to just dangle down, hanging straight down from your shoulders towards the ground. The ideal tilt is about 45 degrees from the waist. The tilt needs to feel natural, without the body feeling any strain, but at the same time keeping your back straight.

Golf Stance Golf Swing Tip.

Visual key: assuming your belt is parallel to the ground when you're standing erect, your belt makes an excellent indicator of the angle.

Hanging Arms.

Your arms should be hanging straight down directly from the shoulders on a line to the floor. This is the exact position you want your arms to be when gripping the golf club. Your hands will be about a hands width away from your groin when gripping the club. Remember you want to attain a golf stance with no strain on any body part. With all body parts relaxed, the knees flexed, waist bent, and arms dangling about a hand width from your thighs, your very close to the perfect set-up position.

Shoulder Slant.

Practice this part of the set-up in front of a mirror. Assuming this position, with your hands hanging in a straight line from your shoulders, hold an 'imaginary' club in your hands. You'll notice that your right shoulder is lower than your left, this is because your right hand is extended further down the golf club than your left hand.

If you've done everything right so far, and are in a comfortable relaxed position, your rear should naturally have stuck out (like a monkey), if it hasn't, imagine your sitting on the edge of a bar stool.

Foot Position.

Comfort and stability are key to a strong solid golf set-up. Your feet should be parallel to each other in your golf stance, with your toes turned out slightly for comfort. With your toes turned out, your hips will rotate better over your center of gravity, which is good.

Golf Swing Tip.

With this stance, imagine a wooden stake going through the back of your neck, through your body, and out between your legs into the ground. You want to rotate your body round, not swing from side to side. By visualizing this will help you rotate over your center of gravity.

Head and Neck Tilt.

Another important part of the golf swing deals with keeping the golf ball in the vision of both eyes at all times during the swing. Your head must be positioned so that it's tilted forwards and both eyes are looking directly at the ball. To see the golf ball properly, don't move your eyes to find the ball; move your head until your eyes are directly looking at the ball. Tilt you head towards your back foot, or position your left ear (right ear if your left handed) behind the ball.

Golf Swing Tip.

To make sure you've got the right amount of head tilt. Shut your left eye. If your can keep your right eye on the ball throughout your golf swing, your head is tilted to the right just enough. (Left handed golfers should shut the right eye).

Club Height and Shaft Angle.

Pull two clubs from your bag, a six iron and your driver. Starting with the six iron, position yourself in your golf stance, allowing the club to rest on the ground. Assuming your stance is correct, the butt end of the club should point towards the base of your trouser zip. The do exactly the same with the driver. The butt end of the driver should be pointing towards the base of your zip. The only difference is the position of the club head on the ground and the angle of the shaft. The head of the driver is further away from your body than the head of the six iron was. The angle of the shaft of the longer club is less than the angle of the shorter six iron.

A good golf stance gives a strong foundation for a good golf swing technique. Watch the pros and see how much detail they apply to their set-up. If you look at the Tiger Woods golf swing you'll see he has a great set-up, perfect 45 degree tilt, knees flexed, back straight with he's rear naturally sticking out. By practicing this over and over, you will develop muscle memory and your golf stance will become natural over time.

Lesson four Golf Grip

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