As an instructor I see Golfers practicing on their swings all the time. Unfortunately… many of them practicing on the wrong things and showing very little improvement.
One universal area that EVERY
GOLFER should continuously work on and review is the set up position. That’s
because a flawed set up produces a flawed swing. PERIOD!
Here are TEN CHECKPOINTS
that I look for in a Golfer's set up position when giving a lesson. Chances are if you play Golf, you probably have many of the proper checkpoints already. Or perhaps
you’re a beginner and need to learn all of them. In either case… review and practice
getting into these positions and you’re on your way to better golf!
It’s best if you use a full-length
mirror (your reflection in a sliding glass door will work as well!) and a golf
club. Digital cameras work fine… but you’ll have to get out of your set up
position to review it on the camera… rather than the instant feedback you get
when looking at your reflection.
I’m going to break this subject up
into two posts rather than one long one (oops... too late!). This post is written from “Down the Line”
(DTL) point of view… the other post is written from “Caddy View” (CV) and will be available in the very near future! So don't forget to check back... or simply subscribe to my feed or enter your email so you never miss any! It's simple!
Let’s get started….
CHECKPOINT - 1
Feet approximately shoulder width
apart and slightly wider than hips (more on this in the Caddy View post)…
CHECKPOINT - 2
Focus on keeping the lower back
(the Lumbar area) fairly straight while…
 |
| Lumbar Region of Spine |
CHECKPOINT - 3
… allowing the upper back region
(the Thoracic) to curve a bit, encouraging the shoulders to be relaxed and the
arms to hang…
 |
| Thoracic Region of Spine |
CHECKPOINT - 4
As a result, you can see in my
picture that the entire back/spine is NOT totally straight, but contains some
curvature. This curvature by the way is NOT INTENTIONAL… but a RESULT of
keeping my shoulders relaxed…
 |
| Spine is not Totally Straight |
CHECKPOINT - 5
The total spine tilt should be
roughly at about a 1 o’clock position. The head should naturally be in a
position where the eyes can see the ball clearly. Not trying to keep it up too
high… yet not burying the chin into the chest either. A good measurement is to
make a fist and place it between the chin and chest. That’s approximately how
high the head should be at address…
 |
| 1 O'Clock Position |
CHECKPOINT - 6
If bent correctly, the rear-end should
be out and past the heels by about four to six inches…
 |
| Rear-End Past Heels |
CHECKPOINT - 7
With proper spine tilt… a Golfer’s
belt line should be angled toward the ground…
 |
| Belt Angled Downwards |
CHECKPOINT - 8
The clubshaft should be pointing
to the belt buckle or slightly above it…
 |
| Club Shaft Points to Belt Buckle or Slightly Above it |
CHECKPOINT - 9
The hands should be roughly a
fist length away from the body. If they’re too close… the spine tilt is either
too upright or ball positions too close to body. If too far… well… it’s the
opposite of being too close! J …
 |
| Butt End of Club About A Fist-Length From Body |
CHECKPOINT - 10
The spine tilt and clubshaft
angle should be roughly between 90 – 115 degrees. This is not an exact
measurement but more of a guideline and varies depending on Golfer’s height and
club used…
 |
| Club Shaft and Spine Angle - Between 90 - 115 Degrees |
CHECKPOINT – 10.5 (BONUS!)
If properly set up… the knees are
slightly flexed and the front of the shoulders… the hands… and the toes… should be on top of each other. Also... toes, knees, hips, and shoulders should be parallel to the target line.
 |
| Shoulders... Hands... Toes... on Top of Each Other |
Well… that’s it! It’s simple… yet
most Golfers DON’T have a good set up position either because they don’t pay attention
to it OR… I hate to say this… but they don’t WANT to change.
If you need to make a change… here’s
the formula….
Five Minutes X Six days a week =
30 Minutes.
30 Minutes X Four Weeks a Month =
Two Hours.
Two Hours X 12 Months = 24 Hours
OR ONE FULL DAY!!
Five minutes a day… that’s all I
ask!
Peace… Love… Golf!
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